om he had loved with all his heart. But things had gone with him
most unfortunately--with a misfortune that had never been paralleled. It
was thus he was thinking instead of remembering that now was the time in
which his tale should be told.

Lady Ongar, however, soon carried him away from the actual brink of the
precipice. "But how about the dragon," said she, "or rather about
the dragon's brother, at whom you were bound to go and tilt on my behalf?
Have you tilted, or are you a recreant knight?"

"I have tilted," said he, "but the he-dragon professes that he will not
regard himself as killed. In other words, he declares that he will see
you."

"That he will see me?" said Lady Ongar, and as she spoke there came an
angry spot on each cheek. "Does he send me that message as a threat?"

"He does not send it as a threat, but I think he partly means it so."

"He will find, Harry, that I will not see him; and that should he force
himself into my presence, I shall know how to punish such an outrage. If
he sent me any message, let me know it."

"To tell the truth, he was most unwilling to speak to me at all, though
he was anxious to be civil to me. When I had inquired for him some time
in vain, he came to me with another man, and asked me to dinner. So I
went, and as there were four of us, of course I could not speak to him
then. He still had the other man, a foreigner--"

"Colonel Schmoff, perhaps?"

"Yes; Colonel Schmoff. He kept Colonel Schmoff by him, so as to guard
him from being questioned."

"That is so like him. Everything he does he does with some design--with
some little plan. Well, Harry, you might have ignored Colonel Schmoff
for what I should have cared."

"I got the count to come out into another room at last, and then he was
very angry--with me, you know--and talked of what he would do to men who
interfered with him."

"You will not quarrel with him, Harry? Promise me that there shall be no
nonsense of that sort--no fighting."

"Oh, no; we were friends again very soon. But he bade me tell you that
there was something important for him to say and for you to hear, which
was no concern of mine, and which required an interview."

"I do not believe him, Harry."

"And he said that he had once been very courteous to you--"

"Yes; once insolent--and once courteous. I have forgiven the one for the
other."

"He then went on to say that you made him a poor return for his civility
by shutting your door i