an hour's time. Don't steal them for they are lame and you would be
caught at once. We shall remain here till our coachman returns with four
fresh horses. Should any troublesome person look in, you may tell him
that the consort of Baron Hatszegi is here and that Gerzson of
Satrakovics is mounting guard before her door."

Old Ripa kissed her ladyship's hand without so much as thanking Squire
Gerzson for his tip, but he quietly unyoked the horses and brought into
the house some of the things he found in the coach.

And Henrietta stood once more in the landlady's room and gazed pensively
out of the window. Her meditations were presently disturbed by Squire
Gerzson.

"My dear good lady," he began, "fate has certainly sworn to be our enemy
in every possible way to-day. I would not have believed it myself if I
had not actually experienced it. First of all, all our four horses fall
lame on the road. Then, at the very place where we decide to take up our
quarters, we find that the landlady has jumped down the well. Truly fate
pursues us with a vengeance. But we'll defy it, won't we my lady? Fate
is very much mistaken if it fancies it will get the better of us, eh? it
does not know with whom it has to deal, I'll be bound. For our hearts
are in the right place and we'll pretty soon show that we have not lost
our heads. Our greatest misfortune is that the fine supper we promised
ourselves has vanished to dust beneath our very noses. Never mind. We
have brought with us in our knapsack, after the custom of our ancestors,
some good ham, some hung beef and some white loaves, to say nothing of a
flask of prime wine; we don't mean to starve ourselves do we, my lady?"

The good old gentleman then took out of his knapsack all these good
things and piled them up on the table, then he fetched the carriage lamp
to light up the room a bit and politely invited Henrietta to partake of
his simple banquet.

The young lady smilingly took her place on the bench.

"We really cannot drink the water here, your ladyship," said Gerzson,
handing her his flask; "to all appearance nobody will ever drink the
water out of the well of this shanty again. Such wells are generally
walled up."

Merely to oblige the old man, Henrietta raised the flask to her lips and
pretended to drink out of it so as not to spoil her companion's good
humour, but really she drank not a drop. She never used to drink wine
and wiped off the drops that remained on her lips wit