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THE OPPOSITE HOUSE. 
 
THE OPPOSITE 
 HOUSE 
 
 A NOVEL 
 
 FROM THE GERMAN OF 
 
 NATALY VON ESCHSTRUTH 
 
 Author of "A Priestess of Comedy,^* "A Princess of the 
 Stage," "Her Little Highness;' etc. 
 
 TRANSLATED BY 
 
 MARY J. SAFFORD 
 
 NEW YORK AND LONDON 
 STREET & SMITH, PUBLISHERS 
 
Gspy right, 1894 
 By Robert Bonner's Sons 
 
 i,All rights reserved) 
 
 The Opposite Hous* 
 
THE OPPOSITE HOUSE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 A NIGHT OF STORM. 
 
 DARKNESS had gathered in Frau Gertrude's 
 old-fashioned chamber. 
 
 The rain pattered monotonotisly against 
 the panes of the lofty window and trickled in heavy 
 drops down to the sill. The flickering light of the 
 street lamps cast an uncertain glimmer upon the 
 ancient mansion, whose stone entrance-posts had 
 seen numerous generations of the honored family 
 of merchants pass in and out of the vaulted door- 
 way. A few pedestrians still glided past in the 
 darkness like dim, gray shadows, and from the dis- 
 
 [7 ] 
 
8 The Opposite House. 
 
 -~ 
 
 tant main street echoed the dull rumble of swiftly 
 moving vehicles. 
 
 Gertrude's eyes, glittering with the light of fever, 
 were fixed steadily upon the dark oaken door ; her 
 restless gaze constantly wandered over the carved 
 figures, counting the interwoven balls and flowers 
 until they danced confusedly before her, and 
 changed into all the strange shapes which the fan- 
 tastic fingers of fever can paint. 
 
 " Not yet — not yet !" she moaned, turning her 
 face, whose cheeks glowed with an ominous flush, 
 upon the cool pillows. " Oh, God, why dost Thou 
 inflict this pang upon my dying hour?" 
 
 She raised herself excitedly. The terrible cough 
 again attacked her weak chest, making her gasp 
 for air and breath. At last the paroxysm passed 
 away. 
 
 " Go, Gretlis, go," she whispered faintly ; and the 
 old servant covered her tearful eyes with her hand, 
 and pleaded : 
 
 " You ought not to be alone, Frau Gertrude. Let 
 me stay until he comes !" 
 
 The sick woman laughed almost bitterly. 
 
 " Until he comes ! But listen, Gretlis. Never 
 desert him, whatever happens. Watch over him, 
 guard him, be a second mother to my boy. And 
 over yonder — you know, Gretlis, the house with the 
 gray escutcheon — say nothing to him about it, but 
 
The Opposite House. 
 
 protect him and don't permit him to continue to 
 hate. Now go — I am weary. Pray — pray for my 
 child!" 
 
 Frau. Gertrude held out her burning hand ; then 
 her fixed gaze followed the old woman's figure 
 as she noiselessly vanished behind the dark 
 door. 
 
 The old clock struck eleven dull strokes with a 
 creaking, rattling sound. Just at that moment a 
 carriage rolled along the street and stopped below ; 
 laughing voices called good-night to each other 
 noisily ; a loud knock sounded on the door of the 
 house ; hasty steps sprang up the stairs. Some one 
 whispered outside with old Gretlis ; then came a 
 low exclamation of terror, followed by silence. The 
 sick woman's eyes rested steadily upon the folds of 
 the curtain, but her lips quivered and her fingers 
 played restlessly with the fine linen sheets. The 
 door opened softly, and Frau Gertrude's son entered 
 the room. 
 
 The young man, who had a slender, powerful 
 figure and a fine, intelligent face, came slowly for- 
 ward. Gertrude did not stir. 
 
 " Mother !" he cried in a piercing tone. " Mother !" 
 
 A few steps brought him to her bedside, where, 
 throwing himself on his knees, he buried his face 
 in her cold hands. A strange tremor flitted around 
 the dying woman's lips. 
 
lo The Opposite House. 
 
 "Where were you, Traugott? Gambling? At 
 the green table ?" 
 
 A grave, mute glance met his. Then she slowly 
 drew her hand from his clasp and turned her gray 
 head toward the wall, bitter tears coursing down 
 her grief-worn cheeks. 
 
 "Go!" 
 
 " Mother !" groaned Traugott. " Mother, forgive 
 me !" And overwhelmed by terrible agitation, he 
 threw his arms around her neck and sobbed like a 
 child. " Let me hold and kiss your hand. Do not 
 shrink from me, mother ! By Heaven, I do not de- 
 serve it ! Whatever I may have done, whatever 
 sins I have committed, whatever follies have 
 sprung from my recklessness, ray heart is still un- 
 tainted. I still possess a large fortune. I am rich, 
 and, thank Heaven, I am also young. Oh, mother, 
 I can work, and if hitherto I have neglected to do 
 so, I will make amends doubly for the lost hours, 
 the wasted years." 
 
 He again fell upon his knees at her side, and 
 rested his head on her clasped hands. 
 
 Gertrude raised her dark eyes heavenward ; her 
 mute gaze wandered through the parted curtains to 
 the sky, where the moon burst through the torn 
 clouds, then she laid her trembling hands tenderly 
 upon her son's head. 
 
 " May God help you, my boy ! Be noble and up- 
 
The Opposite House. 1 1 
 
 riglit, though I am no longer with you — can no 
 longer guard you and urge you by my words to 
 better paths ! Conquer that terrible passion whose 
 demon leads to destruction, whose end is darkness 
 and horror. God gave you a good heart, my son ; 
 keep it pure and noble. Drop gambling, Traugott ; 
 it will bring you to ruin, and accursed be the man 
 who does not hold his mother's last words sacred !" 
 Her tones grew fainter and more hurried, her 
 gasping breath shorter, and when the pale moon 
 emerged completely from behind the clouds a de- 
 spairing son was kneeling beside the death-bed of 
 the mother, whose last blessing was given to her 
 
 wayward child. 
 
 * * * * -x- * 
 
 The next morning strange rumors were current 
 
 in the ancient capital. Frau Gertrude Gerrald was 
 
 dead. She had died, not suddenly, not slowly, but 
 
 after years of wasting grief for her only son, yet it 
 
 was an event discussed everywhere with equal 
 
 interest. 
 
 The officers' casino was nearly empty. There 
 were only two members of a cavalry regiment 
 seated at a table. 
 
 " Have you heard that Frau Gerrald is dead ?" 
 asked Baron Linden, filling his companion's glass a 
 second time. " Now a gay life may be expected. 
 
12 The Opposite House. 
 
 The locks of the chests of money will no longer be 
 watched. I suppose the son was again at the gam- 
 ing-table yesterday? They say he did not arrive in 
 time to see her alive. By the way, I expected to 
 meet you yesterday at the Ch^nois's rooms ; she had 
 a reception." 
 
 "I? At the Chenois's?" yawned Horster. 
 
 " Yes, you. Rumor says that for some time you 
 have paid homage to the noble art, and most duti- 
 fully attended Heloise's triumphal chariot. Some 
 gossips also assert that the flower-dealers are mak- 
 ing big profits from this fancy. Well, is the news 
 true?" 
 
 The other quietly uncorked a second bottle and 
 let the sparkling drops run slowly into his glass. 
 
 " Of course it 's true," he said, with a careless 
 smile. " It 's really too bad for me to be obliged to 
 confess it, but, entre nous, you understand me, Lin- 
 den. Why shouldn't the fiery-eyed Circe bewitch 
 me as well as everybody else — the many hundreds 
 who have not half my advantages ? The ballet, my 
 friend, is in our day the court of first instance to 
 which Ekkehard and Don Juan must alike pay toll. 
 I almost marvel that above apple and cross a little 
 gold slipper does not shine — a slipper composed of 
 all the names which, by a few ejitreckats, have piti- 
 lessly forced crowned heads to their feet ! Prinz 
 Lothar is never absent_ |rqm the Chenois's recep- 
 
The Opposite Hotise. 13 
 
 tions, and, it is said, must have lavished thousands 
 to press upon her brow a glittering coronal. The 
 most absurd thing about the whole matter to me, 
 however, is that his highness has so long had a rival 
 in a simple miller — this ' Prince of the Mill,' as he 
 is called. He remains at her feet like a foolish boy, 
 bearing her numberless caprices with a patience 
 worthy of a better cause. Yes, this Heloise is a 
 witch, and if I, who am no fool, allow her to lead 
 me about by the nose, what do I gain by it ? End- 
 less vexations ! Never mind," he yawned, rising. 
 " Will you go to the ring with me. Linden ? Lieu- 
 tenant von Hiihn is going to ride his new bay." 
 
 " No ; I have a visit to pay. 1 've already de- 
 ferred it three weeks," replied Linden, slowly 
 stroking his fair mustache. " I must hurry to reach 
 Frau von Lienau's. Perhaps they will give me the 
 cold shoulder ; but aid me, Munchausen, to tell them 
 such marvelous tales of the hero of the day that 
 they will not have the least inclination to do so." 
 Laughing gayly, he buckled on his sword and took 
 his helmet under his arm : '' Aic revoir f 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE PRINCE OF THE MILL. 
 
 Young Gerrald had cared little for the gossip of 
 the worthy citizens of D — — , whether with noble in- 
 dignation they condemned him or defended him 
 against all the slanderous tongues. He had locked 
 himself into the bow-window room to keep watch 
 alone beside his mother's cofhn. 
 
 No one except old Gretlis had seen him during 
 this time. She had obstinately begged admission 
 urgently to entreat her young master to eat, and 
 now and then had asked him for counsel. Then 
 Traugott himself helped her arrange a little room 
 in the attic, where the old woman was henceforth 
 to live and take charge of the empty house. 
 
 The black coffin had been lowered into the earth 
 quietly, without display, and the young merchant 
 now stood alone and desolate in the dead woman's 
 chamber. 
 
 A very singular change had occurred in his whole 
 nature, and was reflected in his pale features. The 
 
 M 
 
The Opposite House. 15 
 
 dark-blue eyes looked grave and earnest beneath 
 their arched brows, the lips closed firmly over the 
 white teeth, and a deep, almost melancholy line ap- 
 peared on his brow. Traugott Gerrald had matured 
 to manhood. Only a few days before his features 
 had been characterless, boyish and yet blas^ — a hand- 
 some profile, behind whose open brow there lived 
 only an unbridled love of pleasure. And now had 
 come the crisis when fate, for the first time, strips 
 the smile from the lips, when with rude hand it 
 cuts deep lines and imprints upon the face the 
 sacred signet whose device is — " Experience." 
 
 A broad band of black crepe was wound around 
 his arm. Before him still lay a fresh flower, which 
 he had taken from his mother's coffin as a last 
 memento. 
 
 He pressed it to his lips almost timidly ; the white 
 blossom seemed to him a sacred legacy. 
 
 " My talisman ! My sacred relic !" He opened 
 his elegant note-book to conceal it among the 
 leaves. But all the pages were filled. Here lay a 
 pomegranate-blossom. " From Heloise's curls !" 
 was written beneath, and the beginning of a stu- 
 dent's drinking song. No, that was no place for the 
 white flower of death ! 
 
 A deep flush mounted slowly to his pale brow. 
 Here were figures ; big, black figures, hastily 
 scrawled — at the gaming-table ! 
 
1 6 The Opposite House. 
 
 With a passionate gesture, the young man flung 
 
 down the book, and tearing out the leaves, burned 
 
 them on the hearth. Then he placed the white 
 
 flower in a gold box and hid it in his breast. 
 ****** 
 
 The unexpected had really, actually happened. 
 He, the young, pleasure-loving dandy, the reckless 
 worldling, the man without faith or stability — Trau- 
 gott Gerrald — had repented, and was living quietly 
 and respectably, industriously doing his duty. 
 
 " He is working like a lion !" exclaimed Baron 
 Linden to his friends ; and Lieutenant Horster said, 
 regretfully : 
 
 " It 's a pity ; he was really a capital fellow. Well, 
 we '11 see how long his zeal will last." 
 
 The young ladies whispered secretly about the 
 interesting Gerrald, who had actually been seen 
 standing below at the door of the mill counting the 
 sacks. 
 
 " How strange !" they giggled, and added a pity- 
 ing : " Poor fellow ! When one considers that he 
 was called from the gaming-table to a death-bed, it 
 was a hard lesson !" 
 
 Gerrald had no idea of the comments his worthy 
 fellow-citizens were making upon him. Occupation 
 was his sole thought. He now remembered that he 
 owned large mills in the suburbs. He had seen 
 them once as he rode by, very hastily, it is trae, for 
 
The Opposite Hotise. ly 
 
 at that time his mind was occupied with the beau- 
 tiful ballet-dancer who had driven out in that direc- 
 tion. What had he cared for the mills then ? He 
 received the income from them, and often wondered 
 why it grew smaller every year ; but he had never 
 thought of it long. Why should he? He had 
 so many other things on his mind. 
 
 Now he recollected these mills, and much as he 
 had formerly neglected them they now completely 
 absorbed his attention. 
 
 He remembered that he had once been told that 
 their management and oversight was in lax hands. 
 He perceived that it was his duty to arrange and 
 look after affairs there. He admitted that as owner 
 and master he was responsible for his property. 
 
 He rode out that very day. 
 
 True, the men stared at him when he entered so 
 resolutely to assert his rights as master. Most of 
 them scarcely knew him, and the superintendent 
 appeared by no means disposed to yield to him. 
 He had probably formed quite a different idea of 
 the owner from the man who stood so proudly be, 
 fore him, and was not prepared for the searching 
 examination to which Gerrald subjected him. 
 
 A perfect chaos of fraud and embezzlement was 
 revealed to Traugott's keen eyes. Imperfect, care- 
 lessly kept books and accounts greeted him with 
 mute reproach ; everywhere he encountered errors^ 
 
1 8 The Opposite House. 
 
 mistakes and neglect ; wherever he turned, the work 
 towered mountain high, and letters from creditors 
 were heaped in packages upon the desk. 
 
 The mills consisted of a number of houses located 
 at the end of the suburb. A large, square court- 
 yard formed the center, surrounded by the homes 
 of the laborers and the mill hands, whose lower 
 stories contained the work-rooms, and closed on the 
 east by the superintendent's house. 
 
 The employees were incited to open rebellion by 
 this superintendent's representations. 
 
 " Who dares to contradict me here ?" asked Ger- 
 rald's calm voice, rising above the murmurs of the 
 men, who refused to work if any attempt was made 
 to deprive them of their usual customs and 
 privileges. 
 
 The rough figures pressed nearer to the young 
 owner, who, leaning against the railing of the 
 bridge over the mill-stream, fixed his stern eyes 
 upon them. 
 
 " I !" shouted the superintendent. " We will not 
 receive orders from a young man who scarcely 
 knows himself how the work here is carried on. 
 You have no idea of the business, HerrGerrald, but 
 you act as though we were all stupid apprentices 
 compared with you, and must be intimidated and 
 silenced by insolence. Do not imagine that you can 
 accomplish anything of the sort with us ! It is a 
 
The Opposite House. 19 
 
 great mistake. What do you want here, where I 
 have managed matters until now ?" 
 
 "What do I want ?" Traugott retorted, with an 
 annihilating glance. " I should think these books 
 might answer." 
 
 He held up a bundle of books, which he had 
 found in an utterly neglected condition. 
 
 " Where are the yearly accounts — the sales — the 
 receipts ? Is this the way to keep the books — to let the 
 whole property go to ruin — and then ask impudently 
 what the owner wants ? Look at the stables yonder. 
 They are falling to pieces, yet the money has been 
 paid to put them in repair. What has become of it, 
 superintendent? See the machines below — the 
 condition in which you have left the warehouses . 
 And how could you venture to sell any part of the 
 ground without informing me ? The payment is 
 ludicrously small. You have given me an absurd 
 price. I shall ascertain how much you actually re- 
 ceived for the land." 
 
 The man advanced with arms akimbo. 
 
 " Pray inquire — accuse me — I shall know how to 
 answer. But let me tell you this : In your father's 
 lifetime neither the books nor the buildings were 
 in any better condition, yet we made daily progress ; 
 but you, in your avarice, imagine that we might get 
 a penny more here or there, and want to pry about 
 yourself. But that doesn't suit us ! We don't work 
 
20 The Opposite House. 
 
 tinder such control. We won't be spied upon, 
 neither my men nor I. So decide whether you '11 
 take yourself off again, and let everything go on as 
 before, or whether we shall seek service elsewhere. 
 You have only to choose." 
 
 " I stand on my own property, man," replied 
 Traugott, calmly, " and affairs have really gone very 
 far if I am to make way for my superintendent. I 
 will not yield a single inch, and if that doesn't suit 
 you, you are dismissed." 
 
 The superintendent's little eyes seamed fairly to 
 devour Gerrald's tall figure. 
 
 '■'■ And what is to become of the mills, if there is 
 no one to turn the wheels, eh ?" 
 
 " That is my business," replied Traugott, shrug- 
 ging his shoulders. " At any rate, I would rather 
 close them than have you manage them another 
 day." 
 
 " Well, then, you can all go to the tannery !" cried 
 the superintendent, pale with fuiy. " There we 
 shall find less niggardly masters and equally good 
 wages." 
 
 " Indeed ! Who told you so ?" asked Gerrald, with 
 folded arms. " I suppose you are not aware, men, 
 that the tannery doesn't need another soul, and 
 <hat there is an over-supply of workmen else- 
 where T' 
 
 Already troubled faces appeared here and there, 
 
The Opposite Ho2ise. 21 
 
 and anxious whispers ran through the crowd as the 
 men pressed impetuously nearer. 
 
 " What ? What does he say ?" called voices from 
 the groups. '' What is going on at the tannery?" 
 
 '' It has failed !" replied Gerrald, loudly. 
 
 The men recoiled as if a thunderbolt had struck 
 them. 
 
 " Don't believe it — he wants to frighten us !" 
 shouted the superintendent. " The tannery stands 
 better than any of the works here. See how the 
 chimneys are pouring out smoke ! Bird-lime, Sir 
 Owner, bird-lime !" 
 
 " Hurrah, work is going on ! Certainly it is !" 
 called several voices from among the throng. And 
 the men repeated their demands still more loudly 
 and violently. 
 
 "You are discharged!" said Traugott, angrily. 
 " But if any of you can read let him come for- 
 ward." 
 
 A tall, pale-faced workman slowly advanced, 
 scarcely daring to raise his eyes. 
 
 " Come, Lohfeld," repeated the young man, with 
 a shade of reproach in his tone. " So I must see you, 
 too, among the strikers, you whom my father always 
 praised as an honest man ?" 
 
 Lohfeld shrank, a deep blush crimsoned his face, 
 and he glanced sullenly at his companions. 
 
 "They forced me to it, sir." 
 
2 2 The Opposite House. 
 
 *' Read his waste paper !" thundered the superin- 
 tendent, advancing with clenched fists. 
 
 Traugott held out a document which he had just 
 drawn from his breast-pocket. 
 
 The workman began to read with a trembling 
 voice ; his features grew paler and more agitated. 
 
 " Heavenly father, it has failed !" 
 
 *' And here is the seal of the court," Gerrald con- 
 tinued calmly, holding the paper aloft. " The tan- 
 nery has not been able to keep on with the business, 
 and the creditors are pressing the sale. The mag- 
 istrates offered it to me, and informed me of the 
 matter first because the building could be conveni- 
 ently incorporated with the mill here. Now go and 
 seek employment. I need no men who wish to 
 rebel against their master." 
 
 Lohfeld, deadly pale, approached, raising his 
 clasped hands. 
 
 " Master !" he cried, frantically. " I have four 
 children !" 
 
 " Have pity, master," pleaded a hundred voices ; 
 "almost all of us have families ! Don't turn us oft", 
 or they must starve !" 
 
 Gerrald's stern expression vanished, and he held 
 out his hand kindly to Lohfeld. 
 
 " No, my men, I will not make you homeless !" he 
 called loudly. "Have no fear; I shall not plunge 
 my workmen into poverty because, misled by un- 
 
The Opposite House. 
 
 23 
 
 worthy men, they even desired a few minutes ago 
 to deprive me of service and property. I have 
 friends, manufacturers and owners of landed es- 
 tates, with whom I will obtain places for you." 
 
 These few words had the effect of producing a 
 tempest of emotion. 
 
 " No, master, we want to serve you. You are 
 kinder than we have deserved !" they cried from 
 overflowing hearts ; and the men surrounded Ger- 
 rald, waving their caps. It was a beautiful specta- 
 cle to see the young owner of the mill, his face 
 beaming with joy, as he shook hands with one after 
 another weather-beaten figure. 
 
 The superintendent had slipped quietly away. 
 
 But the men confirmed their vows with a cordial 
 clasp of the hand, and tears glittered in the eyes of 
 many as their sinewy hands were raised to call 
 down Heaven's blessings on their young master, 
 while " Hurrah, hurrah for Herr Gerrald !" mingled 
 joyously with the sound of the rippling waves of the 
 mill-stream. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 HELOISE. 
 
