, and attributed it to the love which he had for a
long time suspected his daughter felt for the young aide-de-camp.

"Well," he said, smiling, "I see it is all for the best."

"How is that, father?" asked Vaninka.

"Doubtless," said the general. "Did not Foedor leave because he loved
you?"

"Yes," murmured the young girl.

"Well, now he may return," said the general.

Vaninka remained silent, her eyes fixed, her lips trembling.

"Return!" she said, after a moment's silence.

"Yes, certainly return. We shall be most unfortunate," continued the
general, smiling, "if we cannot find someone in the house who knows where
he is. Come, Vaninka, tell me the place of his exile, and I will
undertake the rest."

"Nobody knows where Foedor is," murmured Vaninka in a hollow voice;
"nobody but God, nobody!"

"What!" said the general, "he has sent you no news since the day he
left?"

Vaninka shook her head in denial. She was so heart-broken that she could
not speak.

The general in his turn became gloomy. "Do you fear some misfortune,
then?" said he.

"I fear that I shall never be happy again on earth," cried Vaninka,
giving way under the pressure of her grief; then she continued at once,
"Let me retire, father; I am ashamed of what I have said."

The general, who saw nothing in this exclamation beyond regret for having
allowed the confession of her love to escape her, kissed his daughter on
the brow and allowed her to retire. He hoped that, in spite of the
mournful way in which Vaninka had spoken of Foedor, that it would be
possible to find him. The same day he went to the emperor and told him
of the love of Foedor for his daughter, and requested, since death had
freed her from her first engagement, that he might dispose of her hand.
The emperor consented, and the general then solicited a further favour.
Paul was in one of his kindly moods, and showed himself disposed to grant
it. The general told him that Foedor had disappeared for two months;
that everyone, even his daughter, was ignorant of his whereabouts, and
begged him to have inquiries made. The emperor immediately sent for the
chief of police, and gave him the necessary orders.

Six weeks went by without any result. Vaninka, since the day when the
letter came, was sadder and more melancholy than ever. Vainly from time
to time the general tried to make her more hopeful. Vaninka only shook
her head and withdrew. The general ceased to speak, of Foe