move on, and not in
future talk so loudly of our private affairs."

"Your advice is good," said the Count; "we will follow it."

And they moved on a short distance, paying much less attention than
before to the beauties of the scenery. They had just reached the
neighbourhood of what appeared to be an old summer-house, now neglected
and disused, for it was thickly overgrown with ivy and various creepers.
Looking up close to it they observed a board, on which was painted in
large letters, "Whoever is found trespassing in these grounds will be
punished with the utmost rigour of the law." Scarcely had they read
this unpleasant announcement, when they observed at the farther end of
the walk a party of men, who from their costume were evidently huntsmen
or gamekeepers, led by a person whom they recognised at a glance as
Mynheer Bunckum, their jealous rival.

"There are the robbers! There are the impostors! There are those
thieves and vagabonds, who have come here pretending to be noblemen
travelling for their pleasure. On! on! seize them, my men! treat them
with no ceremony."

Mynheer Bunckum, though he shouted, did not move himself, and his
followers appeared to hesitate for a few moments. This gave time to the
Count and Baron to retreat behind the summer-house.

"Come along, Count, we must trust to our legs to escape from these
fellows," cried the Baron, and he set off running as fast as he could
go.

"Stop! stop!" cried the Count. "You will be seen to a certainty and
overtaken; come in here, I perceive an opening, and we shall be able to
lie hid, while our jealous rival passes by."

The Baron, however, did not hear him, but still rushed on.

"I shall be seen if I attempt to run," thought the Count. Without more
ado he slipped through an opening in the side of the wall, in his hurry
forgetting to feel his way. He had made but a few steps when, to his
dismay, he found himself descending, and fully believed that he was
about to be precipitated down a well. Greatly to his relief he reached
the bottom sooner than he had expected.

"Here, at all events, I shall be secure while our jealous rival and his
men are hunting about for me; but I am afraid the Baron has very little
chance of escaping. I might have got into rather a pleasanter place; it
is somewhat damp; I hear the frogs croaking, and feel the slippery efts
and other creatures crawling about. I only hope that there are no
venomous snakes; but, by t