 The purple curtains were closely drawn. The 
 bright sunshine flickered over their folds and, cast- 
 ing a shining reflection upon the mirror-like floor, 
 glided shimmering over the soft satin furniture and 
 suffused the dancing bayadere with a roseate hue. 
 Slender palms swayed above the elegant writing- 
 desk, which was lavishly equipped with every trifle 
 the nineteenth century gathers in a motley mosaic. 
 Costly vases adorned the gilded shelves of the long 
 pier-glasses ; bald-headed Chinese gazed solemnly 
 from gayly-painted boxes, and the azaleas blossom- 
 ing in the niches in the walls contrasted, in their 
 di -)amy whiteness, with the chaos of costly articles 
 huddled together upon the soft rugs. 
 
 Heloise, the reckless Frenchwoman, with a gay 
 laugh ever on her lips, had already seen a great 
 
 f24j 
 
The Opposite House. 25 
 
 deal of the world. She had roamed hither and 
 thither, dancing, laughing and rejoicing like the 
 butterfly which sips the honey from every blossom. 
 
 So she had come to D and accepted an en- 
 gagement at the court theatre. " Only for a few 
 weeks," as she said, to comfort herself while passing 
 through the quiet German city, imagining that she 
 should die of ennui ; but the result was quite dif- 
 ferent. 
 
 Heloise was amused by the universal idolatry be- 
 stowed upon her, and laughingly accepted the 
 proofs of admiration ; all were equally a matter of 
 indifference to her, as well as the suitors for her 
 favor, with the exception of one for whose coming 
 she waited as the pilgrim in the desert watches for 
 the drops of water ; whose words made her happy 
 as no other sound had ever done, yet who was only 
 a plain young mill-owner, with neither lofty name 
 nor position, though to her a god — omnipotent over 
 her heart. 
 
 She loved, perhaps for the first time ! Traugott 
 Gerrald, handsome and full of life, was the first per- 
 son who had fettered her coy heart, who had laughed 
 and sung with her, and then so basely and suddenly 
 deserted her for the sake of an old dead woman — 
 his mother. 
 
 The bewitching dancer lay on the divan, half 
 concealed by the waving palm-leaves, nestling 
 
26 The Opposite House. 
 
 among the cushions like a glittering adder sunning 
 itself, rolled in a coil, amid the moss. Her little 
 foot was angrily tossed upward, and the sharp heel 
 of her morocco slipper kicked the gilded carving of 
 the furniture as if it were the sole cause of her ill- 
 humor. Then she sulkily turned page after page 
 of the French novel, and finally, in a fit of sudden 
 wrath, tossed it into the niche where the flowers 
 stood. The white blossoms fell in a dense shower 
 on the carpet, and the long-haired lap-dog fled, 
 barking loudly, from its velvet cushions. 
 
 Heloise sprang up excitedly and paced swiftly 
 through the drawing-room, her light morning-robe 
 fluttered like an airy cloud around her full figure, 
 and her embroidered flounces trailed over the floor. 
 Folding her arms across her breast, with a gloomy 
 look, she went to the writing-desk, and stood there 
 pondering, with her little hands clenched as she 
 gnawed her under-lip. 
 
 " If he doesn't come to-day, I 11 write to him !" 
 she muttered between her teeth. " Oh, it is really 
 a pretty piece of business that he lets matters go so 
 far that I, the sovereign, the omnipotent queen, 
 must sue for his presence ! Yet do I really love 
 him? Love him ? It almost seems so, yet it should 
 not, must not be !" 
 
 Just at that moment the portiere rustled ; the dan' 
 cer started, pressing her hand upon her heart ; the 
 
TJie Opposite House. 27 
 
 door opened, and her maid's fair locks appeared be- 
 tween the heavy folds. 
 
 " Mademoiselle, this bouquet — " 
 
 In two paces Heloise was standing at her side, 
 and hastily snatched the flowers out of her hand. 
 
 "From whom?" fell breathlessly from her lips. 
 
 *' Herr Lieutenant Horster presents his compli- 
 ments — " 
 
 " Silence !" thundered the Frenchwoman, hurling 
 the bouquet violently on the floor. " I am at home 
 to no one to-day ; no one, do you hear ? I have a 
 headache ; I am ill. Yet stay — if Herr Gerrald — " 
 
 " Ah !" nodded Susanne, significantly, with a 
 slight expression of sarcasm hovering about her 
 thin lips. " Is Herr Gerrald coming again at last?" 
 
 " That is no affair of yours," replied the dancer, 
 haughtily. " Don't forget the position you occupy 
 in my service ; a maid must keep silent or curb her 
 saucy tongue, or she will be dismissed. Note that 
 and go !" She waved her hand toward the door. 
 " Or stop — " She went to the writing-desk and 
 hurriedly scrawled a few lines on a sheet of paper, 
 put it into an envelope and gave it to the maid. 
 " Find a messenger, Susanne, and have this letter 
 taken to Herr Gerrald at once." 
 
 Young Gerrald was standing below in the arched 
 stone doorway, watching the wagons, loaded with 
 grain, which rolled creaking over the flag-stones, 
 
28 The Opposite House. 
 
 when Heloise's note was delivered to him. He 
 glanced quietly at the hurried address, a swift, 
 burning blush crimsoned his brow, and he put the 
 missive into his pocket. 
 
 " Thank you ; it needs no answer. 
 
 " Lohfeld, the next wagon is coming from the 
 store-houses ; how many hundred-weight have 5^ou 
 calculated ?" 
 
 " One hundred and sixty-three, master," replied 
 the new superintendent, rapidly adding the figures ; 
 " twenty-five from the city, and the hundred and 
 thirty-eight from Dornhof make in all one hundred 
 and sixty-three." 
 
 Lohfeld went down to the work-rooms, and the 
 gray horses vanished in the stable ; everything 
 grew quiet about the young master of the mill. 
 
 He still leaned against the stone gateway, his 
 glance wandering over the spacious courtyard, 
 which, full of life and labor, had become his proud 
 domain. Happiness, quiet, elevating happiness 
 took possession of him, and he almost shuddered at 
 the thought of the past which he had so uselessly 
 wasted, of which he had robbed himself. Like a 
 flash of lightning the beautiful woman rose before 
 his soul, radiant, gay and faithless as the dragon-fly 
 hovering over the rippling surface of the water. 
 
 Smiling almost contemptuously, he drew the per- 
 fumed note from his pocket, and the lines which a 
 
. The Opposite House. 29 
 
 few weeks before would have elevated him to the 
 skies, which he would probably have longed to 
 frame like a jewel in gold, he now touched with the 
 tips of his fingers, reluctantly, timidly, as if the little 
 flourishing letters burned like fire. 
 
 "Gerrald," ran the lines, " another week has passed without 
 any news, any sign of life from you. Tyrant, do you wish to 
 force me to beg for your presence ? Oh, you men arc terrible, 
 •when you know that you are beloved. I respect your grief for 
 Frau Gertrude, but its duration is wearisome. It cannot help the 
 dead, and it troubles me. You wish suddenly to play virtuous, as 
 people say. Nay, you even count the meal-bags ! Do not make 
 yourself ridiculous by an idea which, in a short time, will seem 
 horribly stupid. Consider your beautiful hands. If you will not 
 be sensible, be vain. And — don't be tiresome, Gerrald. I hate 
 tiresome people. Come to me — at once. Au revoir, vton cher. 
 Bring me a smile ! Heloise." 
 
 A gloomy frown darkened his brow, his blue eyes 
 flashed contemptuously, almost angrily as they 
 rested on the lines. The familiar tone, the frivo- 
 lous judgment of his improvement, wounded him 
 to the very depths of his soul. Good heavens ! 
 And he might have loved this woman ! Loved her, 
 about whom there was nothing true or genuine, ex- 
 cept the levity under the rouge. 
 
 He drew himself up proudly. His slender figure 
 seemed to grow with the long breath that expanded 
 his chest, and slowly, with almost contemptuous 
 composure, he tore up the little note. Scrap after 
 scrap fluttered down into the rippling mill-stream. 
 
30 The Opposite Hotise. 
 
 and the waves sportively bore them away. He 
 watched them as they vanished in the white 
 foam or were tossed upward till they finally sank 
 out of sight. 
 
 With a quiet smile he laid his hand upon his 
 heart, where the white flower of death rested, and 
 full of noble resolution, raised his eyes to the blue 
 spring heavens. 
 
 " I must and will go to her once more to destroy 
 this delusion forever." 
 
 He crossed the courtyard in the direction of the 
 stables. 
 
 " Josef, is my break ready ?" 
 
 "Yes, Herr Gerrald," and the groom pushed the 
 light vehicle out of the carriage-house. 
 
 Traugott went to his dun horses, adjusted the 
 reins on their slender necks, stroked their shining 
 sides caressingly, and led them out in front of the 
 high vehicle, into which he sprang with a bound. 
 
 " Josef, go over to the superintendent and order — 
 Ah, Lohfeld !" 
 
 The latter was just coming from the store-houses 
 with a long list in his hand. 
 
 " You called me, master ?" he said, hurrying for- 
 ward. " Are there any orders for the afternoon ?" 
 
 Traugott lighted his cigar and flung down the 
 match. 
 
 " No \ but the letters on my desk are to be mailed. 
 
The Opposite House. 31 
 
 and if the head of the ofiice comes from Dornhof, 
 you know where I am to be found. That 's all for 
 to-day. 1 must go up to the city and open the win- 
 dows in the old house." 
 
 He took up the reins and returned the bows of 
 the two employees. Then the impatient horses 
 started, and the equipage flew as swiftly along tho 
 
 high road to D as the light clouds flit across the 
 
 sky. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 TWO GABLE HOUSES. 
 
 The Gerrald house stood in the center of the city. 
 The street was one of those ancient ones, a relic of 
 bygone days, when dignified members of the senate 
 passed along, litters and clumsy coaches swayed to 
 and fro, or fair, girlish faces peeped through the 
 leaden-cased panes, to drop at the feet of the Raths- 
 herr a sprig of rosemary, which in the good old 
 days meant, in the language of the flowers : " I will 
 go with you to the altar." 
 
 Here on the stone door-post still stood a large " L. 
 G.," and below, nearly obliterated, " 1673," that were 
 meant for old Leopold Gerrald, the haughty, morose 
 gentleman in black-velvet blouse and huge lace col- 
 lar, who for a long time occupied a seat in the senate, 
 and with dignified bearing marched at the head of 
 the guild. His portrait still hung in the hall. Here 
 a delicate coat of arms was traced — a leaping horse 
 and an empty field beneath. It was probably done 
 [32] 
 
The Opposite Hotcse. 33 
 
 by handsome Zacharias Gerrald's wild son, who was 
 angry because his pale mother was a Von Rotters- 
 wyl, and who went with his brother to the field as 
 a bold cuirassier to fight the insolent Swedes. This 
 Deithelm had fled from home because he had 
 stabbed his mother's proud nephew, Baron von 
 Rotterswyl, in a duel. Those were gloomy days. 
 
 On the other side of the way, another gable house, 
 equally old, worm-eaten and weather-worn, leaned 
 toward its smaller neighbors, which, crowded closely 
 together, formed the narrow street. A stone stair- 
 case led up to the arched door, above whose carved 
 top was a huge gray escutcheon — a leaping horse 
 and an empty field beneath. 
 
 It was the home of the Barons von Rotterswyl. 
 The two houses had faced each other for centu- 
 ries, both equally ancient and venerated. Around 
 the one with the coronet hovered the halo of a 
 noble name. The other bore the praiseworthy 
 crown of labor. Yet their aspect was as cold and 
 hostile as though the narrow street were a yawning 
 chasm, which neither bridge nor friendship could 
 unite. 
 
 It had been different once. Then nobleman and 
 merchant clasped hands with fraternal affection. 
 Then handsome Zacharias daily visited the house 
 with the gray escutcheon and sat at the carved oaken 
 table opposite to the master of the house to pledge 
 
34 l^h^ Opposite House. 
 
 him from an ancient beaker. Doubtless a sincere 
 friendship united the families until the bitter hour 
 when the baron's high-born daughter fled to the 
 house of the plebeian merchant, and with each fatal 
 step thrust the swaying bridge down into the black 
 abyss. 
 
 Ay, the old ancestral portraits in the neighboring 
 house could tell long stories of that unhappy time, 
 bloody tales of hate, enmity and scorn, which the 
 son inherited from the father. The feud was per- 
 sistently maintained to punish the insolence, and a 
 barrier was erected between the two houses which 
 not even centuries could overthrow. 
 
 Marie von Rotterswyl, the daughter of the old 
 baroness, occupied the bow-window above. This 
 was her chosen kingdom, among the flowers and 
 twittering birds, where she could follow the dic- 
 tates of every passing mood, rejoice with the glad 
 sunshine or sit lost in reverie for hours before the 
 dark oil-painting which, removed from the portrait 
 gallery, was banished to this room under the 
 roof. 
 
 Marie knew the story of her ancestress ; she had 
 often heard her mentioned, with bitter rancor, as 
 the only blot upon the stainless genealogy. Full of 
 intense sympathy, Marie had carried the portrait of 
 the exile to her little bow-windowed room, carefully 
 wiped the cobwebs and dust from the dark frame 
 
The Opposite House. 35 
 
 and concealed it like a beloved and precious treas- 
 ure behind her flowers. 
 
 Marie was still scarcel}- more than a child, though 
 she had seen sixteen springs. But, secluded from 
 the outside world, untouched by its poisonous 
 breath, she had bloomed like a lily of the field, un- 
 conscious of her own beauty. 
 
 Tall and slender, with bewitching grace in every 
 movement, she resembled the poetic ideal of the 
 German maiden. Thick waves of golden hair were 
 gathered into a knot, and light curls framed a white 
 brow, beneath which laughed eyes as blue and 
 radiant as a bit of the spring sky reflected in a still 
 forest lake. 
 
 Marie was again standing with clasped hands and 
 lowered lashes before the portrait of her pale an- 
 cestress ; some incomprehensible attraction seemed 
 to draw her as if by magic to the face which gazed 
 down at her so tenderly and sadly. 
 
 " Do I really look like her?" she asked herself, 
 thoughtfully. " Aunt Verja says so. I am younger, 
 far younger ; but she, too, was once sixteen, and be- 
 fore she had wept and suffered so much, her cheeks 
 were perhaps more rosy. You were right. Ances- 
 tress Barbara, and I — I would do the same ! What 
 do I care for all the coronets and coats of arms, all 
 the proud names which sound so cold, so repellent ? 
 What do I care for a mother who loves nothing but 
 
o 
 
 6 The Opposite House. 
 
 her family, and lets her own child pine for its sake ? 
 You, Barbara, are the only one who understands 
 me, who knows how it hurts to have no heart in the 
 breast ; nothing but an escutcheon, where other 
 people can love and feel ! You have loved, and you 
 were happy ! Isn't mamma wrong, Ancestress Bar- 
 bara, when she says : ' Love is an illusion, but 
 noble blood is a sacred possession ?' " And draw- 
 ing a long breath, Marie pushed her fair locks back 
 from her brow and turned toward the window. 
 "■ Who knows, perhaps she occupied my little room 
 up here and handsome Zacharias Gerrald looked 
 out of the opposite window — " 
 
 She did not finish the sentence, but, with sudden 
 terror, bent over her roses and gazed across at the 
 merchant's house, at whose window she saw a 
 stranger, whose face was handsomer and more at- 
 tractive than any which she had ever beheld. 
 Locks of fair hair clustered thickly over his brow, 
 and his dark eyes were fixed mournfully on the 
 sky — Traugott Gerrald. 
 
 He turned his head — his glance wandered to the 
 gray house, rested on the window filled with roses, 
 and, starting in astonishment, he stared at the 
 lovely little face, whose large blue eyes were fixed 
 so timidly and inquiringly upon him. His own 
 eyes grew brighter, the flush on his brow deeper. 
 Who was sb© ? 
 
The Opposite House. 37 
 
 Their glances met only for a moment ; tlien the 
 golden-haired child suddenly started, the rose petals 
 fell to the floor in a shower, the white curtain shook ; 
 but she had vanished, and he saw nothing except 
 the rigid features of a portrait hanging on the wall. 
 Was he excited, or was he the sport of some spec- 
 tral illusion ? The portrait seemed to raise its white 
 hands and, with a beseeching gesture, wave the 
 young man back. What did you fear, Barbara von 
 
 Rotterswyl ? 
 
 * * -x- * * •» 
 
 Gerrald stood at the window half an hour longer, 
 staring fixedly at the baronial house, as if he hoped 
 the weather-beaten stones would open and afford 
 him another glimpse of the vision which had so 
 surprised him that he could scarcely appreciate the 
 details of its beauty. But, like the elusive Fata 
 Morgana, the sunny phantom of the desert, the ap- 
 parition had vanished behind the rose-bushes, leav- 
 ing him nothing save the ugly, bare reality — the 
 empty window in the house of a hostile family. No 
 golden locks glimmered through the green foliage, 
 and the lovely eyes and swift smile had disap- 
 peared as completely as if he had never seen them. 
 
/ 
 
 f ^Wi 
 
 ..«*••*•.. 
 
 11 .t-m-t-i' 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE TALISMAN. 
 
 Traugott walked rapidly down the street, without 
 casting a glance upward at the window of the 
 young baroness, amid whose green leafage a finch 
 was carolling its vesper song ; his eyes were bent 
 upon the stone flags of the pavement, and he 
 imagined that, in every crevice, he saw the sneer- 
 ing face of the old baroness, the woman to whom 
 all that bore the name of Gerrald had no existence ! 
 But Marie ? Did those loving child-like eyes know 
 the insolent language of arrogance ? Could they 
 coldly, heartlessly, see nothing save that blot upon 
 the ancient name, and condemn the family whose 
 great-grandfather had been preferred to a coat of 
 arms ? Had those sweet lips been taught to utter 
 bitter words against the hated neighbor, the little 
 golden head pondered over those horrible scenes 
 of the past, in which an unfortunate sword-thrust 
 [38] 
 
The Opposite House. 39 
 
 made the nephew the murderer of his aristocratic 
 uncle ? And yet — might it not have been merely a 
 fateful accident that she bestowed the sunny smile 
 on a Gerrald ? Had the blush and hasty retreat aught 
 to do with him ? 
 
 Traugott rushed into the main street ; he wanted 
 to see and hear his fellow-mortals. What interest 
 should he feel in this aristocrat, who was also his 
 enemy, and whom he had seen scarcely a moment? 
 But how did it happen that he had never seen her 
 before ? Before ! When did he come home in 
 former days? Perhaps at midnight, when those 
 sweet eyes had long been closed in sleep, when she 
 had probably murmured a little prayer under the 
 portrait of her despised ancestress, perchance be- 
 sought mercy for all souls that were in evil paths 
 and thus unconsciously for him, who, at this time, 
 was throwing away his money on the green table 
 or languishing at the feet of that frivolous French- 
 woman. 
 
 An impetuous desire seized upon the young man 
 with overwhelming might : 
 
 '■'■ To Heloise ! I'll show her that I was a fool in 
 those days!" 
 
 He swiftly traversed the few intervening streets, 
 and again stood before the door of the house in 
 which he had formerly been a daily guest. Before 
 ringing the bell he paused a moment, raised his 
 
40 The Opposite House. 
 
 hat, and let the cool evening breeze fan his burning 
 brow caressingly. 
 
 The bell pealed shrilly through the corridor ; light 
 steps approached the door. Susanne fairly started 
 back : 
 
 " You, Herr Gerrald ?" 
 
 " Yes, I," he answered curtly. '' Is mademoiselle 
 at home ?*' 
 
 The girl flew rather than walked over the soft 
 carpet back to her mistress. A loud exclamation, 
 which sounded almost like a cry of delight, reached 
 his ears ; then Susanne returned and threw the door 
 wide open : 
 
 " Mademoiselle Heloise is dressing for the opera, 
 but will come presently." 
 
 Gerrald again stood in the little boudoir which had 
 formerly seemed to him an Elysium. She had so 
 often reclined in yonder chair, while, kneeling on a 
 cushion at her side, he talked about eternal love. 
 Folly ! The sweet odor of heliotrope seemed to 
 oppress his breathing ; the magical dusk, the em- 
 bers glimmering on the hearth, the heavy fragrance 
 of the flowers — all combined to stupefy his senses. 
 He felt too weak to cope with this task. If only she 
 did not keep him waiting too long, the delay was so 
 tiresome. He was about to seek refuge in flight — 
 his hand already grasped the velvet portiere — when 
 the vision in the bow-window rose before him, and 
 
The Opposite House. 41 
 
 he felt as though panoplied by the memory of the 
 innocent girl behind the laughing roses, innocent of 
 deception, rouge or guile, herself as fair as a flower ; 
 and, drawing a long sigh of relief, he remained. 
 Several minutes passed ; then the door opened softly, 
 a flood of brilliant light poured into the little room 
 and, glittering like a dragon-fly, laughing, scantily 
 clad in ballet - costume, the bewitching Heloise 
 rushed to meet him. 
 
 Traugott involuntarily stepped back ; the flood of 
 light dazzled him, and he pressed his hand almost 
 timidly upon his breast, on the white blossom he 
 wore on his heart. Heloise was indeed beautiful — 
 fairer, more bewitching than ever. 
 
 Smiling radiantly as of yore, she stood before 
 him with arms uplifted. Then she sank lightly on 
 one knee, the glittering gauze dress floating about 
 her like a golden cloud : 
 
 " My lord — my loved one !" The head, crowned 
 with dark curls, drooped upon her breast, the white 
 arms were folded across the shimmering gauze. The 
 tableau was fascinating and cleverly planned. 
 
