y beautiful, charming, gay, and brilliant, and
exerted a powerful attraction over the prince. He was extremely
attentive to her during the trip, while she remained pleasantly
indifferent and appeared to care nothing for him.

Perhaps this very indifference stimulated him, and he continued his
attentions at the North Sea watering place, where he maintained the
incognito of Herr von Gerau, the beautiful girl, who was at once
surrounded by other young gentlemen, only learning from him that he was
a land-owner. She accepted his daily gifts of flowers, it is true, but
otherwise showed no more favour to him than to the rest of her suitors.
Indeed, she paid even less consideration to the prince than to the
others, which greatly depressed him. Then it happened that a very
exalted personage who was a friend of Prince Louis came to Norderney.
The latter was obliged to pay him a ceremonious visit on which he wore
his uniform, and now could no longer conceal his rank and name. The
Mayence beauty saw him in his handsome blue uniform coat, and learned
that very day the identity of her admirer. Her manner to him altered
as if by magic. She had eyes for him alone, distinguished him by a
cordiality which justified the boldest hopes and, by her tender looks
and smiles, seemed to be imploring forgiveness for not having perceived
his value sooner. Prince Louis noticed this sudden change and felt the
deepest shame.

For two days good and evil fought a hard battle in his soul. His
innate nobility of character urged him not to profit by his advantage,
to withdraw from a person whom he had discovered to be so superficial.
His bitter contempt for women whispered to carry the relation which had
assumed a frivolous turn, to the doubtful end. Baseness triumphed over
nobility, and let any man of twenty-four who feels that he is guiltless
cast the first stone at the prince. But his evil genius farther
instigated him to do something very odious. After a poetic hour, in
which the Mayence beauty, amid fervid kisses, had asked whether he, her
beloved one, would now be hers forever, he sent her a package which
contained--his uniform, and a costly pin in the shape of a crown,
accompanied by a little note stating that he gave, for her perpetual
possession, all that she had loved in him.

The remembrance of this unpardonably unchivalrous act often tortured
him afterwards, but his repentance by no means took the form of greater
respect for wome