to whom I could give a suitable reward. But how
am I to prove my gratitude to you? There is nothing I possess which you
would accept."

A smile played around Gyuri's mouth.

"I am not so sure of that. You know we lawyers are very grasping."

"Is there really something, or are you joking?"

The lawyer did not answer immediately, but walked on a few steps toward
an old wild pear-tree, which had been struck by lightning, and not far
from which the carriage was standing.

"Well, yes," he answered then, slowly, almost in a trembling voice,
"there is something I would gladly accept from you."

"And what is it?"

"It has just struck me that there is something in my carriage which you
might give me."

"In your carriage?"

"Yes, something you do not know of yet, and which I should be very happy
to possess."

The priest took him by the hand.

"Whatever it may be, it is yours!"

In another minute they had reached the pear-tree.

"There is my carriage."

The priest looked that way, and saw, first a red sunshade, then a black
straw hat under it, with some white daisies in it, and beneath it a
sweet, girlish face. It all seemed so familiar to him, the sunshade, the
hat, and the face. He rubbed his eyes as though awaking from a dream,
and then exclaimed, catching hold of the lawyer's arm:

"Why, that is my Veronica!"

The lawyer smiled quietly and bowed.

"That is," went on the priest in his kind, gentle voice, "for the
future she is your Veronica, if you wish."

By this time Veronica had seen and recognized her brother, had jumped
out of the carriage and run to meet him, calling out:

"Here we are, safe and sound. How anxious you must have been! And our
carriage is broken to bits; and oh! if you had only seen the horses! All
sorts of things have happened, and I have brought Madame Krisbay."

The priest embraced her, and was glad she seemed to know nothing of his
accident. How sensible of Gyuri not to have mentioned it!

"Yes, yes, my darling, you shall tell me everything in order later on."

But Veronica wanted to tell everything at once, the carriage accident in
Babaszek, the supper at Mravucsans' (oh, yes! she had nearly forgotten,
Mr. Mravucsan had sent his kind regards), then to-day's journey, the
loss of her earring and its recovery ...

The priest, who was slowly beginning to understand things, here broke in
upon her recital.

"And did you give the finder of it a reward?"

She was silent at fir