 Traugott slowly approached her. 
 
 " Mademoiselle—" 
 
 Heloise raised her eyes in astonishment ; then, 
 laughing merrily, she started up and clung closely 
 to him. 
 
 " No, Gerrald !"she exclaimed with beaming eyes. 
 
42 The Opposite House. 
 
 " Let this cruel sport end now, and be once more the 
 sensible, gay Gerrald of former days. You see 
 your success ; you perceive that I have been forced 
 to recall you ; that I have knelt at your feet to honor 
 you as an omnipotent master. What more do you 
 want, now that you know that I love you ?" The dark 
 eyes gazed at him with an alluring smile, and the 
 snowy arms clasped his neck. " Have you entirely 
 forgotten the happy past, Traugott ?" 
 
 He wrenched himself from her embrace and 
 stepped back. 
 
 " Certainly, I have forgotten it, Mademoiselle 
 Chenois. When we wear crape on the arms, we no 
 longer think of days which make a serious man — 
 blush." 
 
 Heloise started back ; an angry flash darted from 
 her sparkling eyes. 
 
 " It seems you wish to preach virtue !" she 
 answered mockingly. " Ha, ha, ha ! Don't you 
 remember how you taught me the most charming 
 drinking songs, and joined the most gayly in the 
 chorus?" And swaying lightly forward from the 
 waist she hummed the tune. 
 
 Traugott gazed gloomily at the floor. 
 
 " No, Heloise," he said gravely. ** Cease this jest- 
 ing with a man on whom grief inflicted deep 
 wounds only a few weeks ago. I have come to-day 
 to bid you farewell forever ; our paths in life are too 
 
The Opposite House. 
 
 unlike to be united. You are the careless child of 
 the South, who must always laugh, sing- and dance ; 
 but I have become a man. I have had my days 
 of pleasure ; perhaps devoted myself too completely 
 to it. Now all that is over, and my future watch- 
 word is ' Duty,* which is more sacred to me than 
 all the thousand hours which I dreamed away in 
 your arms — at your feet. I am no longer the Trau- 
 gott Gerrald of former days ; no longer the easily 
 captivated boy. I have become my own master, 
 and must give an account of my deeds and conduct 
 to myself and to my beloved dead." 
 
 The dancer looked at him with an expression of 
 mingled pity and derision. 
 
 " So you have really taken Madam Gertrude's 
 death so much to heart ? Good heavens, what a 
 contrast to the way in which you regarded it a few 
 weeks ago ! Then the aforesaid lady was the only 
 obstacle to our union. I could almost admire your 
 grief and energy, if they were only applied to a dif- 
 ferent purpose ; quelle Jiorreur to be such a Prince of 
 the Mill, as people nickname you, forever among 
 meal-bags. Ha, ha, ha !" 
 
 She fairly shook with laughter, and was charming 
 in this mood also. 
 
 Traugott's face crimsoned to the very brow. 
 
 " You sneer at me for having begun to work and 
 learned to despise myself. I regret that I let mat- 
 
44 The Opposite House. 
 
 ters go so far that I am forced to be ashamed of 
 those days." 
 
 He nodded, and turned his back upon her ; but 
 ere he could reach the portieres, an airy cloud flut- 
 tered into his path. Heloise sank between the 
 heavy velvet folds. 
 
 " No, do not go too far, Gerrald !" she cried, be- 
 seechingly. " I have endured your rudeness with 
 rare patience, a proof of my infinite love. You 
 must not leave me thus, in anger ! Only one look 
 into my eyes ; just one. Traugott, tell me that you 
 are not angry with me ; that you will come again. 
 One word, only one word, Gerrald, or you will drive 
 me mad !" 
 
 She was a brilliant actress, every one admitted, 
 and could throw a world of expression into her 
 eyes. It was so now. She gazed at him with in- 
 finite anxiety. Her dark curls fell low on her brow ; 
 magnificent diamonds glittered amid their thick 
 masses ; her rosy arms held the heavy folds closely 
 together. Nothing but force could part them. Trau- 
 gott drew back a step, and almost involuntarily 
 fixed his enraptured eyes upon the fascinating 
 creature who knelt at his feet, more beautiful than 
 ever. 
 
 She raised her clasped hands ; her glance sought 
 his, timidly, beseechingly ; and as he saw her thus 
 before him, the features, which were once his all, 
 
The Opposite House. 45 
 
 as beautiful, as enthralling as ever, a flood of con- 
 suming- fire seemed to seethe in his heart and be- 
 wilder his soul ; the old wound opened, and an 
 irresistible attraction drew him to the bewitching 
 creature. He was on the point of rushing toward 
 her and clasping her with passionate fervor to his 
 breast, kneeling at her feet to plead for pardon, love 
 and happiness, when he felt a sharp, sudden pang, 
 and pressing his hand upon his breast, touched the 
 gold locket and his mother's white flower of 
 death. 
 
 A tremor ran through every limb ; his foot paused 
 and his hands fell loosely at his side ; deadly pale, 
 but calm and cold as stone, he drew back. The spell 
 was broken. 
 
 Heloise had noted everything. What did he 
 wear on his heart? " It must be dear to him, dearer 
 and more precious than I." This thought darted 
 wildly through her brain, and she slowly rose. 
 
 " You no longer love me, Gerrald. I see that. 
 But I do not yet know what has captured your 
 fancy." 
 
 Her eyes glittered like those of a beast of prey 
 watching for its booty. What did he wear on his 
 heart ? She was determined to learn at any cost, 
 and slowly approached him. 
 
 " Show me what ysu have hidden there, and I 
 "will release yo-u." 
 
46 
 
 The Opposite Hotise. 
 
 He gazed at her in stern astonishment; then, 
 smiling calmly, held up the gold case. 
 
 " My talisman, my sacred legacy. So long as I 
 possess it, 1 am panoplied against you !" 
 
 One more look at the radiant creature — it would 
 be the last — and his steps died away on the soft 
 carpet. But the laughing butterfly within the room 
 raised her clenched right hand and, from the depths 
 of her sorely wounded heart, muttered a fierce: 
 " Revenge !" 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 MEPHISTOPHELES 
 
 Traugott Gerrald was seated in his light carriage, 
 
 driving to D , impatiently, almost feverishly, 
 
 longing to see his golden-haired neighbor across 
 the street. Fragrant blossoms laughed around him, 
 thousands of buds smiling with their bright eyes at 
 the beautiful world around them ; the air echoed 
 with the jubilant gladness of spring ; hundreds of 
 feathered songsters were greeting their old home 
 with joyous melodies. At one side of the road the 
 mill-stream was dancing through the waving grass, 
 plashing saucily over the sharp stones which op- 
 posed its course, and around which the forget-me- 
 not twined its slender arms. Bright butterflies flew 
 hither and thither on fluttering wings ; glittering 
 flies danced above the waves ; fleecy white clouds 
 were reflected in them. The whole world was 
 radiant with the sunny spring. 
 
 Almost involuntarily Traugott drew in his reins 
 and raised his hat. The freshness seemed to enter 
 
 [47] 
 
48 The Opposite Hotise. 
 
 his very heart, and he smiled as he watched the 
 play of two swallows, darting in zig-zag lines through 
 the blue air, eluding, yet at last joining each other. 
 
 At the same moment he heard behind him the 
 rapid beat of a horse's hoofs. A man was urging a 
 snorting steed down the highway. 
 
 " Strange," thought Traugott, " he dashes along 
 like the Wild Huntsman himself ;" and he turned 
 his own horses aside to make room for th.e unknown 
 rider. 
 
 But the latter seemed to have other intentions. 
 Stopping beside Traugott's vehicle, he raised his 
 hat courteously : 
 
 " Have I the pleasure of speaking to Herr Ger- 
 rald ?" 
 
 Traugott, much surprised, returned the bow. 
 
 "Yes, my name is Gerrald !" 
 
 " I am delighted to meet you," the stranger con- 
 tinued. " I have come directly from the millS; where 
 I learned you had already left your rooms. I wished 
 to do myself the honor of renewing a very slight 
 acquaintance and paying you a visit." 
 
 " I really don't know — I am extremely sorry ; but 
 I cannot possibly recall — " stammered the young 
 owner of the mills. The pale face, with its pierc- 
 ing eyes and perpetual smile, seemed familiar. 
 
 "My name is Brand — Doctor Brand," said the 
 horseman, courteously, introducing himself. " You 
 
The Opposite House. 49 
 
 will hardly remember me, as I, unfortunately, 
 merely had the pleasure of a casual introduction at 
 Wiesbaden." 
 
 "And what procures me the honor now?" Trau- 
 gott's features had become cold and proud, 
 
 " I came here to examine D thoroughly, and, 
 
 in case it should suit me, make it my residence," 
 the doctor continued. " Unfortunately, I am a 
 total stranger, and would consider myself fortunate 
 to meet an acquaintance who would have the kind- 
 ness to give me a little information about various 
 matters. Your name was the only one known to 
 me, so, perhaps, my advance is from very selfish 
 motives." 
 
 " I fear that I can be of no special assistance to 
 you," replied Gerrald, with courteous reserve. " I 
 mean vSO far as introducing you into society here. I 
 rarely go out now — and — " 
 
 " Would prefer, to speak frankly, to have no re- 
 lations with me ?" interrupted Brand, smiling, 
 though his keen eyes seemed to pierce the young 
 man's inmost heart. " Oh, Gerrald !" he continued, 
 while a shadow flitted over his face, "there was, in- 
 deed, once a time of which I am ashamed, and 
 which jiistifies the distrust you show me, a period 
 you also have experienced — I mean the gaming- 
 tables at Wiesbaden. I looked on there while, by 
 my side, you undermined your fortune ; rushed 
 
^o The Opposite House. 
 
 with open eyes to meet ruin, and felt in the depths 
 of my heart that I ought to guard you, consider 
 5''Our youth, and warn you against approaching 
 disaster. I felt this, yet kept silence. You look at 
 me sullenly, Gerrald. Why are you in such sudden 
 haste ? No, listen ; I must make this confession." 
 
 He seized Traugott's reins with an iron hand, and, 
 checking the impatient horses, continued : 
 
 " 1 watched you gamble for three successive even- 
 ings, sympathized with you, was interested in 
 your appearance. It is foolish to say that at the 
 gaming-table nothing is seen and heard save the 
 demon of gold ; on the contrary, I was never pas- 
 sionately fond of play. I took part in it merely to 
 see and study others. It was so in your case. Your 
 personal appearance attracted me ; your youth 
 awakened my sympathy ; you seemed to me an 
 unusual character. It was probably the first time 
 you had gambled ; there was still opportunity for a 
 friendly hand to hold you back ; but you, yourself, 
 know the world, the egotistical, careless world, 
 which has so few weak moments. ' What is it to 
 me ?' said a cruel voice in my heart. ' Why do you 
 meddle with other people's affairs to receive in- 
 gratitude and rebuffs in return for your good-will ?' 
 I looked on as you lost, saw one bank-note after 
 another go to the croupier — looked on in silence. 
 So matters went until you ceased to come. It 
 
The Opposite House. 5t 
 
 ought to have been a matter of indifference to me. 
 Why should I care whether you appeared or not ? 
 But I seemed to miss something at the green-table. 
 I missed my evening amusement— I was bored. As 
 though forced by some invisible power, I was com- 
 pelled to follow you here, Gerrald ; hear and speak 
 to you, know you better. Do you think me an 
 eccentric fellow ? There must be such characters. 
 Yet be assured that my meaning is sincere and 
 honest when I offer my hand in friendship." 
 
 There was a strange spell in this man's voice ; Its 
 tones were captivating and full of sincerity, 
 
 Traugott clasped his proffered hand, but his 
 manner still showed the same reserve as he re- 
 plied : 
 
 " You are welcome, doctor. I am now alone and 
 friendless, and therefore feel doubly grateful for 
 every token of sympathy. The past which you 
 have just mentioned is only a brief, dark scene, 
 which must be swallowed up in the present. Work, 
 exertion, occupation make me happy ; and when 
 you see for yourself what new triumphs I am daily 
 achieving, you will understand what an ennobling 
 feeling it is to be able to say : ' This is my work, 
 for whose sake I have toiled and struggled,' " 
 
 Brand nodded silently. His face at that moment 
 wore quite a different expression than usual. Doc- 
 tor Brand's appearance was remarkable. His coun- 
 
52 The Opposite House. 
 
 tenance, though not ugly, had a look which uncon- 
 sciously inspired fear. Narrow, colorless, with a 
 perpetual smile resting on the thin lips, it produced 
 the impression of a white plaster cast, on whose 
 temples two blue veins have been drawn. Only 
 the deep-set eyes gave life, a strange, wavering life, 
 to the face. Young girls shunned him, women 
 usually disliked him, but men laughed at both and 
 declared that the doctor was an unusually interest- 
 ing and agreeable man. True, there were some 
 sharp tongues among them which said that Brand 
 might have served as a model when Kaulbach 
 sketched his Mephistopheles. 
 
 The doctor resumed the conversation. 
 
 " You are a happy man, and that is enviable ; but 
 you lack one thing." 
 
 "What may that be?" asked Traugott, smiling. 
 
 " A wife, a loyal and beautiful companion for life. 
 Tell me, Gerrald, do you wish to live for yourself 
 alone ? Whenever I have thought of you, I have 
 always imagined an ideal maiden at your side." 
 
 Traugott smiled mournfully. 
 
 " I have much to accomplish ere I can win her." 
 
 A swift glance flashed across Brand's face, the 
 glance of an adder, which sees its victim in the dis- 
 tance : 
 
 " Then you know where to turn to obtain her ? It 
 seems to me that you have already chosen I" 
 
The Opposite House. 53 
 
 The road led down a slight hill, and Gerrald 
 stooped forward to use the brake ; it was probably 
 the bending posture which sent the blood to his 
 face. 
 
 " I ? Whom should I choose?" 
 
 " Listen, my young friend," Brand replied, in- 
 sinuatingly, leaning closer to hiiu. " There are 
 rumors in town of a love affair with the Chenois. 
 Is there any truth in the gossip ?" 
 
 Traugott started as though the pale face was a 
 viper, hissing at him with sparkling eyes. 
 
 '' No, no," lie vehemently exclaimed ; " a thou- 
 sand times no ! Who has dared to say so ? True, 
 I once paid homage to her, because I was a boy 
 who could be dazzled by the glitter of tinsel ; now 
 everything is at an end between us, and I hope I 
 shall never again be placed in the embarrassing 
 position of being compelled to meet the lady." 
 
 The doctor smiled — a disagreeable smile — then 
 suddenly turned his horse to the side of the road. 
 A carriage was just dashing by, from which a head, 
 covered with dark curls, bent forward, and a pair 
 of sparkling eyes gazed at the two gentlemen with 
 a strangely earnest expression — a look as swift and 
 keen as a flash of lightning met Brand's glance. He 
 answered it with the same quickness and sharp- 
 ness, then the equipage vanished in clouds of dust. 
 
 A short distance farther brought them to the 
 
54 1^^^^ Opposite House. 
 
 street in which stood the two ancient gable-houses, 
 and Traugott stopped before his own door. 
 
 " Do you live here ?" cried Brand, scanning the 
 building with a hasty glance. " An interesting old 
 edifice ! I suppose the arrangement is still un- 
 changed ? I am extravagantly fond of such things, 
 and even had a great desire to become an architect ; 
 but, unluckily, my father put too many difficulties 
 in the way. Yes, my dear Gerrald, you must allow 
 me to see it some day. No, thank you, not now," 
 he added, as Traugott, with a courteous gesture, in- 
 vited him to dismount. " Not to-day ; but I will 
 come again soon, if you will allow me. Magnifi- 
 cent, matchless stone-carving! Au rcvoir^vay d.esiV 
 friend. I congratulate you on possessing so pleasant 
 a home." He pressed his hand cordially. " Fare- 
 well !" 
 
 He had a pleasant way of taking leave which 
 could not fail to produce an agreeable impression. 
 Traugott thoughtfully ascended the stairs and 
 entered his room. 
 
 The white curtain at the window opposite waved 
 slightly, and the boughs of the rose-bushes were 
 swaying to and fro. Traugott hastily approached 
 and greeted his Gretchen with a radiant glance, 
 while in the street below a black steed, swiftly and 
 noiselessly as the wind, was bearing back to the 
 highway its rider — Mephistopheles. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 A MEETING. 
 
 A year had passed. 
 
 Twilight has gathered in Marie's little room. 
 Deep shadows veil the fragrant blossoms of the 
 monthly roses, and the darkness has lulled the 
 feathered songsters to rest. Little can be seen of 
 the faded splendor of the old-fashioned articles 
 garnered in every corner with loving care ; even the 
 portrait of Ancestress Barbara seems to be veiled 
 with gray gauze, and the eyes alone gaze down like 
 two black spots upon the fair descendant who, lost 
 in thought, sits with her head resting on her hand 
 among the roses. 
 
 Marie had thrown on a dark morning wrapper ; 
 her fair braids hung half disheveled down her 
 back. Have you ever chanced to see the picture of 
 the " Sister of Charity " watching beside the couch 
 of the young warrior, dear reader ? The face of the 
 youthful Baroness von Rotterswyl wore the same 
 
 [55] 
 
56 The Opposite House. 
 
 calm, pure, devout expression. She was thinking. 
 What was the subject of her reverie ? The roses 
 poured forth a fragrance as exquisite as if they 
 could guess her thoughts, bent low over the girl's 
 golden head, and whispered into her ears happy- 
 ideas of love and the fresh foliage of spring, of the 
 handsome man who lived in the house opposite, and 
 who had such sparkling eyes and so lofty a brow — 
 the man who stood so long at the window to catch 
 a glance from her, and who absorbed all her 
 thoughts, whose name was Gerrald, and whom her 
 mother hated because he bore it ! 
 
 Just at that moment the door softly opened, a 
 flood of lamplight streamed into the little room, 
 and Marie suddenly started up and took a few steps 
 toward the door : 
 
 "■ Oh, it is you, Aunt Verja !" 
 
 A woman's slender figure glided into the little 
 room, and, holding the lamp aloft, exclaimed, in 
 clear musical tones : 
 
 " Aha, here is our little enthusiast ! Yes, just as 
 I imagined, alone among the roses, in a dark room. 
 Good heavens, my dear, what a pity that I didn't 
 bring some gentlemen with me ; there would be a 
 dozen duels to-morrow on account of this charming 
 idyl ! But your house is too horribly dark. I don't 
 understand how you can stand it, child. 1 should 
 have been frightened to death long ago." 
 
The Opposite House. 57 
 
 She set the lamp on the table and flung her ele- 
 gant shawl on the nearest chair, then eagerly put 
 her arm around the young girl and kissed her rosy 
 cheeks. 
 
 " You dear aunt," replied Marie, tenderly, " have 
 you climbed all these stairs to my hermitage ? I 
 rarely have any visitors here, and am doubly glad 
 to welcome you." 
 
 " I wanted to see your sanctum once," said the 
 lady, laughing, as she tossed her fan and gloves on 
 the chair too. " I have heard you talk of this 
 cabinet of curiosities so often, without ever gain- 
 ing admittance to it. Your mamma was not in the 
 drawing-room, so I took a lamp and made my way 
 up here. You know I never stop to consider long. 
 What should I have done without a lamp ! Don't 
 be vexed, Marie, but I think your house is a terrible 
 place. These stairs and corners and towers and 
 bow-windows ! Every time I bumped against some 
 treacherous beam or cupboard I thanked Providence 
 that I didn't live here." Panting for breath, she 
 dropped into a chair and drew Marie down upon 
 the stool at her side. 
 
 Aunt Verja was a wonderfully pretty woman — a 
 thorough Russian, from the crown of her head to the 
 tips of her dainty feet. A piquant, narrow little 
 face, with a pale complexion, as transparently deli- 
 cate as the petal of a flower, and with the creamy 
 
58 The Opposite House. 
 
 hue so beautiful in Oriental women — a face to which 
 the slight arch of the nose gave an expression of 
 character. The eyes were large and bright — spark- 
 ling, yet often dreamy ; veiled, as it were, by be- 
 witching melancholy, then sparkling with sudden 
 passion. The delicately outlined brows harmonized 
 with the scarlet lips, which, curled as if in mockery, 
 revealed the little white teeth ; a mischievous ex- 
 pression often hovered around them ; pouting and 
 drollery alternated with every shade of emotion. 
 
 " A clever, interesting woman !" was the verdict 
 
 of D , whose society people could not sufficiently 
 
 praise the beauty of the young baroness. " A little 
 spitfire, full of delightful caprices !" was probably 
 added, and then the thousand and one charming 
 bits of mischief which she so well understood how 
 to enact were repeated. 
 
 Verja lived in very handsome style. She had 
 married Frau von Rotterswyl's youngest brother, 
 his highness's adjutant, Baron von Kartegg, who 
 idolized his charming wife and made her the star 
 and center of society in D . 
 
 " Do you know, Marie," said the young aunt, 
 laughing, "■ that I had quite an interesting experi- 
 ence a short time ago ? Just think, a few weeks 
 since Herr von Esen presented to me a young doc- 
 tor of laws, black and white as marble — very briL 
 liant effect— and who can talk, oh, wonderfully ! I 
 
The Opposite House. 59 
 
 conversed with him for half an hour, and regretted 
 that I must stop for propriety's sake. It 's a pity 
 that his name is merely Brand and the clever fellow 
 doesn't belong to the nobility." 
 
