rifle balls from the trenches at this moment whistling
about their heads, broke off the conversation. The horsemen silently
hastened out of the precincts of the deserted camp, and trotted briskly
towards the east, after the retreating army.

CHAPTER XV.

They found the army near the city of Amal, upon lake Dalboe, beyond the
borders of Norway. Baumgardt rode with his companions directly towards
Amal, where the head quarters were established. At the gates they
encountered colonel Brenner.

'Is it here we again meet, my dear traveling companion?' cried he to
Arwed. 'I am sorry for it.'

'The soldier is indeed but a mere machine,' answered Arwed, 'who may
not venture to love or regret any thing; yet is our present meeting of
some importance to me, as I need your evidence to clear myself in the
eyes of colonel Baumgardt. He is disposed to consider me a marauder or
something worse, because he encountered me traveling without you on the
road towards Frederickshall.'

'I gave the captain a furlough,' said Brenner to Baumgardt; 'and the
fieldmarshal is already informed of it.' Baumgardt bowed in silence.

'Is there now any further hindrance to my taking leave of you?' said
Arwed politely to the colonel. 'As soon as I am relieved from my
present situation I will not fail to wait upon you for some further
explanations.'

Baumgardt rode onward without deigning a word in reply.

'Come directly with me to my old friend Duecker,' said Brenner to
Arwed. 'He arrived at head quarters, as I hear, early this morning, and
I have come into the city on purpose to seek him. You must give to him
and me an account of what has happened during your journey.'

When they arrived at Duecker's quarters they found he was not at home.
Swedenborg was sitting in the room, in his traveling cloak, awaiting
his return; and so busily studying some leaves of parchment full of
signs and figures, that he did not observe the entrance of the new
comers.

'God greet you, Swedenborg!' said Arwed with sad cordiality, extending
his hand.

Swedenborg stared steadily at him for a long time, his eye indicating
his entire absence of mind. Finally, a remembrance of Arwed's face
seemed to return to him--he finished the notes he was making upon his
parchments, put them aside, and then for the first time seized the
proffered hand.

'Thereto art thou chosen, young man,' cried he pathetically with his
hollow spirit-voice: