archduchess, who was ill during the siege, was lingering in a slow
convalescence, and to amuse the tedious hours of her sick couch, Madame
Palakzi, the mother of my young friend, was accustomed to recount some of
the stories which I, in the course of the morning, happened to relate to
her son. So guardedly was all this contrived and carried on, that it was
not, as I have said, for nearly thirty years after that I knew of it; and
then, the secret was told me by the chief personage herself, the Grand
Duchess of Parma.

Though nothing could better have chimed in with my plans than this
request, yet, in reality the secret object of my mission appeared just as
remote as on the first day of my arrival. My acquaintances were limited to
some half dozen gentlemen in waiting, and about an equal number of young
officers of the staff, with whom I dined, rode, hunted, and shot; never
seeing a single member of the Imperial family, nor, stranger still, one
lady of the household. In what Turkish seclusion they lived? when they
ventured out for air and exercise, and where? were questions that never
ceased to torture me. It was true that all my own excursions had been on
the left bank of the river, toward which side the apartment I occupied
looked; but I could scarcely suppose that the right presented much
attraction, since it appeared to be an impenetrable forest of oak;
besides, that the bridge which formerly connected it with the island of
Komorn had been cut off during the war. Of course, this was a theme on
which I could not dare to touch; and as the reserve of my companions was
never broken regarding it, I was obliged to be satisfied with my own
guesses on the subject.

I had been about two months at Komorn, when I was invited to join a
shooting party on the north bank of the river, at a place called Ercacs,
or, as the Hungarians pronounce it, Ercacsh, celebrated for the black
cock, or the auerhahn, one of the finest birds of the east of Europe. All
my companions had been promising me great things, when the season for the
sport should begin, and I was equally anxious to display my skill as a
marksman. The scenery, too, was represented as surpassingly fine, and I
looked forward to the expedition, which was to occupy a week, with much
interest. One circumstance alone damped the ardor of my enjoyment: for
some time back exercise on horseback had become painful to me, and some of
those evil consequences which my doctor had speculated