 Marie had listened breathlessly. 
 
 "And does this doctor ride, aunt?" she asked, 
 with glowing cheeks. 
 
 " Certainly ; and he is a very striking figure when 
 he dashes by on his splendid horse. He knows it, 
 too. ' Pluto is the marrow of my life !' he said him- 
 self." 
 
 Marie was of a different opinion. She shuddered 
 whenever she saw him at Gerrald's side, yet she did 
 not know why. 
 
 " I should like to see him again," Verja eagerly 
 went on. " I 7nust see him for certain reasons, but 
 where? But stay — he rides to the Gerrald mills 
 every day at three o'clock to see young Gerrald ! 
 By the way, it must be a year now since the latter's 
 mother died ; he '11 probably shake off his mourning 
 all the more suddenly now, because he is such an 
 odd fellow. How quickly time passes ! I '11 tell 
 you, Marie, we '11 go out to drive at three o'clock 
 to-morrow ; you '11 accompany me, won't you, pet ? 
 I '11 call for you in my pony carriage, and we '11 
 drive to the mills. The road is said to be very 
 pretty ; at least perfectly shaded. Be ready at the 
 exact hour. I should be frantic if we missed him." 
 
6o The Opposite House. 
 
 Frau von Kartegg released Marie from her em- 
 brace and glanced hastily at the clock, then rushed 
 to the chair and wrapped the shawl around her 
 beautiful shoulders. 
 
 " Will you go to the opera with me, Marie ? 
 There is a vacant seat in our box. It is ' Tann- 
 hauser.' " 
 
 " Not this evening, aunt ; some other time." 
 
 " As you choose, pet. Meanwhile, I '11 tell your 
 mother that it is time for you to make your entrance 
 into society. To-morrow at three, then ? My lord 
 and master sends his kindest remembrances to you. 
 He has gone with Prince George to G— — , or he 
 would have come with me. So good-by, and be 
 sure to be punctual." 
 
 Then the slender figure glided out of the room, 
 Marie following with the lamp. The old house was 
 too full of nooks and corners. But the moonbeams 
 stole through the window and quivered over the 
 roses, which poured forth an almost stupefying per- 
 fume as they bent whispering toward the ancient 
 portrait, which gazed down at them with a proud 
 
 smile. 
 
 ****** 
 
 It is delightful to dash through the bright sun- 
 shine, vying with the birds, whose broad pinions 
 cleave the blue air as they soar joyously to the light 
 spring clouds ; delightful to have the aromatic air 
 
The Opposite House. 6i 
 
 fan the brow caressingly, banishing all dark 
 thoughts and fancies. 
 
 Marie had leaned back in the carriage and, with 
 eyes half closed, was dreaming amid all this splen- 
 dor of another happiness, far brighter and more 
 divine, whose radiant sun is called Love, and which 
 hides behind many ? cloud gathered by grief and 
 longing. 
 
 Verja could not keep quiet. Her whole nature 
 rebelled against meditation, and to be wholly alone 
 with one's own thoughts appeared to her the most 
 tiresome occupation possible for a human being. 
 Even now her dark eyes were roving eagerly over 
 the broad plains, sometimes kindling with sudden 
 interest, sometimes resting wearily on the green 
 tree-tops. 
 
 Opening and closing her elegant fan excitedly, 
 she half turned back in her seat, saying : 
 
 " It 's too bad ; half -past three already, and noth- 
 ing in sight. Jonas, walk the horses. Oh, Marie, I 
 should be frantic, miserable, if he did not come. I 
 have a plan for introducing Brand into society at 
 court, spite of his plebeian birth. I 've so set my 
 heart upon it and arranged everything so cleverly, 
 nothing would induce me to give it up. Dear me ! 
 No, it isn't he !" She angrily averted her head. 
 " I almost mistook a market-wagon for the clever 
 Brand." 
 
62 The uppostie J-iottse^ 
 
 Marie began to laugh. 
 
 " You are certainly very much excited, dear 
 aunt," she said, in a jesting tone. " How can you 
 think of society amid this beautiful scenery ?" 
 
 " Oh, nonsense about nature !" replied Frau von 
 Kartegg. " I don't understand how you can feel so 
 little interest. I assure you that I shall have no 
 peace until the doctor sits beside me at the prin- 
 cess's musicalc, and if I turn D upside down, I 
 
 will accomplish my purpose." 
 
 She pouted with an air of the most charming 
 defiance, and shielded her eyes from the sunbeams 
 with her fan. 
 
 " Where was this famous personage all last sum- 
 mer ?" asked Marie. "I didn't see him ride by at 
 all for a time, and he was often absent weeks." 
 
 " He travelled a great deal," replied Verja, ab- 
 sently, " but now he intends to remain here entirely." 
 She bent sideways a little. " Marie !" — she clutched 
 her niece's hand with an iron grasp — "look there — 
 over yonder — two horsemen." 
 
 The young baroness started. 
 
 " Two horsemen ?" she slowly repeated. " I 
 thought you expected no one but the doctor ?" 
 
 " Yes, yes," cried Verja, raising her lorgnette, 
 " the other must be young Gerrald himself. Look 
 again, and don't be so tiresome — quick, Marie. 
 Well?" 
 
The Opposite House. 63 
 
 The young girl, trembling, bent forward from the 
 carriage. 
 
 "I don't know either of them," she said, without 
 reflecting how the vivid flush which crimsoned her 
 cheeks belied her words. Verja was too much ab- 
 sorbed by her own thoughts to notice it. 
 
 " Lean back !" she said, smiling. " One, two — 
 you must bow when I do. Will you remember, 
 petite?" She leaned carelessly among the cushions 
 and seemed to be thinking only of her fan, which 
 she negligently opened and shut, or balanced on her 
 finger. Marie scarcely dared to breathe. The 
 horsemen slowly approached — the carriage-horses 
 were walking. 
 
 The fair-haired man started and gazed silently at 
 the lovely little face. How quickly the expression of 
 his features changed, gaining new life ! Marie tim- 
 idly raised her long lashes, and for an instant their 
 eyes met. 
 
 Doctor Brand cast a swift glance at his com- 
 panion, smiled — and raised his hat. Meanwhile, 
 Verja's fan slipped from her hand and fell into the 
 road. Brand, with a hasty movement, turned Pluto 
 and reached the carriage-door, exclaiming : 
 
 " Your fan, madam." Then, with the speed of 
 thought, he sprang from the saddle, raised the lost 
 article, and, bowing courteously, presented it to the 
 owner. 
 
64 The Opposite House. 
 
 Verja thanked him gayly : 
 
 " Just think, my dear doctor, I didn't recognize 
 you, spite of my good eyes and the broad daylight." 
 
 Brand had remounted and turned his horse. 
 
 "You are very kind, baroness!" he answered 
 very chivalrously. " It is honor enough to occupy a 
 small place in your memory. If you will permit 
 me, I will venture to strengthen it by keeping my 
 position here at your side." 
 
 " Certainly," said the Russian, nodding a gracious 
 assent ; " it will be a thousand times more entertain- 
 ing to have some society while pursuing this 
 monotonous road, that we may at least exchange 
 thoughts. Permit me to make you acquainted with 
 my niece, Doctor Brand — Fraulein von Rotters- 
 wyl." 
 
 Both bowed silently, then Brand asked if he 
 might present his companion, and in response to 
 Verja's assent, he turned hastily and beckoned to 
 the young owner of the mill. 
 
 " Permit me, ladies — Herr Gerrald." 
 
 Traugott bowed with quiet dignity. The hand- 
 some man, proudly erect on his rearing steed, 
 presented an attractive picture, at which Frau von 
 Kartegg gazed with sparkling eyes. 
 
 Brand obstinately maintained his place at the 
 side of the young baroness. Traugott had time 
 only to exchange a few hasty words, then he was 
 
The Opposite House. 65 
 
 obliged to turn his horse and ride beside the oppo- 
 site door. 
 
 Marie was flushed and embarrassed ; the young 
 mill-owner, too, seemed strangely agitated. 
 
 " I believe I have the honor of being your neigh- 
 bor, Frdiilem,'" he said, bending toward her. And 
 Marie trembled at the sound of the deep tones, 
 which hitherto she had heard only in her dreams. 
 
 " At least I am familiar with your name, Herr 
 Gerrald," she answered, softly. " I liked to look at 
 your house, it seemed so ancient and vener- 
 able." 
 
 Traugott could not turn his eyes from the embar 
 rassed little face, whose large blue eyes were raised 
 to his. It was the first time he had been so near 
 her. Was she really beautiful ? Her features were 
 by no means regular, but delicate and full of feel- 
 ing, and the expression of the eyes, the golden 
 curls clustering around the temples, and the sweet 
 girlish charm of her whole appearance rendered her 
 irresistibly fascinating. 
 
 " Yes, our old house is interesting, is it not?" he 
 asked, smiling. " Doctor Brand became very en- 
 thusiastic over the stone carving and the interior 
 arrangement ; he has discovered a quantity of 
 treasures and marvels, which I should probably 
 never have suspected. I mean curios, which re- 
 quire a taste for antiquities." 
 
66 The Opposite House. 
 
 " And secret doors, cellars and corridors ? Aunt 
 Verja is always afraid when she visits us," replied 
 Marie, in a jesting tone, with a mischievous side- 
 glance, for his quiet manner restored her confidence. 
 " We have an endless number of corners and nooks, 
 too, till one reaches a bow-windowed room, and at 
 night people who were afraid of ghosts would have 
 a sad time with us." 
 
 " Aha ! Then the rose-window in the upper story- 
 is your domain ?" he said, slowly. " I think I often 
 see you at the window, baroness." 
 
 " Mamma gave up the room to me," she answered, 
 nodding, with a faint blush. " She has more space 
 than she requires in the rest of the house, and I 
 have arranged everything to please myself, col- 
 lected all my treasures there, the roses and finches 
 and — Ancestress Barbara." 
 
 " Marie, how long is it since the minister's wife 
 went away?" interposed Verja, turning toward her. 
 "You were speaking of it just now." 
 
 " Five days," replied the niece ; and Frau von 
 Kartegg again raised her eyes to the handsome 
 horseman, who pleased her iaxicy. Then she turned 
 to her protdgd to give further instructions. 
 
 "Ancestress Barbara?" repeated Traugott, 
 thoughtfully. " Is that the oil painting which 
 hangs close by your window?" 
 
 Marie sileatlv bent her head in assent. 
 
The Opposite House . 67 
 
 " And you include that portrait among your 
 treasures?" 
 
 What strange questions he could ask ! 
 
 " Yes," the young girl confessed frankly, raising 
 her eyes to his. " I am very, very fond of my pale 
 ancestress. She has often been my only compan- 
 ion when I was alone and sorrowful ; when no one 
 else cared for me she always understood and — " 
 
 " That is why you took your friend from the gal- 
 lery to the quiet bow- window room?" 
 
 There was a strangely set expression upon the 
 young man's lips ; he gazed at her with a fixed, 
 earnest look. 
 
 " No," replied Marie, sorrowfully. " Mamma did 
 not like the portrait, and because it had long been 
 in the attic, she let it stay there, and was even un- 
 willing to permit me to take it. This grieved me, 
 so I cared doubly for it, and gradually learned to 
 love the portrait. I was alone, like Barbara ; so we 
 suited each other." 
 
 " Do you know the history of that portrait?" He 
 bent lower, and gazed intently into her eyes. 
 
 " Yes, I know Barbara Gerrald's story." A shadow 
 crossed her face, and she tossed her head almost 
 defiantly. " I know it, and yet I love her. That is 
 strange, isn't it, Herr Gerrald ?" She gazed quietly 
 at him ; a faint flush tinged her cheeks, but her 
 lips still smiled. 
 
68 The Opposite House. 
 
 His face "brigiitened, as if illumined by a sudden 
 flood of sunshine, and he turned hastily to 
 curb his horse, which, rearing, resisted his con- 
 trol. 
 
 " Ancestress Barbara will bless you for it — and 
 that other, too," he added, hesitatingly, grasping his 
 bridle still more closely, " who loved her. What can 
 I do for you, madam ?" 
 
 " I asked you to come over to this side and 
 answer a few questions," repeated Verja, gayly. 
 " Don't you see you are on the verge of falling into 
 the ditch, Herr Gerrald? Jonas, keep in the middle 
 of the road." 
 
 Traugott glanced aside. Yes, his horse was 
 barely a hand's breadth from the ditch ; he would 
 have plunged into it at the next bend of the road. 
 The instantaneous consciousness of awkwardness 
 which he felt as a skillful rider, and Brand's pecul- 
 iar smile, sent the blood to his cheeks. He let the 
 carriage pass, turned his horse, and crossed to the 
 side of the beautiful baroness, who received him 
 with a gay jest. 
 
 " Incredible !" she cried merrily. "What an in- 
 teresting conversation you must have been carrying 
 on to make you forget the gulf at your side ; or was 
 it the perfume of the spring blossoms? By the 
 way, Marie, you are losing your rose." 
 
 Doctor Brand laughed more loudly than usual, 
 
The Opposite House. 69 
 
 and murmured a courteous : " Charming !" while 
 Traugott g?red gravely down at the little lady. 
 
 " It is true that I have the misfortune of being 
 disconcerted by any unexpected incident," answered' 
 Gerrald, trying to smile. " Besides, I am really a 
 great lover of flowers, and it is pardonable if one 
 does become a little confused by unexpectedly find- 
 ing such rare blossoms by the roadside. And then, 
 I have had so little opportunity of meeting ladies 
 of late that the pleasant accident might well em- 
 barrass me." 
 
 His features had grown still graver, and Verja's 
 jesting mood vanished under the mournful glance 
 which met her eyes. 
 
 " I heard of your loss, last year, with sincere re- 
 gret," she answered sympathizingly, " and can 
 understand your grief the better because only a 
 few twelvemonths ago I stood beside my own 
 mother's death-bed ! My husband's self-sacrificing 
 love made the wound heal more quickly, and the 
 many proofs of friendship I received also contributed 
 to divert my thoughts. Are you entirely alone in 
 the world?" 
 
 " Entirely." 
 
 " Have you no relatives whom you could join .?" 
 
 Gerrald shook his head. 
 
 " No one in the whole wide world ?" 
 
 Verja's heart quivered at the sound of his voice. 
 
70 The Opposite House. 
 
 A sincere interest was awakened for this man, who 
 was so handsome, so young and so desolate. 
 
 " You live entirely aloof from society, I have 
 heard," she continued. " Have you no friends to 
 whom you could express your feelings ?" 
 
 " No," he answered sadly. " I have learned to 
 despise society. Brand was the only person who 
 sought me, and to him alone I owe this happy hour, 
 madam." 
 
 Verja looked at him kindly. His sincere manner 
 pleased her, perhaps on account of its rarity. 
 
 " Doctor Brand intends to enter society here," she 
 answered. " He has promised to call on me ; but 
 since you hate the world," she added, mischievously, 
 " I cannot possibly hope ever to welcome you to our 
 circle." 
 
 " Oh, madam," he exclaimed, a deep flush crim- 
 soning his brow, " I hate the world only to honor 
 individuals the more sincerely. Would you permit 
 me to accompany my friend ?" 
 
 " You will always be a welcome guest, Herr Ger- 
 rald," replied the baroness, with a gracious bend of 
 the head. " Unfortunately, the court-mourning 
 prohibits any large entertainments, but it has issued 
 no edict against friendly visits." 
 
 She raised her fan to protect herself against the 
 sun, which was sending its golden beams into her 
 smiling face. 
 
The Opposite House. 71 
 
 Marie had heard every word and fancied that her 
 heart must stand still in her delight. A swift glance 
 sought Gerrald ; he met it and smiled. Then her 
 attention was again claimed by Doctor Brand, who 
 was giving a very interesting description of the de- 
 velopment of spring blossoms, and sometimes inter- 
 weaving a little comparison to its resemblance to 
 the dawning of love in the human heart. 
 
 Meanwhile the fleecy white clouds floated high 
 above in the spring heavens, and the wooded hills 
 rose on both sides of the road. Everything was 
 calm and still save that through the green foliage 
 echoed the notes of a song : 
 
 ** A youth saw a rosebud blooming, 
 A rosebud on the moor." 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 IN THE SNARE. 
 
 Pluto was taking his daily exercise, moving at an 
 easy trot down the highway toward the mills. 
 
 On arriving, Doctor Brand flung the reins to a 
 groom and ran up the stone steps. Gerrald, hat in 
 hand, met him at the door. 
 
 "Shall I interrupt you?" he asked hastily. "I 
 have come only for a few minutes." 
 
 " By no means, my dear friend," replied Traugott, 
 courteously, taking his arm. " You've come just in 
 time to be my guest. It will be a pleasant change 
 to dine in your society." 
 
 *' Oh, no," protested Brand. " I won't interrupt 
 your noon rest. I am here merely to make an 
 inquiry." 
 
 f72j 
 
The Opposite House. y^ 
 
 " We '11 talk about that later," replied Traugott. 
 " It would be a fine thing if I let you go after a 
 three-minute visit. Perhaps, however, a Lucullian 
 banquet awaits you, in which case, of course, my 
 simple meal must retire into the background." 
 
 " Oh, no, no," said Brand, with a courteous bow. 
 " I shall lose nothing at he me, and should consider 
 myself fortunate in accepting your invitation in 
 preference to any other, but — " 
 
 " Then pray let us have no ' buts ' and no compli- 
 ments. You know that you are welcome, and as a 
 friend, you certainly ought to go in and out of my 
 house without ceremony." 
 
 He drew back to let the doctor enter, and after a 
 little more hesitation the latter accepted. 
 
 The young mill-owner's room was very tastefully 
 and comfortably furnished. 
 
 " Your little den is delightful," said Brand, turn- 
 ing to Gerrald, who was drawing the curtain to shut 
 out the sunlight that glided inquisitively over the 
 carved writing-desk and cast a shimmering glow 
 upon the velvet covering of the sofa. " But, tell 
 me, my dear Gerrald, don't you sometimes feel 
 rather dull in this lonely hermitage ?" 
 
 "Oh, yes," Traugott quietly assented. "It is 
 often very melancholy, more sorrowful than you 
 can imagine. Especially when, as I sit alone and 
 desolate, a thousand memories of the past arise, and 
 
74 1^^^ Opposite House. 
 
 in the silence and gloom it is impossible to banish 
 sad thoughts." Taking a pistol from the wall, he 
 handed it to the visitor : " Look, this is an old 
 weapon which will interest you. I inherited it from 
 my grandfather. And to think that we are using 
 similar firearms now !" 
 
 Brand gazed admiringly at the old-fashioned pis- 
 tol and examined the ancient lock. 
 
 '' But really, my dear friend, I must say frankly 
 that I don't understand why you live so completely 
 secluded from the world," he remarked carelessly, 
 snapping the trigger up and down. " Under these 
 circumstances, it really wouldn't be at all surprising 
 if you should become a thorough hypochondriac. 
 The period of your mourning is over, and although 
 I don't blame you in the least for avoiding gay 
 society and keeping out of it as much as possible ; 
 indeed, 1 can understand your feeling perfectly, still 
 I think it is not healthful to carry the matter too 
 far. An overdose of medicine produces an effect 
 just opposite to what is desired ; so let me for once 
 be your physician and cure you of all these gloomy 
 fancies. You know that I comprehend your feel- 
 ings and mean honestly and sincerely by you ; so 
 trust yourself confidently to my care, my dear Ger- 
 rald, and rest assured that I will always give you 
 the right dose." 
 
 Traugott, sighing, held out his hand to him. 
 
The Opposite House. 75 
 
 " I thank you for your good will, Brand," he an- 
 swered sadly, "but I shall probably be compelled to 
 follow alone the path which I have now entered. I 
 have found two effective remedies for old wounds, 
 physical and mental exertion. They afford the 
 only balm for such ails." 
 
 " Followed by rest and a little recreation," Brand 
 remarked, with strong emphasis, suppressing the 
 sarcastic smile which hovered around his lips. 
 
 Traugott interrupted the conversation by in- 
 viting Brand to dinner, which had just been an- 
 nounced. 
 
 Conversation between the two men was very 
 animated, and the champagne had no little share 
 in rousing Traugott from his cheerless mood ; so, 
 when the host and guest sat comfortably together 
 over a cup of coffee, puffing clouds of smoke into 
 the air, Doctor Brand could pursue his plan of cam- 
 paign. 
 
 Knocking the ashes thoughtfully from the end of 
 his cigar, he drew a carved mouth-piece from its 
 case : 
 
 " I think it would be a good idea to go to the 
 casino and drink a glass of beer ! The heat is 
 abominable for the lovely month of May, which, 
 this year, seems to be a perfect parody on Heine. 
 Do you feel no longing for Hebe?" 
 
 "If that is all," replied Traufjott, smiling, "we 
 
76 The Opposite Housed 
 
 need not leave here. I '11 give you my word of 
 honor that m)'- old wine cellar is still very respect- 
 ably stocked, and that you will find good liquor in 
 the ancient merchant-house." 
 
 Brand smoothed his mustache. 
 
 " I didn't doubt that an instant, my good friend," 
 he said, with a graceful gesture of acknowledgment ; 
 " the whole house is planned for a good cellar ; and 
 I always say : ' Wherever the Lord puts a cellar he 
 rolls the casks into it.' The ancestral Gerralds 
 seemed to me to have been no laymen in the chap- 
 ter of natural history concerning the noble fruit of 
 the vine. Well, you are their worthy son. But, 
 we '11 reserve this pleasure for another day. Let us 
 seek a few old acquaintances now and refresh our- 
 selves with a glass of porter." 
 
 " To be frank, I feel no inclination to meet old 
 acquaintances. It is uncomfortable to see them, 
 after having avoided their society so long." 
 
 " But, for heaven's sake, my dear Gerrald," cried 
 his companion, " do you mean to play hermit for- 
 ever ? I appreciate your determination not to return 
 to the old mode of life, and you know my opinion of 
 it ; but I don't think you ought to shut yourself out 
 of society entirely. There are too many evil 
 tongues who might interpret it in a disadvanta- 
 geous way, now that there is no excuse on account of 
 your mourning, and your ^^dit might be injured." 
 
The Opposite House. 77 
 
 Traugott gazed at the speaker with a troubled 
 expression : 
 
 '' Impossible. How could — " 
 
 " You do not yet know the world, my young 
 friend !" interrupted Brand, with a smile of superi- 
 ority. **A young hot-head ^'ke yourself judges a 
 picture solely by its colors. What you have hitherto 
 seen of society consisted merely of illusions — masks, 
 which dazzled by vivid contrasts. I have looked 
 behind the scenes a long time, and found many a 
 ragged bit of tinsel which, with the proper light, 
 produced an admirable effect ; but, when the lamps 
 were screwed down and by accident the bright sun- 
 shine streamed in, the spell vanished, and all the 
 
 impish faces appeared through the glitter. D 
 
 is the focus of all sorts of gossip, and a young man 
 like yourself, who stimulates curiosity and has at- 
 tracted attention, turn and twist as he will, is, and 
 always will be, the trial block on which everybody 
 feels bound to inscribe something. Believe me, 
 my dear Gerrald, that I mean honestly by you, and 
 can judge of your position the better because I hear 
 on all sides the most inconsiderate and varied 
 opinions, and, therefore, formed my plan on them. 
 That your sudden disappearance was attributed to 
 every possible and impossible motive and led to the 
 wildest rumors, is a fact probably not unknown to 
 yourself!" 
 
yS The Opposite House. 
 
 A slight frown darkened Traugott's brow. 
 
 " Worthy folk," he answered, not without a touch 
 of resentment, " what atrocities will they not asso- 
 ciate with my insignificant self ? I believe that, 
 were my back twice as broad, it could not bear the 
 burden of all the enigmas connected with my every 
 movement." 
 
 " Yes, you have really become a perfect enigma," 
 answered Doctor Brand, laughing ; " and if you had 
 a hundred more sides to show, each would be repre- 
 sented as a Janus head with two faces. Well, don't 
 worry about it, but trust entirely to me. I '11 act 
 for you, as a friend should, and see that Dame Gos- 
 sip will soon lack material for any fresh fairy tales." 
 
 " I thank you, Brand," said Traugott, earnestly. 
 " I am in a very uncomfortable position, and you 
 are right. Turn and twist as I may, I can no longer 
 justify myself to any one." 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 A CONFIDENTIAL CHAT. 
 
 Night had closed in earlier than usual, and while 
 yesterday at this hour people had sat at their win- 
 dows reading and working, to-day lamps were 
 already placed on many a table, and looks of vexa- 
 tion were raised to the dark, starless sky ere the 
 curtains were lowered. 
 
 Heloise was leaning against her window, softly 
 humming a popular dance tune, and occasionally 
 amusing herself by having her shaggy Bolognese 
 lap-dog bring her the little satin slipper she skill- 
 fully tossed into the air, and, when a whine from 
 Molly announced that she was hit by it, the dancer 
 laughed merrily and flung her a biscuit, a payment 
 which needed to be very frequently repeated. 
 
 "I don't want a light; take it away!" she said, 
 curtly, without vouchsafing the maid a single 
 glance. " Here, take Molly, too ; the creature's 
 
 [79] 
 
8o The Opposite House. 
 
 eternal whining is insufferable. I '11 get an Ulm 
 mastiff ; at least it will have a better voice." She 
 picked up the animal as she spoke, gave its cold 
 nose a farewell pat, and flung it somewhat roughly 
 into Susanne's apron. The girl vanished with a 
 pleasant nod. " This Brand is a terrible rake !" 
 murmured Heloise, impatiently. " I 've been wait- 
 ing an hour already, and that 's certainly a delightful 
 occupation." She took a few hasty steps across the 
 boudoir, and her attention was attracted by two 
 notes which she had tossed carelessly on the table. 
 Now ennui awakened her curiosity. She mounted 
 a chair to light the burner in the chandelier, and 
 then opened the envelopes. This momentarily 
 diverted her thoughts, and was certainly a bit of 
 good fortune for Doctor Brand, who, wrapped in a 
 dark cloak, was just ringing the door-bell. 
 
 " Mademoiselle !" Heloise was reading meanwhile, " permit me 
 to ask a respectful question. Your conduct, of late, has been 
 extremely extravagant and offensive to me, perhaps too harsh to 
 be attributed to mere caprice. You know that my regard for you 
 is too deep for me to endure all these whims and torments longer, 
 and I earnestly beseech you either to treat me more kindly or to 
 accept in these lines my last farewell. 
 
 " LoTHAR, Prince von X." 
 
 The dancer laughed and flung the note back on 
 the table, then she turned toward the door where 
 Doctor Brand had just appeared. The poor man 
 received a welcome by no means cordial, though he 
 kissed her hand with unchanged tenderness. 
 
TJie Opposite Hotcse. 
 
 " Why are you so late ?" asked Heloise, almost 
 rudely. " I expected you at seven o'clock." 
 
 " It was impossible, absolutely impossible, my 
 queen !" he said apologetically, letting his slender 
 figure drop into an arm-chair. " I have had a great 
 deal to do, Heloise ; and have accomplished a great 
 deal also," he added significantly. 
 
 "What? Tell me about it!" she exclaimed hur- 
 riedly, drawing her chair closer. " Quick, is he the 
 same man he used to be?" 
 
 " Dear me, signora,'' replied Brand, laughing, as 
 he coolly drew off his gloves, "do you suppose 
 things move at such a rapid rate ? Every matter 
 requires time, and at present I am very well satis- 
 fied to have progressed so far." 
 
 " How far ?" she inquired, with sparkling eyes. 
 
 " It is a long story, which cannot be told in two 
 words — or yes, it might be done, but, of course, in 
 that case many interesting details would be lost ! 
 But first, my dear friend, let me ask if you haven't 
 some warm drink, which will strengthen the nerves. 
 It is horrible weather, and I 'm chilled to the bone ! 
 A tremendous gale, driving showers of rain into 
 one's face, and at times the contents of a gutter 
 poured down one's back. Aha, what rose-colored 
 note have you here ? ' Lothar?' From the prince? 
 Pardon me, I must glance through it. I don't see 
 letters from royalty every day !" He took the per- 
 
82 The Opposite House. 
 
 fumed missive from the table and read its contents. 
 " These are fine doings, Heloise/' he said angrily. 
 " What induced you to offend the man in this way. 
 Do you want to break off your intimacy with him ?" 
 
 The dancer shrugged her shoulders indiffer- 
 ently. 
 
 " If he continues to write me such silly notes, 1 
 shall probably be compelled to do so," she said 
 sharply, with a saucy toss of her little head. " Do 
 you suppose I could laugh and joke with him when 
 I felt no inclination to do so ? Milk diables ! No. 
 If I only liked him the least little bit ; but I can't 
 take the slightest fancy to his negro face." She 
 laughed gayly. 
 
 Brand's eyes followed her disapprovingly. 
 
 " Do you know that you will be very unwise to 
 forfeit the prince's friendship ?" he said, sternly. 
 *' I should think you would have every reason to 
 treat him graciously, merely out of regard for your 
 pecuniary interests. Lothar is rich, and by no 
 means a niggard in his love affairs, as you must 
 know by your own experience !" He fixed his eyes 
 on the diamond cross, which was glittering upon 
 her neck. " Has he made you many presents?" 
 
 Heloise unlocked the carved cupboard and 
 brought out a bottle of wine. 
 
 " Oh, yes," she answered carelessly, " a whole 
 handful of little trinkets ! But now, please, tell me 
 
The Opposite House. 83 
 
 what you have accomplished, and don't bore me 
 with questions about things in which you have no 
 concern." 
 
 Brand half closed his eyes and leaned back with 
 folded arms. v 
 
 " You are mistaken, my child !" he said, sharply. 
 " This matter interests me more than you may, per- 
 haps, imagine. I beg you to show me your jewels." 
 
 The dancer shrugged her shoulders, angrily. 
 
 " Just to try my patience to the utmost," she said. 
 " I don't understand. Max, how you can find pleas- 
 ure in tormenting me so." 
 
 He raised her hands coaxingly to his lips. 
 
 '' I won't detain you more than five minutes, 
 little goddess ! And these five minutes will be so 
 interesting to me. Let me see whether the orna- 
 ments are worthy to adorn you, the most precious 
 pearl." 
 
 The Chenois laughed. Then, with a pout, turned 
 her back upon him and went to the next room, re- 
 turning with a large casket, which she placed on 
 the table, and unlocked with a key fastened to the 
 gold chain she wore around her neck. 
 
 " Most of these things came from Lord Lang- 
 bury," she said. " He made me more valuable gifts 
 than the prince." 
 
 Brand arose. His greedy eyes dilated at the sight 
 before him. 
 
84 The Opposite House. 
 
 " Lord Langbury ?" lie repeated. " Such a Crcesus 
 might well make presents." 
 
 Heloise carelessly threw back the lid and let the 
 precious stones sparkle in the light. They were 
 magnificent gems, set in the shape of a star, whose 
 brilliancy made him involuntarily shield his eyes. 
 
 Heloise, with a smile, raised the diadem and 
 placed it on her dark curls. The mirror reflected a 
 queenly vision. 
 
 Doctor Brand silently took ornament after orna- 
 ment to scan them with covetous eyes. He seemed 
 to be scrutinizing them closely, and the calculation 
 made in his nimble brain reached a large amount. 
 The stones lay sparkling on the table, and cast vivid 
 rays upon the white hand of the woman who was 
 impatiently gathering them up to return to the case, 
 as careless and indifferent to their beauty as though 
 the shining gems were pebbles collected on the 
 highway. 
 
 "Well?" she asked, mischievously, shutting the 
 lid. " Was the exhibition worth the fee ?" 
 
 " Gossip says that your ornaments are priceless," 
 replied Brand, with a strange smile : " but I think 
 they are a royal gift which deserve to adorn your 
 beauty. Don't be ignoble, Heloise, and repay the 
 prince's generous kindness with base ingratitude. 
 I earnestly entreat you to send him a pleasant 
 answer." 
 
The Opposite House. 85 
 
 "We '11 see," was the careless reply. 
 
 Brand turned to the table and held the bottle up 
 to the light to examine the label. 
 
 " This is undoubtedly fiery," he said, with a smile 
 of satisfaction. " I thought so. Chartreuse ! By 
 King Artus, Heloise, your cupboard must be re- 
 markably well supplied ! A short time ago you 
 produced a capital Benedictine, and now almost 
 daily a different variety. We 11 hope that this " — 
 he patted the corpulent bottle— " will prove a 
 worthy successor. Where do you get your stock, if 
 I may ask ?" 
 
 " Drink and tell me your story !" replied Heloise, 
 curtly. Then she placed a liqueur glass on the 
 table before him, and took her seat on the comfort- 
 able lounge. 
 
 "Won't you bear me company?" he asked, with 
 a side-glance at the single glass. 
 
 " No !" was the sullen reply. 
 
 " So you are eager for my story ?" he went on, 
 with cruel composure. " So much the better ; you 
 will listen politely." As he spoke he closed one 
 eye, held the glass up to the light and took a sip 
 with the air of a connoisseur. " Yes, our chances 
 so far are brilliant," he began, leaning comfortably 
 back in a corner. " At first it was, of course, some- 
 what hard work to approach the good fellow ; he 
 seemed fairly panoplied by his beloved work and 
 
86 The Opposite House. 
 
 love of industry. But I attacked him with weapons 
 which even these virtue-mailed walls could not 
 withstand, and having taken advantage of a few op- 
 portune moments, spoken a few words at the right 
 time, I had the pleasure of seeing one barrier fall 
 after another, and was finally clasped to his heart 
 as a friend ; the main point was to induce him to 
 trust me. Since then my position has been secure. 
 I often make him feel my superiority in a useful 
 way, and endeavor to strengthen my hold in all di- 
 rections, in order to have complete carte btanche and 
 at last be able to influence him. It is a difficult 
 task to manage him successfully — one must touch so 
 many strings at once ! His temperament is high- 
 strung ; he has a great deal of family pride ; his 
 nature is still comparatively uncorrupted, a fact 
 which, with his past, amazed me ; he is animated by 
 the best intentions — and is in love." 
 
 "What? In love? With whom?" exclaimed 
 Heloise. Two steps brought her directly in front 
 of him, and fixing her flashing eyes on his pale 
 face, she exclaimed : " And you tell me this now 
 for the first time ?" 
 
 "That I don't know," replied Brand. "Pshaw! 
 What does it matter ? Some insignificant beauty, 
 whom he will forget as quickly as he admired her." 
 
 " No, the fancy must go deeper, if he forgot me 
 for it," answered Heloise, proudly. " Never mind ; 
 
The Opposite House. 87 
 
 it 's nothing to me. I no longer care for his love. 
 I want only my revenge." She winked her long 
 lashes rapidly and let her beautiful head sink back 
 on the cushions. A covert glance wandered over 
 her companion's features, but she read nothing save 
 an expression of innocent satisfaction. "Well, 
 what else?" she asked, folding her arms. 
 
 '' As I said before, I have taken the utmost possi- 
 ble trouble," Brand continued, " spun my nets and 
 threads so fine that the worthy fellow could not help 
 being caught in them— shuffled the cards so cleverly, 
 and heaped so much combustible material that he 
 could not help taking fire." 
 
 "And the result of all these efforts ?" she inter- 
 rupted impatiently, in a half-sneering tone. 
 
 " Will come in due time, my worshiped one. You 
 see that I am proceeding in a business-like fashion 
 with my report. Always go slowly. We ought not 
 to expect too much from him at once, or stretch the 
 cords too closely, else they might snap. I shall 
 gradually bring matters to the point which will se- 
 cure your revenge." 
 
 " Excuse one question. Max," said the Chenois, 
 suddenly, in a thoughtful tone. " How does it hap- 
 pen that you are so extremely interested in this 
 matter? It is not only your love for me. You 
 are far too clever to act solely from the dictates of 
 the heart. The brain must also have a large share 
 
88 The Opposite House, 
 
 in it, or your zeal would not go so far. Have you, 
 too, a score to settle with him ?" 
 
 " I ? Oh, not at all ! You interest me, Heloise. 
 I feel an active sympathy in your love affair," he 
 answered, smiling, " and am extremely glad to be 
 of service to you in any way. Gerrald attracted my 
 notice at the gaming table in Wiesbaden. He was 
 a strange gambler. The rest you shall know at the 
 right time, Heloise. For the present be satisfied 
 with the assurance that it is of some importance to 
 me also to have Gerrald pursue his old career. 
 These are purely personal concerns which, in the 
 first place, would not interest you, and of which, for 
 the sake of a friend, I must not speak." 
 
 Heloise turned abruptly away. 
 
 " You are a fiend, Max. In Gerrald's case' you 
 deserve praise, but so far as you and your secrets 
 are concerned, the deepest blame. There ! Now 
 go. The clock has just struck ten, and in spite of 
 your pleasant society I have grown weary. So fare- 
 well, and good luck !" 
 
 With these words she glided past him as nimbly 
 as an eel, and the next instant had vanished through 
 a side^oor, whose key turned in the lock. 
 
 A muttered oath followed her. Brand rose, an- 
 grily drained his glass, then lifted his gloves from 
 the chair and went to her writing-desk. Several 
 bank-notes and a small sum of money in gold lay in 
 
The Opposite House. 89 
 
 a glass dish. He took two of the bills and slipped 
 them into his pocket. 
 
 "■ I Ve borrowed some spending money, Heloise," 
 he called through the keyhole. " I 'm dead broke." 
 
 He received no answer and left the room. 
 
 He was soon standing outside in the storm and 
 darkness. The rain beat into his face, the wind 
 tore at his cloak, and the flickering street-lamp cast 
 his shadow in long black outlines on the wet pave- 
 ment as he glided noiselessly along in the shadow 
 of the houses like a gloomy spectre of the night. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 YELLOWED PAPERS. 
 
 The general's widow, Frau Albertine von Rotters- 
 wyl, was sitting- as usual in her comfortable arm. 
 chair near the window. A piece of sewing lay 
 folded in her work-basket, and her open book 
 seemed to have been angrily pushed aside. Was 
 it the fault of a tiresome chapter, or was there an 
 unusual number of things to be seen in the quiet 
 street? The old lady raised her head again and 
 gazed impatiently down at the uneven pavement. 
 
 The baroness was one of those persons on whom 
 the consciousness of belonging to a noble race is 
 indelibly impressed. 
 
 Tall and slender, nature had given her the bear- 
 ing which, in a parvenu, easily becomes stiff and 
 affected, but invested her with a dignity whose 
 haughty reserve appeared to weave a magic spell 
 that uttered an imperious " Back !" to all who 
 [90] 
 
The Opposite House. 91 
 
 could not submit an escutcheon and coronet to the 
 scrutiny of those cold gray eyes. 
 
 Albertine von Rotterswyl had two stepbrothers. 
 The elder, Verja's husband, sometimes called as he 
 drove by in a light carriage. The younger be- 
 longed to a reg-iment of the Guards in Berlin, and 
 had been her favorite from childhood. Franz von 
 Kartegg was a strikingly handsome man, daring 
 and chivalrous, with velvety dark eyes, about which 
 " whole books might be written," as a young lady 
 had enthusiastically exclaimed. He had gone to the 
 war in 1866, full of life and vigor, to return en- 
 feebled and crippled by wounds. He was obliged 
 to spend the greater portion of the year in Wies- 
 baden, and it was a heart-rending spectacle to see 
 him, helpless as a child, in his rolling-chair. 
 
 Albertine had often cherished the desire to meet 
 him again, but lacked the strength bestowed by the 
 sudden power of " must," to rouse her from the fet- 
 ters of her monotonous life. Now he was near her 
 at Wiesbaden, and the baroness seemed to be plan- 
 ning a visit in earnest. She was slowly turning the 
 pages of a railway-guide, estimating, and at times 
 casting a searching glance into the street. Just at 
 that moment the portiere was drawn aside, and the 
 servant put his gray head into the room. 
 
 " Frau von Kartegg and Doctor Brand !" he an- 
 nounced, and, at a gesture of assent from his mistress, 
 
92 The Opposite House. 
 
 he went back to usher the visitors through the long 
 suite of apartments to the baroness's drawing-room. 
 Frau von Rotterswyl rose slowly and greeted the 
 newcomers with a slight bend of the head, 
 
 " I am glad that Doctor Brand has accompanied 
 you, Verja !" she said curtly, inviting them, by a 
 wave of the hand, to be seated. " I have long de- 
 sired to make your acquaintance, Herr Brand. I 
 noticed you as you rode by." 
 
 The gentleman bowed respectfully. The old 
 lady's singularly abrupt manner somewhat confused 
 him. 
 
 " If I had suspected, baroness, that I should be 
 permitted to call, I would have done myself the 
 honor of paying a visit here earlier. I have had the 
 good fortune of making your daughter's acquaint- 
 ance." 
 
 " I know it," replied the baroness, her keen eyes 
 resting searchingly upon the pallid features of her 
 companion. Then she turned to Verja. " Wouldn't 
 you like to go up to Marie's room ? She would be 
 delighted to have a visit from you." 
 
 The young wife's white brow was contracted by 
 a slight frown. 
 
 " There will be time for that afterward," she said ; 
 " but if you wish — " 
 
 "Yes, I do wish it," repeated Baroness von Rot- 
 terswyl, calmly ; and Verja, rising, left the room. 
 
The Opposite House, 93 
 
 Outside the door she paused, indignantly, to con- 
 sider what she should do. Listen ? No, she was 
 too proud for that, so she must submit. She set 
 her little feet on the floor more heavily than usual, 
 cast a few wrathful glances at the closed door, and 
 then rushed up the stairs, fairly trembling with ex- 
 citement and curiosity. " You will wonder why I 
 sent my sister-in-law away," said Baroness von Rot- 
 terswyl, smiling, secretly amused by the expression 
 of astonishment on Doctor Brand's face ; " but I 
 have something to discuss with you which affects 
 no one except myself, and to which I do not desire 
 to give any publicity. Verja is a lovely woman, but 
 she is gay and talkative." 
 
 Brand moved uneasily in his chair ; the pene- 
 trating expression of her gray eyes embarrassed 
 him. 
 
 " I shall be extremely happy to serve you in any 
 way, baroness. You can rely on my discretion." 
 
 Frau von Rotterswyl's smile was peculiar, and 
 the lines around her mouth and eyes were by no 
 means pleasing. 
 
 " You are a lawyer, and therefore versed in legal 
 affairs?" 
 
 Brand listened intently. 
 
 " I am no longer practicing my profession," he 
 answered, eagerly ; "■ yet I hope I may be able to 
 aid you by my advice." 
 
94 The Opposite House, 
 
 *' Unfortunately, I fear that the case is too old to 
 be opened," the baroness continued, with a cour- 
 teous bow ; " but it is better to do too much than too 
 little." 
 
 She rose and walked slowly through the room. 
 Brand watched her tall figure as she moved with a 
 firm, steady step. 
 
 He, too, had risen, and leaned expectantly on the 
 back of the carved chair, intensely interested, he 
 could not deny ; but, though he seemed extremely 
 calm, the slight quiver of his nostrils, the distrust- 
 ful glance which scanned every surrounding object, 
 revealed the feverish excitement with which he 
 awaited further developments. 
 
 The baroness returned with a few papers ; the 
 green curtain at the casement, stirred by the wind, 
 cast a deep shadow over her features. 
 
 " Here are some papers," she began, in a tone 
 utterly devoid of expression, " written by the stew- 
 ard of the Von A family. The whole drama 
 
 took place on a friend's estate. Apparently the 
 story has very little connection with me, yet it 
 ruined my whole life. The entire affair will seem 
 to you incredible, yet I have proofs — if necessary, 
 witnesses. Read !" 
 
 Brand eagerly seized the package and read the 
 contents, bending far over the table, while the paper 
 rustled strangely in his hands, and by degrees every 
 
The Opposite House. 95 
 
 tinge of color vanished from his face till he grew as 
 pale as death. It was not noticeable, for he was 
 never ruddy, but his lips were almost livid, and the 
 baroness's eyes rested, with a strangely penetrating 
 expression, upon his features as, with her hand rest- 
 ing lightly on the table, she gazed at his bowed 
 head. Suddenly, with a still keener look, she scru- 
 tinized his hair. There were white threads in it, 
 and the roots had a reddish hue — it was dyed! 
 
 Brand did not see the baroness smile. 
 
 " Interesting — an unusually attractive case !" he 
 exclaimed, straightening himself. " Unfortunately, 
 the whole meaning cannot be understood. Perhaps 
 you would have the kindness, madam — " 
 
 "This is the story," the baroness interrupted, 
 almost harshly. " While I was maid of honor at the 
 
 court, I visited at Castle H a friend whom I had 
 
 known from my earliest childhood, both the lady 
 and her brother Lewin. She was a widow, young, 
 rich, beautiful and clever, and had spent the pre- 
 vious winter in Stuttgart, where she formed the ac- 
 quaintance of a young count, who soon became a 
 constant guest at her house, and in the summer ac- 
 companied her to H as her betrothed husband. 
 
 She was infinitely happy, for she loved him." 
 
 Baroness von Rotterswyl paused a moment. 
 
 Brand leaned heavily on the chair. 
 
 " The count was a s wind ler,'' jLhe speaker con- 
 
96 The Opposite House. 
 
 tinued. " One day he disappeared with more than 
 half of Ida's fortune, and Lewin was found dead in 
 the forest." 
 
 " And was no trace of the murderer discovered ?" 
 exclaimed Brand, excitedly. His voice sounded 
 hoarse and unnatural. " How could that be possi- 
 ble, madam ? Did you not denounce him at once?" 
 
 " In vain. Not the faintest clue was ever ob- 
 tained. Count Berndt had disappeared. My friend 
 grieved herself to death. She was attacked by 
 nervous fever and died. Her last words were the 
 name of the man whom she had so ardently loved. 
 It was she who, on her death-bed, forbade any 
 further search." 
 
 "And now, after so many years, would you 
 wish — " asked Doctor Brand, with an incredulous 
 smile. " I think, after so long an interval, the 
 sharper must have effaced every trace." 
 
 " Certainly," replied the baroness, nodding assent. 
 " But look — this account recalled the whole affair to 
 my memory." 
 
 She took a newspaper clipping from the table and 
 handed it to him. Doctor Brand hurriedly seized 
 the scrap and looked at the marked portion. 
 
 " A Remarkably Artful Speculation," was the 
 ■ heading of the article, which described in detail a 
 
 robbery in W , where the swindler had met with 
 
 an exasperating degree of success. Obtaining ad- 
 
The Opposite Hotise. 97 
 
 mittance under a false name to a wealthy family, 
 he had won the affections of a young lady, in 
 order to steal jewels and papers of considerable 
 value. 
 
 " Ah," said Brand, drawing a long breath, " that is 
 certainly singular. The same story I have just read 
 in these documents. You are quite right, baroness, 
 to come forward, too, and renew your accusation. 
 Perhaps the criminal will prove to be one and the 
 same person." 
 
 " That is my idea also," replied Albertine, quietly, 
 her searching eyes scanning Brand's features. " It 
 would be interesting to learn whether justice still 
 exists in the world. I myself believe that my case 
 has long been outlawed, and would not take any 
 steps until I obtained the advice of an expert. My 
 sister-in-law has told me so much of you and your 
 obliging disposition that I thought of applying to 
 you, and hope you will pardon my request." 
 
 " I shall consider myself fortunate to act for you 
 in any way, baroness. Perhaps you wish me to 
 make inquiries at once?" 
 
 " Oh, no," said Baroness von Rotterswyl, " you 
 must take no special trouble on my account ; but if 
 you would simply have the kindness to keep the 
 matter in view, I should be grateful." 
 
 "Certainly, madam." Brand bowed courteously, 
 with his habitual smile. " I shall know how to 
 
98 The Opposite House. 
 
 value your confidence. Should you need me, no 
 matter when or where, I shall always be at your 
 service." 
 
 " I thank you for your kindness, Herr Brand. I 
 see that my sister-in-law has not told me too much 
 of your readiness to oblige. Then, for the present, 
 may I ask you to notice the reports which may ap- 
 pear. As a young man of the world, you can do 
 this far better than an old woman like me in my 
 solitude. Perhaps you will call occasionally to let 
 me know the result. You will always be a welcome 
 guest here." 
 
 Brand raised the slender fingers of the baroness 
 to his lips and courteously thanked her. 
 
 " I shall spend much of my time near you, and 
 await any sign, madam. My friend, Gerrald, has 
 the valuable quality of being your neighbor, so I 
 shall have the best opportunity of frequently pass- 
 ing your door." 
 
 " Do you know Herr Gerrald ?" asked the baron- 
 ess, with marked coldness. " True, I remember 
 that Verja mentioned it ; he is a merchant, isn't 
 he?" The old lady drew herself up to her full 
 height, her lips curled slightly. " He has made 
 himself the subject of considerable gossip, frag- 
 ments of which 1 have heard. With whom does he 
 associate here ?" 
 
 " He is to attend the miisicale given by the minis- 
 
The Opposite House. 99 
 
 ter's wife, day after to-morrow," said Brand, with a 
 somewhat malicious expression. 
 
 " What ?" cried the old lady, starting- up. " At the 
 minister's?" 
 
 Brand bowed assent. 
 
 " Good heavens !" The baroness paused, and 
 pressed her cambric handkerchief to her lips. " I 
 shall be interested in hearing- your account of the 
 young man's appearance there. I suppose you are 
 invited too, doctor?" 
 
 " I shall go with my friend," replied Brand, rising 
 to offer a chair to Frau von Kartegg, who had just 
 entered, " and will bring you a report of every- 
 thing, madam. I hope to please you in both cases." 
 
 Verja and her companion had gone ; but the 
 baroness still stood in the center of the room, with 
 her figure drawn to its full height, and her eyes 
 fixed on the door behind whose porturc his black 
 figure had vanished. There was a peculiar expres- 
 sion in her gray eyes, a look of mingled hate and 
 satisfaction, an almost uncanny sparkle, which 
 threatened to burst at any moment into a blaze. 
 The baroness, drawing a long breath, laid her slen- 
 der hand upon her heart and raised her eyes toward 
 heaven. Then she took the yellow papers and car- 
 ried them back to the secretary, in whose secret 
 drawer lay various mementoes, a withered bough 
 from an oak4ree, crumbling after the lapse of years, 
 
loo The Opposite Hoiise. 
 
 and a small pen-and-ink sketch. The old lady 
 raised it almost reverently and bent low over the 
 faded lines. It represented a very handsome man, 
 haughty and full of life, with slightly waving hair 
 and sparkling eyes. Many a tear seemed to have 
 fallen on the paper ; the name below was scarcely 
 legible — " Lewin." 
 
 Marie entered. The baroness shut the drawer 
 and walked rapidly toward her. 
 
 " My daughter !" The trembling girl had never 
 heard her speak in so gentle a tone. " Do you love 
 me, Marie ?" 
 
 Her mother had never addressed her in such a 
 way before. Scarcely trusting her own ears, the 
 young girl threw herself into her arms. 
 
 " Mamma !" she faltered. " My dear mamma !" 
 
 Then an unprecedented thing happened — the 
 baroness bent toward the rosy little face and im- 
 printed a kiss upon the beautiful brow, tenderly 
 stroked the fair hair, and said : 
 
 " Be very joyous to-day, my little Marie ; laugh 
 and sing and be happy. It is a great festival for 
 your mother !" 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 TABLEAUX. 
 
 The room at the right of the wide hall had been 
 fitted lip by her excellency, the ambassadress, as a 
 stage. The broad folding-doors were removed, and 
 in their place hung a purple curtain. Cloth dra- 
 peries of the same hue covered the walls on both 
 sides, shining with a subdued glow in the light of 
 the countless gas-jets. The rays flashed from chan- 
 deliers and candelabra, and were reflected a thou- 
 sand-fold in the bronze-framed mirrors. The long 
 suite of apartments was also radiant with light as 
 far as the richly furnished dining-room and the 
 corridors, which skillful hands had converted into 
 veritable arcades of blossoms. Fragrant flowering 
 plants filled the niches and corners, laurel and 
 oleander in graceful groups surrounded the white 
 marble statues, and delicate vines were twined 
 around the pillars of the ball-room and drawn in 
 garlands to the ceiling. 
 
 [lOl] 
 
I02 The Opposite House. 
 
 Silken trains were already rustling over the floor, 
 glittering uniforms mingled with the elegant cos- 
 tumes of the ladies ; the stars and ribbons of vari- 
 ous orders vying with the sparkle of the diamonds 
 and pearls which this evening adorned fair necks 
 even more lavishly than usual. 
 
 The band, concealed behind tall groups of plants, 
 was already beginning to play, and the hostess, a 
 stately woman in a very effective costume, was pass- 
 ing through the groups of guests, with a pleasant 
 word for each. Now she hastened to the first row 
 of arm-chairs, directly in front of the stage, placed 
 for the older guests, seated herself beside one of 
 the ladies, and soon became engaged in an animated 
 conversation. The person thus distinguished had 
 chosen a somewhat isolated seat. Her tall, erect 
 figure was attired in black moire antique, and her 
 jewels were magnificent pearls. The old Baroness 
 von Rotterswyl was a rare guest, and her appear- 
 ance in her excellency's drawing-room had awak- 
 ened the utmost astonishment. People could not 
 understand it, and made one conjecture after 
 another to account for the remarkable event. 
 
 The curtain was drawn slightly aside, and a head 
 covered with dark curls appeared before the brilliant 
 throng. Then it vanished, and a slender figure the 
 next instant bowed before her excellencv. 
 
 "Welcome, my dear Frau von Kartepg-," ex- 
 
The Opposite House. 103 
 
 claimed the hostess, with a rapid glance of admira- 
 tion at the young matron. " I am delighted to see 
 you here. There are doubtless many crinkles to be 
 smoothed behind the curtain." 
 
 " Everything is going on admirably, your excel- 
 lency," replied the Russian, gayly. " Our perform- 
 ers are all here, and we only await the arrival of the 
 principal guests to begin." 
 
 " The duchess will be punctual," said the hostess, 
 with winning cordiality. " The poor little stage- 
 manager has a great deal of responsibility on her 
 beautiful shoulders this evening, and were it not 
 for our Verja, who regulates everything, I should 
 almost be anxious." 
 
 Nodding cordially, she left the young wife to sev- 
 eral gentlemen who wished to offer their homage, 
 and also their dancing cards, at Frau von Kartegg's 
 feet. 
 
 " There is a spark under all the ashes," whispered 
 Brand, with a long glance at the baroness. He and 
 Gerrald had obtained a corner near the stage. 
 " That woman has marvelous taste in dress. I be- 
 lieve if she were gowned in gray sackcloth she 
 would still outshine all her gayly clad sisters." 
 
 Traugott's eyes rested admiringly upon the grace- 
 ful figure standing in the center of the hall under 
 the full blaze of the chandelier. Several gentlemen 
 surrounded her, as shadows hover about light, and 
 
I04 The Opposite House. 
 
 the charming woman had for each a jest or clever 
 remark mischievously spoken. 
 
 A satin gown of the brightest golden yellow fitted 
 her slender figure closely, and fell in shining folds 
 in along train, over which gold-colored crape floated 
 like rising clouds, caught here and there by glowing 
 scarlet flowers, diffusing a heavy fragrance, or a 
 glittering cluster of feathers which, against the 
 golden background, looked like tongues of flame. 
 Her dark hair curled gracefully around her fore- 
 head, below the diadem, of which no princess need 
 have been ashamed ; locks of shining dark hair fell 
 low on her neck, interwoven with sprays of scarlet 
 flowers. 
 
 Verja dropped her fan and turned her beautiful 
 head. Her gaze wandered around the room, to rest 
 at last with a look of satisfaction on Gerrald's tall 
 figure. With a gracious farewell to the group of 
 attendant cavaliers, she stood the next instant be- 
 fore the tall, fair-haired man, who bowed low and 
 deferentially to the radiant vision. 
 
 " Why are you so apart from the rest?" she whis- 
 pered, with sparkling eyes, permitting her prote'g^, 
 Brand, to raise her slender hand to his lips. " You 
 seem to have arrived late. Have you been presented, 
 or met any acquaintances ?" 
 
 "We have paid our respects to her excellency," 
 replied Traugott, in a somewhat unsteady voice, his 
 
The Opposite House. 105 
 
 eyes wandering to the group of young ladies. " Un- 
 fortunately, I have not yet had an opportunity to 
 approach the ladies. I suppose Fraulein von Rot- 
 terswyl is not in the room ?" 
 
 Verja smiled. 
 
 " She has vanished behind the scenes. But tell 
 me, Herr Gerrald — you look unusually pale to-night 
 — do you want to make yourself interesting, and 
 work mischief with those melancholy eyes ?" 
 
 She shook her finger mischievously at him. 
 
 Gerrald really did look weary and haggard ; his 
 eyes seemed more deeply set than usual, and a 
 shadow rested on his brow. 
 
 " I have had a great deal to do, baroness," he 
 answered, forcing a smile. " I attend to every de- 
 tail myself." 
 
 " Even cut my own coupons," added Brand, in a 
 jesting tone. " It 's hard work !" 
 
 "You have a provoking tongue, my worthy sir," 
 retorted the Russian, laughing. " I can easily 
 imagine that you would be Herr Gerrald's right- 
 hand man in such matters. By the way, have you 
 been presented to Frau von Rotterswyl ?" 
 
 Traugott started. 
 
 " Oh, no !" he stammered in embarrassment. " I 
 don't even know whether I can venture — " 
 
 "Certainly you can," replied Verja, nodding- 
 pleasantly. " I will present you myself." 
 
io6 The Opposite House. 
 
 "And I ?" asked Brand, with languishing eyes. 
 
 " If you behave prettily, we '11 take you, too," re- 
 plied Verja, gayly, turning hastily toward the door. 
 " Ah, here are our sovereigns. Farewell, gentlemen. 
 There is old Prince George, too. An revoir f' As 
 she spoke she glided swiftly through the crowd 
 and vanished behind the curtain, 
 
 Traugott leaned against the pedestal of a Cupid 
 taking aim, and pressed his hand upon his heart. 
 The tempest raging in his soul filled him with em- 
 barrassment. He compelled himself to turn his 
 mind to other thoughts. His eyes, unconsciously, 
 wandered over the sea of heads to rest upon the 
 figure of the duchess. Gerrald had seen her almost 
 daily in the street, and was familiar with her feat- 
 ures ; yet, this evening she did not look the 
 same. Her fair hair was very becoming to her 
 fresh complexion, and her sea - green silk had 
 been chosen to suit the Southern tint of her com- 
 plexion. Prince George stood by her side, greeting 
 the hostess in his usual cordial manner, while 
 Baron von Kartegg, the hereditary prince's adju- 
 tant, had respectfully taken the old gentleman's 
 tea-cup to carry it to the chair reserved for his 
 royal highness. By degrees the movement ceased, 
 the seats were filled, and all eyes rested upon the 
 curtain, which must rise the next instant. 
 
 A bell rang. The hall was still as death. The 
 
The Opposite Hoiise. 107 
 
 musicians softly began the air: " A Wanderer with 
 Staff in Hand." 
 
 The curtain rolled up, and a low murmur of satis- 
 faction ran through the audience. The lights had 
 been turned down, and, amid the darkness, glowed 
 the bright tableau of the wanderer in the arms of 
 his gray-haired mother. 
 
 Loud applause rewarded the artists. Again the 
 curtain rose, revealing a lonely, dusky convent 
 garden, at whose right was a carved image of the 
 Madonna, while, amid the many vines, knelt a pallid 
 woman in the garb and veil of a nun. 
 
 " How beautiful the little English girl looks !" 
 ran through the ranks of the spectators in a whisper. 
 " She just suits the tableau." 
 
 Thus picture followed picture. A scene from the 
 " Meistersinger " How superbly Herr von Esen 
 personated Hans Sachs, and what a charming little 
 Eva Bertha von Lenk made ! Undine rose from the 
 cool waves ; Mignon alternately bewailed her sor- 
 rows and rattled her tambourine, and flames cast 
 their vivid glare upon the picturesque camp of the 
 gypsies. The tableaux swiftly succeeded one an- 
 other, with constant variety. 
 
 Suddenly a servant moved rapidly through the 
 crowd and requested Doctor Brand and his com- 
 panion to follow him. Traugott thought that there 
 must be some mistake ; but there was no time for 
 
io8 The Opposite House. 
 
 questions, and he silently obeyed. He was con- 
 ducted through an ante-chamber to the stage, where 
 Verja stood in an attitude of despair. 
 
 "Ah, there you are, Herr Gerrald !" she eagerly 
 exclaimed, hastening toward him. " You savior in 
 time of need ! Just think — we have no Faust ! I 
 am frantic — fairly frantic !" 
 
 She pressed her hands wildly upon her throbbing 
 temples. 
 
 Gerrald gazed at her in astonishment. He did 
 not yet fully understand. 
 
 " Count Launers has left us in the lurch in the 
 most inconsiderate manner," the Russian con- 
 tinued, excitedly. " He disappeared ten minutes 
 ago, leaving this note. There, what good can that 
 do me ? And even if his friend lay at the point of 
 death ten times over, half an hour — " 
 
 " Would not have permitted him to see him alive," 
 interrupted Herr von Sallich, gravely. " Launers 
 was obliged to leave at once — " 
 
 " And our Fmist f cried Verja, almost angrily. 
 
 " I hope Herr Gerrald will supply his place," said 
 some one soothingly. 
 
 " Our tallest gentlemen have already tried on the 
 costume, and it hung round them like a bag !" Verja 
 went on, dejectedly. " You are our only hope, Herr 
 Gerrald. Your figure is similar to the count's, and 
 your appearance, too, would suit the character. 
 
The Opposite House. 109 
 
 Pray have the kindness to help ns out of our 
 dilemma." 
 
 Traugott bowed, flushing to the very roots of his 
 fair hair. 
 
 '' If Fraulein von Rotterswyl is satisfied with the 
 exchange, madam, I can only consider it a special 
 honor to fill Count Launers's place. If you need 
 me, I am entirely at your disposal." 
 
 " Then you will do it !" cried Verja, joyously, 
 holding out both hands to him. " A thousand 
 thanks in advance ! Baron Sallich, please take Herr 
 Gerrald to the gentlemen's dressing-room," she 
 called to a young officer. " I have no more time 
 now — not a moment, my dear Herr Gerrald," she 
 added in her usual jesting tone, " but I shall hold 
 my breath till the trial is over." 
 
 Traugott hastily followed his guide, who speedily 
 obtained the Faust costume, and the gentlemen 
 pressed forward eagerly to watch the young man as 
 he began to put on the dress. 
 
 When he returned to the stage many an eye fol- 
 lowed with admiring glances the haughty, erect fig- 
 ure which wore the black velvet doublet with almost 
 royal dignity. Even Verja was surprised, and 
 watched the tall form with an expression of delight. 
 
 True, Gerrald made a somewhat juvenile Faust, 
 but his assumption of the character could not fail to 
 interest by its originality. 
 
no The Opposite House. 
 
 " Splendid — splendid !" she cried. " We shall all 
 fall in love with you, Herr Gerrald !" And again 
 her eyes wandered over the handsome man from 
 head to foot. " The costume fits as though it had 
 been molded on you. Now I '11 see if my Gretchen 
 is ready. Here, look at the picture, meanwhile. 
 That is your pose." 
 
 She vanished behind the scenes. 
 
 Gerrald stood with a throbbing heart, gazing at 
 the picture in his hand. vSo she would cling to him 
 in that way ? He was to put his arm around her. 
 
 Closing the book, he paced hastily up and down 
 the narrow space ; the murmur of voices reached 
 him from the hall, sometimes deadened by the 
 music, sometimes rising above the softer passages ; 
 there was a pause in the tableaux. 
 
 Traugott was becoming more and more excited 
 by the thought of everything awaiting him. He 
 scarcely dared to believe that it was his own image 
 reflected in the mirror, and that he stood awaiting 
 the girl who, to him, was earth's rarest jewel. He 
 moved nearer to the glass, threw the heavy cloak 
 across his shoulder, pressed the cap with its floating 
 plume lower on his brow and moved it up and down 
 a little, then resumed his pacing to and fro, but 
 more slowly, as though, by this monotonous motion, 
 he hoped to soothe the tumultuous emotion which 
 made his heart throb almost to bursting'. 
 
The Opposite House. 1 1 1 
 
 Then the curtain was drawn back, and Verja 
 pushed Grctchen upon the stage. 
 
 " There are a few minutes yet. I '11 come pres- 
 ently and arrange the tableau. Refreshments are 
 being served to the audience." 
 
 Then she vanished, and the young girl stood alone 
 before Traugott, confused and blushing. Gerrald 
 involuntarily advanced a step toward her as she 
 timidly raised her blue eyes to gaze in silent 
 astonishment at the striking beauty of his appear- 
 ance. 
 
 " Aunt Verja told me that you would take Count 
 Launers's place, Herr Gerrald. I thank you for the 
 kindness." 
 
 She uttered the few words timidly, almost in a 
 whisper, and scarcely ventured to meet his radiant 
 eyes. 
 
 "The kindness is to me, baroness," he answered, 
 hastily. " Accept my heartfelt thanks. I can 
 scarcely believe this sudden good fortune — cannot 
 yet grasp the thought which seemed so unattain- 
 able and was so suddenly realized ! Forgive me if 
 I perhaps advance to your side too boldly — obey 
 your aunt's summons too willingly !" 
 
 Marie looked up, smiling and happy. 
 
 At last the stage was set for Martha s garden. 
 
 " Isn't Doctor Brand ready yet ?" Verja called 
 back. 
 
112 The Opposite House. 
 
 " Brand ? Is he to appear in the tableau, too ?" 
 asked Gerrald, in surprise. 
 
 " Oh, I forgot — it was to be a surprise to you also. 
 Of course. Brand is our Mephistopheles. Ah, there 
 comes Martha .'" 
 
 Gerrald turned, a hand was laid heavily on his 
 shoulder, and, almost startling in its disagreeable 
 resemblance, Mephistopheles laughed in his face. 
 
 " Capital !" said Verja, approvingly. " You are 
 enough to frighten us. Go into the background at 
 once. Do you see this picture ? That 's your posi- 
 tion in promenading with Martha. Herr Gerrald 
 and Marie, come here, please ; close to the front." 
 
 It was not difficult to group the handsome couple 
 advantageously. Gerrald could easily fix an admir- 
 ing glance upon Marie's face ; clasp her slender fig- 
 ure tenderly. True, he scarcely ventured to touch 
 her, and the first time Verja was obliged to say : 
 " Don't be too stiff, Herr Gerrald." The second at- 
 tempt was much better. 
 
 At last everything was ready. Gretcheti, with 
 face averted, counted the white petals of the daisy. 
 Mephistopheles and his companion were in the back- 
 ground. 
 
 The curtain slowly rose, a soft melody from 
 " Faust " greeted the exquisite picture. There was 
 no other sound in the hall ; the audience scarcely 
 ventured to breathe. Gretchen trembled in the 
 
The Opposite House. 113 
 
 embrace of the handsome man. She dared not 
 raise her dark lashes, and fancied he must hear the 
 rapid beating of her heart, which threatened to 
 stifle her. The folds of purple cloth fell, a death- 
 like silence still reigned, broken by thunders of ap. 
 plause, shouts of encore — till the enraptured audi- 
 ence again beheld the tableau, which was the 
 masterpiece of the entertainment. 
 
 Marie involuntarily leaned closer to the handsome 
 man ; her eyes questioned the white petals a 
 second time. " He loves me — loves me not — loves 
 me not." 
 
 Gerrald looked marvelously well. The noble 
 head, with its regular profile, seemed chiseled from 
 stone ; the haughty features were motionless, and, 
 as he took his position the second time, the cap had 
 slipped back and his thick fair hair fell low over his 
 white brow — the accident enhanced the beauty of 
 the tableau. 
 
 "Who is it? Who are they?" was asked on all 
 sides. A tumult of voices rose, and, like a cry of 
 victory, the names " Rotterswyl," " Gerrald " echoed 
 through the hall. 
 
 Two eyes alone rested with a fixed, lustreless 
 gaze upon the beautiful picture, two hands were 
 convulsively clinched in rage among the folds of 
 black moire antique. They were the hands of the 
 widowed Baroness von Rotterswyl. A sudden tern- 
 
114 The Opposite House. 
 
 pest of wrath raged in her soul, her wounded pride 
 rebelled against the name which blended with hers 
 as if it were a matter of course, yet which ought to 
 remain for ever as alien as the fire which is 
 quenched when it meets with water. 
 
 Meanwhile the curtain, in response to the in- 
 sistent applause, rose for the third time. Faust 
 clasped his Grctchen proudly in his embrace, and, 
 as the curtain slowly fell, he whispered, softly : 
 
 " What did the flower say, baroness ?" 
 
 Marie, with quivering lips, silently shook her 
 head ; but his glance met eyes which, with divine 
 innocence, confessed : " I love you." 
 
 No one noticed it save one diabolical face peering 
 through the branches of an oleander, above which 
 nodded the cock's plumes in a pointed hat — Meph- 
 istopheles ! 
 
 One mild spring evening in Wiesbaden two men 
 met each other in the Kurhaus grounds and ex- 
 changed cordial greetings. 
 
 " Now tell your story, brother of my heart," said 
 one. " By all the imps of the nether world. Brand, 
 you are a marvelously clever fellow, and if I did not 
 feel your warm hand in my fingers, I might believe 
 that you were the Old Nick in person ! Pardon the 
 compliment, it 's meant in all kindness. So you are 
 
The Opposite House. 1 1 5 
 
 here ! Zounds, it has been quickly done ! And 
 Gerrald, too, I hope, with the bank bills." 
 
 '' If you would lower your tones one-half, I could 
 hear just as well," replied Doctor Brand, with a 
 shade of indignation. " Remember that we are not 
 alone." His eyes wandered over the open space 
 behind the Kurhaus, between whose pillars the 
 guests were moving to and fro ; then, thrusting his 
 arm through his companion's, he led him into the 
 shaded grounds. " Of course I have him here ; the 
 whole clan, in fact," he went on, in a lowered tone. 
 " But what does that avail ? Many a drop of water 
 will flow down the Rhine before we get him to the 
 gaming-table ; the fellow is more obstinate than 
 ever. The virtuous baroness abhors gamblers, and 
 I fear that will be enough to make the lover refuse 
 to touch a rake again. Deuce take the whole fem- 
 inine sex !" 
 
 "That would be a pity," said his companion, 
 " v'hen we don't bow under her gentle yoke — " 
 
 " I hope. Otto, you will be fireproof," interrupted 
 Brand, with a hasty side-glance. " Pshaw, I know 
 you love the fragrance of flowers — everybody to his 
 taste — but I think our night-moth doesn't stick 
 long." 
 
 Herr Wikke paused, and relieved his feelings by 
 a tolerably loud laugh. 
 
 " You seem to have turned hypochondriac in 
 
1 1 6 The Opposite House. 
 
 D , Hans," he cried, slapping his friend on the 
 
 shoulder. " I think such an idea would be rather 
 insulting to a fellow of my profession. And what 
 is to become of our plans ? They are nearer to my 
 heart than the whole fair sex." He stroked his red 
 mustache as he spoke, and his little, twinkling eyes 
 wandered over the open portion of the grounds. 
 " I have but one sweetheart in this world — gold — 
 gold with its shining little face. It 's the fortune of 
 war. One person cuts another's throat, and I be- 
 lieve everybody will soon pray : ' The Lord pre- 
 serve us from our friends.' Gerrald is still intimate 
 with you?" 
 
 Doctor Brand quietly twisted his glossy mustache. 
 
 " It would be better to put it the other way. I 
 have honored him with little of my confidence, and 
 when I have enjoined secrecy, the tales I told him 
 usually existed only in my imagination. I have im- 
 parted various harmless matters, spoken earnestly 
 and penitently of former youthful errors, and wasted 
 many words where I desired to use but few ; life 
 only too frequently hinges upon trifles. Hitherto I 
 have had brilliant success ; how matters will con- 
 tinue^ — we shall see !" 
 
 " Brains like yours, Max, devise ways and means 
 daily," said his companion, nodding thoughtfully. 
 " Since you have been successful thus far, we shall 
 finally car 'y our point. How is the little Chenois?" 
 
The Opposite House. 117 
 
 " I didn't find her at home the last time I called, 
 but sent her a farewell note," replied Brand, ab- 
 sently switching the dusty leaves from the bough 
 with his cane. " It wouldn't be a bad thing for us 
 to have the pretty Heloise here. True, she can't 
 help much, but she has often suggested clever ideas, 
 and, which is the main thing, she would be a prize 
 for our table. Her jewels are not to be despised. 
 True, she has no vacation now — it 's the wrong time. 
 But at all events I '11 write to her. Who knows ? 
 Heloise is a little witch. She has accomplished far 
 more than a few weeks' leave of absence." 
 
 " But our venture — what of that ? It 's infamous 
 that we are compelled to change places." 
 
 " Everything is ready," whispered the other mys- 
 teriously. " We have found two capital rooms in 
 the second story of a house in G Street. They are 
 in the rear, look out into a secluded garden, andhave 
 two ways of egress. The lower floor is occupied by 
 a small restaurant, whose landlord has joined us. 
 The man is an old acquaintance of Luckardt, and 
 we can trust him implicitly. 
 
 " Whenever you have time, call for me. I '11 take 
 you there. Luckardt will get a new folding rou- 
 lette table. I '11 obtain the three broken rakes from 
 Frankfort. That 's all that is necessary. Have you 
 talked with Luckardt ?" 
 
 " Not yet," replied Brand. " I have been here 
 
1 1 8 The Opposite House. 
 
 scarcely forty-eight hours, and this is the second 
 time I have left the house. So we are now to carry 
 on the business upon a somewhat grander scale." 
 
 " At any rate we must first whet Gerrald's appe- 
 tite at the Kurhaus. Then he will afterward prefer 
 to play secretly on account of the baroness, and, 
 when the lion has once tasted blood, I should like 
 to see the magician who can restrain a passion like 
 that of the handsome Prince of the Mills ! Ha ! 
 ha! ha!" 
 
 " And are you still of the opinion that we must 
 sail westward ?" 
 
 " When we have enough — unquestionably," re- 
 plied Brand, with an unpleasant degree of confi- 
 dence. " Do you imagine I will remain here longer 
 under the noses of the police ?" 
 
 "And Heloise, what will become of her?" asked 
 Wikke, with a sensation of some slight discomfort. 
 
 " Heloise ? She '11 soon dance the lost ducats to- 
 gether. A few evenings, a new admirer, and her 
 gems will be replaced. She is my least anxiety. 
 She is pretty, clever, and can also be very enter- 
 taining. Besides, in case of necessity she will 
 make some wealthy suitor happy with her 
 hand," 
 
 Wikke made no reply. Both turned into the 
 nearest side-path. Before them lay the little lake, 
 whose mirror-like surface extended in the rear of 
 
The Opposite House. 119 
 
 the Kurhaus. Brand followed it with a certain ap- 
 pearance of haste. 
 
 The trees on the shore hung their leafy boughs 
 low over the water, and at the left two small islands 
 rose abruptly from the surface, one densely wooded, 
 and washed by the waves, the larger one connected 
 with the shore by a bridge. Dainty gondolas, with 
 gay streamers and canopies, moved to and fro over 
 the rippling waves, pausing ever and anon in a 
 shaded cove, or, steered by a lady's hand, floating 
 in the center of the lake. 
 
 It was indeed an animated scene as the sun shone 
 so brightly down upon it, casting golden spots upon 
 the white plumage of the swans ; countless ducklings 
 and coots were gathered on the shore, diving, swim- 
 ming, and trustfully emerging on the velvet turf 
 whenever some child's generous hand scattered 
 crumbs of bread. 
 
 Two ladies, both tall and slender, whose figures 
 bore a marked resemblance to each other, were 
 sjtanding beside the railing opposite the Kurhaus. 
 
 Doctor Brand involuntarily stopped and pressed 
 his companion's arm more closely. 
 
 " The Von Rotterswyls !" he whispered hastily. 
 " Good heavens, that 's the last thing I expected. 
 Come, Wikke, turn down this path. I' 11 go home 
 with you another time ; you see that I must speak 
 to the ladies — it is necessary to keep on good terms ! 
 
I20 The Opposite House. 
 
 I can't introduce you ; neither your name nor your 
 looks are suitable to present to such eyes. Addio ! 
 I '11 look you up to-morrow." Then he hastened 
 on, and in a few minutes was standing before 
 Baroness von Rotterswyl, who welcomed him with 
 evident pleasure. 
 
 Wikke shaded his eyes a moment with his hand, 
 and gazed in the direction of the group, then turned 
 obediently and strolled leisurely through the leafy 
 avenue of Wilhelmstrasse. 
 
 Otto Wikke was one of those persons whom we 
 meet by hundreds at the present day — a broken- 
 down genius, whose talents, under better guidance, 
 even if they had won no distinguished place, would 
 have secured their possessor a position in which he 
 might have been useful to society. He had been 
 educated, but on account of a debt of honor was 
 compelled to leave the university, and thus had 
 ruined his life. 
 
 So he came by accident to Wiesbaden. He had 
 two florins in his pocket — whence obtained he had 
 long ceased to ask. But he went to the green 
 table, staked them, and won four in exchange. 
 Again he staked and won. He continued to play, 
 still winning, and whether Dame Fortune had in- 
 vested the two dirty coins with some sweet spell 
 or Samiel had held them fast on rouge, Wikke won 
 more than two hundred florins. 
 
The Opposite Hottse. 121 
 
 The passion of gambling seized his very soul. 
 His eyes dilated at the sight of the sum of money 
 constantly growing under his hands ; he gathered 
 the clinking coins with greedy fingers ; his insa- 
 tiate eyes, glittering with excitement, rested on the 
 luck-giving rouge. 
 
 Just at that moment a hand, heavy and cold, was 
 laid on his shoulder. 
 
 " Stop !" a voice hissed into his ear, and a pair of 
 fiendish eyes glared down at him. "The luck is 
 changing." 
 
 Wikke started, and gazed with an almost idiotic 
 expression into the face, ghostlike in its pallor, of 
 this monitor, then almost mechanically drew back 
 his money and arose. 
 
 " Come with me !" whispered the stranger, smil- 
 ing pleasantly. " You are a favorite of fortune. I 
 congratulate you, but you are gambling for the first 
 time — far too eagerly, and that will lead to no good 
 end." So he took Wikke away to a room where 
 champagne was sparkling, and a well - furnished 
 table offered an inviting supper. Then Wikke, 
 with a giddy brain, went up to his miserable attic 
 room. He had found a new career, a future which 
 unrolled itself in the most radiant hues, and a friend, 
 who called himself Doctor Brand. 
 
 So he had remained in Wiesbaden, daily took his 
 place at the green table, and sank from step to step, 
 
122 
 
 The Opposite House. 
 
 till he at last stood at the sharp turn from which 
 there are only two paths. Either the way leads to 
 that dark portal whose iron grating closes behind 
 the criminal for life or it ends at the gulf whose 
 farther shore is called " America," a gulf so wide 
 that ninety-nine out of every hundred sink ere 
 they set foot on the land. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 ON THE SPOT. 
 
 The train was rushing through the scorching 
 sunshine, two shining rows of rails glittered under 
 the wheels and vanished in serpentine curves 
 among the dry mounds of sand. Here and there a 
 solitary fir tree or a clump of brown junipers stood 
 beside the road ; with that exception the whole 
 region was desolate. Beyond Frankfort the scene 
 changed. The blue outlines of mountains rose 
 against the sky, the waves of the broad Main and 
 Rhine glittered, and dark pine woods cast their 
 pointed shadows on the yellow sand. 
 
 Heloise had left D suddenly, ostensibly for a 
 
 month. She had complained recently of pains in 
 her limbs, said that she positively could not dance 
 any more, and the physician had willingly given 
 her a certificate which at once secured leave of ab- 
 sence from the court stage. 
 
 She was now travelling directly to Wiesbaden, 
 and, in her en7iui, wondering what she should find 
 
 [123] 
 
124 ^^^ opposite House. 
 
 there to amuse her. She did not wish to gamble. 
 
 There was only one lady in the carriage — an ele- 
 gant, aristocratic woman, with sparkling eyes and a 
 Southern complexion. Her leather bag had the 
 initials " V. von K.," surmounted by a coronet. 
 Heloise recognized her as the admired darling of 
 
 D society. She herself had often peeped 
 
 through the curtain concealins: the stage and envied 
 the beautiful Madam von Kartegg her seat beside 
 the princess. She knew that Brand and Gerrald 
 visited her, and she determined not to leave this op- 
 portunity of making her acquaintance unused. A 
 Frenchwoman possesses natural grace of manner, 
 and when Heloise chose, and did not lapse into her 
 off-hand air, she could vie with any fashionable 
 dame. 
 
 " Pardon me, madam, but does the closed win- 
 dow annoy you ?" she began, in perfect French. 
 " The carriage is so terribly close, it would be bet- 
 ter to open it." 
 
 Verja, too, was weary of solitude ; she spoke 
 French well, liked to use the language, and was 
 glad to find entertainment. Conversation followed. 
 
 The dancer had opened the window, and then re- 
 sumed her seat, smoothing the folds of her rustling 
 silk. She looked extremely pretty under the thin 
 gauze veil. 
 
 " Where are you going ?" asked Frau von Kar- 
 
The Opposite House. 125 
 
 tegg-, in a tone of interest. " But, of course, it must 
 be to the springs. Who would pass them at this 
 season ?" 
 
 " To be sure, madam," replied the Parisian, 
 smiling pleasantly. " I expect to use the waters at 
 Wiesbaden and, to be frank, anticipate much pleas- 
 ure from the change. Nothing is so detestable to 
 me as ennui.'' 
 
 This touched the most responsive chord in Ver ja's 
 soul. She eagerly assented, and they were soon 
 chatting as gayly as old acquaintances. 
 
 The young matron felt singularly attracted by the 
 unusually piquant manner of her companion. Her 
 conversation was light and amusing — a swift play 
 upon words, such as only Frenchwomen can man- 
 age, who use many thousand words without really 
 saying much, laugh and jest, 3'et never bore one with 
 the light froth of their talk. 
 
 Verja was pondering. Where had she seen those 
 mischievous eyes? Where had the saucy little 
 nose, with its delicate arch, charmed her? And 
 where had those scarlet lips, that bright little sou- 
 brette face, attracted her attention ? She knew that 
 she had seen them somewhere. 
 
 " It is possible that wc may meet in Wiesbaden." 
 she said, kindly, " and in that case I shou.ld like to 
 know what name to give you, frdulein. Shall we 
 exchange cards?" 
 
1 26 The Opposite House. 
 
 She held out a dainty bit of pasteboard. 
 
 " ' Verja, Baroness von Kartegg,' " Heloise read ; 
 then turned to the Russian, with a winning air of 
 surprise. " A very familiar name to me, baroness. 
 Who has not heard of the star of our drawing- 
 rooms ? It is accident, not presumption, which led 
 me to make your acquaintance. I am Heloise 
 Chenois." 
 
 Like a flash of lightning Verja's memory returned. 
 She now knew where the little face had bewitched 
 her. Satanclla ! Pride and curiosity struggled for 
 an instant in her heart, but the latter conquered. 
 
 '* Mademoiselle Chenois ?" she exclaimed, in a 
 jesting tone. " And you did not tell me so long 
 ago, but quietly let me grope about in the darkness, 
 when the light was so close at hand, you artiste par 
 excellence ? I am extremely glad to make your ac- 
 quaintance, frdiileinr 
 
 Verja's enthusiastic temperament instantly kin- 
 dled into eager admiration of this entertaining com- 
 panion. How much she had heard of this woman ! 
 The romantic episode with Gerrald was enough to 
 awaken a desire to know its heroine. She would 
 have been glad to question Heloise about him and 
 request an explanation of many things, but the fear 
 ofbeingindisereetrestrainedher. And Brand? What 
 had he not told her concerning the endless variety 
 of Heloise's whims and caprices ? 
 
The Opposite House. 127 
 
 So those were the lips Gerrald had ardently 
 kissed ; those were the glowing eyes which gave the 
 sentence of life and death ; that was the bewitching 
 smile which turned the heads of men ! And this 
 dainty, elegant creature in silk and lace was the 
 leading ballet dancer, the queen of the stage, the 
 sovereign of the day, and — the deserted lady-love 
 of the handsome Prince of the Mill ! Was it not in- 
 teresting? Verja could not weary of asking ques- 
 tions about the romantic side of the mimic life be- 
 hind the footlights. Her new acquaintance under- 
 stood how to describe it entertainingly. 
 
 An hour in a railway carriage often makes people 
 better acquainted than a year of formal social inter- 
 course ; and the mutual interest felt by these two 
 vivacious women was very great. 
 
 A shrill whistle interrupted their conversation. 
 Verja seized her sunshade and straightened the 
 little straw hat resting on her waving hair. The 
 Frenchwoman buttoned her light-gray gloves and 
 looked out of the window. 
 
 " Wiesbaden !" she nodded. " How quickly the 
 time has passed !" 
 
 A noisy throng was surging to and fro upon the 
 platform. 
 
 " Marie !" called Verja from the carriage, and the 
 young girl rushed to the door, exclaiming with de- 
 
128 The Opposite House. 
 
 " Have you arrived at last, dearest aunt !" 
 
 "It is fortunate, child, that you have come to re- 
 ceive a poor grass-widow with military assistance," 
 said Verja, laughing and giving her a tender em- 
 brace. " So much the better. Now I shall have 
 courage to make my way through this human del- 
 uge. Adieu, mademoiselle. I hope we shall meet 
 again," Verja called back, and the next instant van- 
 ished in the throng. 
 
 " Who is that lady ?" asked Marie. " She is 
 very pretty." 
 
 " Mademoiselle Chenois," said A'erja, hurriedly. 
 
 Heloise also sprang from the carriage. It was 
 some time before the trunks could be found, and 
 she was so impatient to get away. At last she was 
 seated in the carriage, rolling down sunny Wilhelm- 
 strasse. 
 
 The Kurhaus gleamed in the distance. There 
 were the gaming-tables. There she would see Ger- 
 rald again. 
 
 " Good luck," she murmured, laughing. " Now let 
 the drama begin. I shall be on the spot." 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 A CRISIS. 
 
 A motley throng crowded the halls of the Kurhaus 
 in Wiesbaden ; gay melodies, in whose alluring 
 waltz-measures the very heart and soul melted, 
 were heard. A full-dress ball was being given in 
 there. 
 
 A large party of acquaintances had just returned 
 from a promenade through the illuminated garden. 
 The merry group assembled in a side-hall to consult 
 what should next be done. 
 
 " Suppose," said Doctor Brand, "that we walk 
 through the gaming-halls as swiftly as fate and as 
 noiselessly as the wind, and watch the players at 
 trente et quarante ? We shall risk neither colds 
 nor baths, and not stray too far from the fountain 
 of champagne." 
 
 ** Bravo, so we will !" answered several laughing 
 
 f»9j 
 
130 The Opposite House. 
 
 voices. A young officer offered Verja his arm and 
 moved toward the gaming-halls. 
 
 "I shall not join the party," said Gerrald, with a 
 clouded brow. " Go with Fraulein von Rotterswyl, 
 Brand !" 
 
 " Don't make yourself ridiculous," the latter 
 hissed into his ear. " Do you want to waken old 
 memories and gossip by such extraordinary con- 
 duct ? People will ask, ' Why doesn't he come ?' 
 and receive the answer : ' He distrusts himself !' " 
 
 This had its effect. Gerrald bit his lips and 
 offered Marie his arm. A tempest was raging in 
 his soul, and the young girl noticed his agitation. 
 
 " Shall we stay behind ?" she asked softly. 
 
 A deep flush crimsoned his face, and he raised his 
 fair head proudly. 
 
 "Certainly not; why should we?" he answered 
 almost roughly, and passed through the open door. 
 
 " I hate gambling and its devotees !" said Marie, 
 with an anxious glance at his pale face. A strange 
 feeling stole over her, a dread which fairly stopped 
 her breath. 
 
 Gerrald smiled faintly, as he replied : 
 
 "So do I." 
 
 A foreboding haunted the young girl. vShe 
 wanted to ask him to turn back, and began to ad- 
 dress him in a grave, earnest tone ; but ere she 
 could finish her sentence Brand turned and put his 
 
The Opposite House. 131 
 
 finger on his lips. No talking was allowed in the 
 gaming-hall. 
 
 They were standing beside the roulette table. 
 
 " Rouge /" cried the croupier's monotonous voice. 
 " Trente et un !"" and hands pocketed the coin with 
 trembling haste, the ball buzzed and hummed as it 
 ran down ; and the unvarying voice continued its 
 call, while the gamblers listened with feverish ex- 
 citement. Ah, when the ball stopped it sent a 
 thrill through nerve and bone. 
 
 " Let us go !" whispered Gerrald. " Let us move 
 on !" He passed his hand across his brow, and his 
 restless eyes wandered to Marie. A gold band glit- 
 tered in her hair — gold, wherever he looked. 
 
 He pressed forward to another table. The crou- 
 pier held a pack of cards in his hand. 
 
 " Faites T'^/r^_/>«, messieurs !" he said, as he slowly 
 turned the cards. Again that strange thrill ran 
 through Gerrald's frame. How often he had stood 
 at that table, betting with feverish excitement on 
 that game. How often the cards had turned in his 
 favor ; how often they had gathered up his gold — 
 forever. He stood gazing fixedly at the gay bits 
 of pasteboard, his lips parted, and a feverish flush 
 glowed on his cheeks. 
 
 " Won !" he cried with sparkling eyes. 
 
 The sudden exclamation made Marie look up ; 
 the expression of his face startled her. 
 
132 The Opposite House. 
 
 '• Let us go, Herr Gerrald !" she timidly en- 
 treated. 
 
 " Go !" he repeated, as though in a dream. " Yes, 
 let us go," and went silently back to the ball-room, 
 where the band was beginning to play. 
 
 Marie stood still and pressed her hand upon his 
 arm. 
 
 " I don't like that frown on your forehead, Herr 
 Gerrald !" she exclaimed, and then added, beseech- 
 ingly : " Promise me not to go back there !" 
 
 Traugott passed his hand slowly across his brow. 
 
 " Fear nothing," he said, with a strangely fixed 
 expression, " it will smooth again." 
 
 They danced together. Then Marie was claimed 
 by a young attache. 
 
 " Let us drink a glass of wine. Come, my friend." 
 Doctor Brand put his arm through Gerrald's and 
 drew him away. 
 
 The wine glowed like fire in his veins, and his 
 brow became deeply flushed. Brand constantly re- 
 filled his glass. 
 
 " Have you been watching the play ?" he asked. 
 
 " Yes ; at two tables." 
 
 " And did you feel no desire to try your luck ?" 
 
 The tempter bent close to him, smiling. 
 
 Traugott laughed. 
 
 " No ; I dare not." 
 
 " Are you a slave ? Who rules you ?" 
 
The Opposite House, 
 
 " My corivScience." 
 
 " Don't be a simpleton, Gerrald, and drop such 
 follies, which, may suit prudish spinsters, but not a 
 man. Put on petticoats and sit in a corner, if you 
 haven't courage and strength enough to govern 
 your own passions. If you don't wish to play, very 
 well ; omit it, but at least go with me. I want to 
 risk something to-day." 
 
 Gerrald ground his teeth as he started up, and 
 hurriedly advanced toward him. 
 
 " Never dare to sneer at me again. Brand, or you 
 shall learn to know the man whom you would like 
 to put into petticoats \ Come, I '11 go and show you 
 whether I have a will of my own or not." 
 
 Gerrald followed him to the trente et qiiarante 
 table and, leaning on Brand's chair, gazed steadily 
 at the white hand of the croupier, which so calmly 
 dealt out life and death. 
 
 He glanced up hurriedly as Brand held out a 
 handful of coins. 
 
 " Won !" he said. 
 
 Then, as his dull gaze roved over the long table, 
 he started as he met a pair of sparkling eyes. At 
 the end of the table sat the gold-witch, in an exqui- 
 site toilet, and resting her head, with its crown of 
 dark curls, on her hand, smiled at him — Heloise. 
 
 Traugott gazed into those dark eyes as if spell- 
 bound. Was not that the same sweet, alluring smile 
 
134 ^^^ Opposite House. 
 
 with which she had charmed him, which he had 
 idolized and then abandoned ? All the blissful vi- 
 sions of former happiness rose before his memory ; 
 he Was compelled to think of the hours which he had 
 dreamed away in her society ; he saw the fasci- 
 nating creature dance over the boards ; heard her 
 gay laugh when she pledged him from the foaming 
 goblet. 
 
 The sounds echoed around him as they had done 
 in those days ; the green cloth wavered before his 
 eyes, and notes of sweet music floated faintly from 
 the distant ball-room. 
 
 "Will you bet with me, Gerrald?" asked Brand, 
 holding out the gold coin. " Try once." 
 
 Traugott took it ; it burned between his fingers 
 and intoxicated his senses ; he no longer realized 
 where he was, what he had promised ; he knew only 
 that everything around affected him like a spell ; 
 he mechanically held out his hand — and staked it. 
 
 Brand rose, and Traugott, dropping into the 
 chair, unconsciously took the heap of gold which he 
 had won. He played on and on ; the sum increased 
 under his hands, and the passion of gambling glowed 
 in his eyes and crimsoned his brow with a deepen- 
 ing flush. Curious spectators gathered around and 
 watched him. He was not aware of his own good 
 fortune. 
 
 Bank-notes came to him, but he pushed them 
 
The Opposite House. 135 
 
 heedlessly aside. He wanted to see nothing but gold 
 — gold! He reveled with increasing pleasure in the 
 wealth, and made the coins clink against one another. 
 
 " Stop !" Brand whispered. " You have a large 
 sum there." 
 
 Traugott staggered to his feet. 
 
 "What dance is beginning now?" he suddenly 
 asked an acquaintance, hastily fastening the coat 
 which he had thrown back while playing. 
 
 " The third," and the young man hastened on. 
 
 " I must go," exclaimed Gerrald. " Stay here, 
 Brand. I '11 be back soon." 
 
 He hurried to the ball-room without looking back, 
 and therefore did not see Doctor Brand approach 
 the " gold witch," and slip something into her hand. 
 She was evidently delighted, and questioned him, 
 but at a wave of his hand she concealed the gold 
 case in the folds of her dress. 
 
 Marie was standing near a pillar in the spacious 
 hall, glancing sadly over the throng seeking him. 
 
 Traugott hurriedly approached. His face was 
 flushed, and his hair hung in tangled locks about 
 his pale face. 
 
 " Pardon me," he said, in an agitated tone, " I did 
 not know that the dance had begun." 
 
 ** Where were you ?" asked Marie, her heart beat- 
 ing passionately as she raised her eyes with a be- 
 seeching, anxious look, as if she dreaded his reply. 
 
136 The Opposite House. 
 
 " Over yonder," he answered, excitedly. " I could 
 not help it. The sounds were so alluring that I 
 was forced to play. Have you ever heard the coins 
 ring till the echo reached the inmost depths of your 
 soul? The wine was so fiery that it went to my 
 head. But I have won — won an immense amount 
 of gold." 
 
 Marie's sweet face grew deadly pale as, pressing 
 her hand upon her heart to stifle a sharp pang, she 
 struggled for composure. 
 
 " Pardon me," continued Traugott, in an agitated 
 tone. "Do you hear? That is // Bacio. Let us 
 waltz." 
 
 " Back !" she answered in a trembling voice. " Do 
 not dare to touch my hand." 
 
 He looked fixedly at her with a questioning gaze. 
 He did no understand her meaning. 
 
 " I told you just now my opinion of gambling and 
 gamblers, Herr Gerrald," she said, her breath com- 
 ing more quickly as she drew her slender figure to 
 its full height. " I hate frivolous people, men who 
 break their promises. I do not comprehend the 
 changeable mortals who cannot keep their word, and 
 will have nothing to do with those for whom my 
 request has so little value." 
 
 She had put out her hand to thrust him back, and 
 her eyes rested on him coldly and calmly. All the 
 pride of her nature rose in rebellion in her heart, 
 
The Opposite House. 137 
 
 rending between her and her lover a chasm whose 
 yawning black depths threatened to swallow her 
 whole happiness. 
 
 " Good heavens !" he exclaimed, almost vehe- 
 mently. " Are these words meant for me ?" 
 
 " They are my farewell to you, Herr Gerrald," she 
 answered, faintly. Her hands were clasped, and her 
 blue eyes filled with tears. " Forget me, as I, too, 
 will forget that I have ever known you," 
 
 " Marie !" he cried in horror. " In the name of 
 Heaven's pity, stay !" 
 
 But the young girl did not hear. She had turned 
 and did not see the terrible change in his features 
 as he struck his brow with his clenched hand and 
 stood gazing after her like a somnambulist. She 
 moved steadily on, and a voice in his heart seemed 
 to utter a cry of despair. 
 
 " What is it, Gerrald ?" asked a low voice behind 
 him. The voice which had lured him to destruc- 
 tion. 
 
 " What is it ?" replied Traugott, with blazing 
 eyes. " A settlement with you, Brand !" He ap- 
 proached him with clinched hands, his voice hoarse 
 from emotion. 
 
 " Don't be a fool !" said the other, laughing. " Do 
 you want to quarrel with a friend, because a haughty 
 girl has at last found a pretext for giving you your 
 walking ticket ? Ha, ha, ha ! Do you really believe 
 
138 The Opposite House. 
 
 that a Von Rotterswyl bade you farewell because 
 you once staked something on cards out of ennui ? 
 Nonsense ! If she loved you, she would have for- 
 given you after giving a kindly warning to respect 
 her wishes. The fair baroness is tired of her 
 plebeian toy and now flings it into a corner. She 
 availed herself of the first excuse, and she was com- 
 pelled to tell you plainly because you, innocent 
 fellow, did not notice that your attentions were 
 becoming wearisome." 
 
 Traugott had blanched to the hue of marble, the 
 veins on his forehead swelled, and a scarlet flush 
 crimsoned his cheeks for an instant. 
 
 " Have mercy. Brand," he groaned. 
 
 " Mercy ? In order to say a few sweet words 
 about yonder amiable young lady ?" Brand jeered 
 rudely. " Don't be a Braekenburg, to bewail an 
 insolent beauty ! Are you not your own master ? 
 How did the little girl have the presumption to 
 prescribe rules for your actions? Come, Gerrald, 
 raise the flag of defiance and show that the rich 
 Prince of the Mill can live without a baroness. 
 Come, my friend, now we 11 be jolly. Vive lajoie .^" 
 
 Traugott laughed. The sound was terrible. Even 
 Brand shrank. 
 
 " Be jolly, be jolly !" he repeated, with wandering 
 eyes. " You are right ; we will be gay ! At the 
 green table sits a woman, reckless, beautiful — and 
 
The Opposite House. 139 
 
 with no coronet. It is long since I have kissed any 
 lips. I yearn to humble myself to the dust. Come, 
 Brand, I will try whether a ballet-dancer can for- 
 give !" He rushed through the long suite of apart- 
 ments and leaned over Heloise's chair. " Do you 
 love me still, Heloise?" 
 
 She started up, shaking her curls back from her 
 brow. 
 
 " Gerrald," she whispered, " have you come at 
 last ?" And clinging to his arm with beaming eyes, 
 she drew him toward the open door. " Come, dear- 
 est ; the lanterns are swaying outside, the moon is 
 shining on the quiet lake, and the green branches 
 will repeat no tender whispers." 
 
 Marie walked silently beside her uncle Franz. 
 Her head had sunk on his shoulder, and she wept 
 burning tears. All this misery had come upon her 
 so quickly, so suddenly ; the sweet dream was for- 
 ever shattered. A single quarter of an hour had 
 decided her earthly existence. How could she help 
 breaking down ? 
 
 A little island in the lake was connected with the 
 land by a wooden bridge. Tall trees shaded it, and 
 the slender branches of glimmering alders dipped 
 into the water. To this spot Franz von Kartegg 
 led his grieving niece. 
 
 Marie suddenly started and stood as though spell- 
 bound. Surely, those loud, passionate tones were 
 
140 The Opposite House. 
 
 Gerrald's. It was he standing there in the bright 
 moonlight. And the woman before him, sitting so 
 carelessly on the bench, with her hands clasped 
 around her knee — was not that Heloise ? 
 
 A pang of bitter anguish pierced the heart of the 
 young baroness. Her pure soul rebelled. She 
 longed to make her escape, yet could not help 
 pleading with heart-rending sorrow : 
 
 " Stay, uncle ; I must see whether he has entirely 
 forgotten me." 
 
 " Heloise !" cried Gerrald, with vehement passion, 
 " do not upbraid me for a love which I neither will nor 
 can deny. You charmed me as a woman rarely has 
 power to do ; you fettered my soul and held to my 
 lips the sweet potion which makes a man forget the 
 world ; you rendered me joyous and happy by your 
 love. But you never filled my heart with that bliss- 
 ful consciousness of purity bestowed by that other 
 woman, whom I loved with my whole soul, and 
 whom I can never forget, though Brand were right 
 a thousand times over in saying that she trifled 
 with me — that she never loved me. Marie up- 
 lifted me, opened a new life before me, and 
 when the waves again surged around, striving 
 to drag me down to the abyss of ruin, she piti- 
 lessly let me sink. I once deserted you, Heloise, 
 because I was struggling upward to a height which 
 I was never to attain. I wrenched my passion for 
 
The Opposite House. 141 
 
 you from my heart because I thought myself too 
 good for such a love ; and now I return, pleading 
 once more for this forfeited happiness in the dust 
 before you. Can you deny me ?" 
 
 He had knelt on one knee, and with his handsome 
 head bowed awaited her reply. And Heloise bent 
 toward him, but the glance fixed upon him was that 
 of an adder, and the voice sounded cold and heart- 
 less as it hissed in reply : 
 
 " Once ! Do you remind me of those days, Gerrald ? 
 Very well, then ; I, too, will recall the past to you. 
 You wounded me to the very depths of my soul, 
 scorned me, trampled my love under foot ; but I 
 swore a terrible oath that I would have my revenge 
 upon you for that hour ! At that time /knelt before 
 you. I also pleaded for pity ; you might have saved 
 me, rescued me from the boards of the stage, but 
 you heartlessly thrust me back, condemning the 
 dancer to the dust of the world, while you were to 
 soar upward, high into the radiant ether, where such 
 wretched worms as I need no longer be seen. Fool 
 that you were ! You held before my eyes a talis- 
 man, saying : ' This arms me against you !' And I 
 swore by the salvation of my soul that you should 
 atone for those words, if there were any such thing 
 as justice in the world. You should lie in the dust 
 before me, as I did then before you ; you should sue 
 for the love you disdained, as a dying man pleads 
 
142 The Opposite House. 
 
 for life. That hour has now come, and I, too, hold 
 my talisman before your eyes. Do you know this, 
 Gerrald ?" She raised her hand with savage exul- 
 tation ; the moonlight shone upon a dull gold case 
 and a rose-wood cross. " Do you know it, Gerrald? 
 The white flower which your Gretchen probably wore 
 in her hair ? Without this blossom you will be a 
 miserable, perjured man. And now rejoice, demon 
 of vengeance — now I condemn you !" 
 
 Traugott had started up, with a sudden cry of 
 alarm, but she had already flung the jewel far out 
 into the lake. The water dashed upward, then all 
 was still. 
 
 " Now look for it, my friend!" she said, with a 
 scornful laugh. " I am avenged, and my mission is 
 accomplished. Give your love to your baroness. I 
 now stand before you for the last time. You treated 
 me harshly, inflicted bitter pain, but my dagger deals 
 incurable wounds. Live on, and remember me !" 
 
 Slipping past him with the speed of thought, she 
 rushed back along the path, flitting noiselessly 
 through the moonlight in her glittering dress like a 
 spirit of evil. 
 
 Traugott stood rigid and motionless as a statue. 
 A soft hand was laid on his shoulder, and be looked 
 up with a startled glance. 
 
 " Marie !" fell in tremulous accents from his lips. 
 " Marie?" 
 
The Opposite House. 143 
 
 She stood before him in her pure, bright beauty, 
 her eyes resting gently, yet mournfully, on his face. 
 
 " Traugott !" she said, softly ; and the young man, 
 as if utterly crushed, sank down on the bench, cov- 
 ered his face with his hands and groaned aloud. 
 
 The words she addressed to him were earnest and 
 touching; they fell like refreshing dew upon his 
 darkened soul ; but he did not once look up at her 
 until she paused. Then, raising his pale face, he 
 murmured : 
 
 " I am superstitious. That flower is lying deep 
 in the lake, and I cannot be happy without it. But 
 I will seek for my white blossom, though I should 
 descend into a watery grave." 
 
 He rose slowly, but Marie anxiously stepped be- 
 fore him and, in an agony of dread, threw her arms 
 around his neck. 
 
 " No, I will not let you go to that flower !" 
 
 Gerrald bent his head and gazed with joyful com- 
 prehension into her tearful eyes. 
 
 " Do you love me, then, Marie?" 
 
 " Yes, I love you, Traugott," she whispered, in 
 half -stifled tones, " and therefore I must guard 
 your life, that you may not destroy it with a blas- 
 phemous hand. Your mother took your legacy 
 from you, because you were no longer worthy of it, 
 but she left open to you the path which leads upward 
 through expiation to the grave. If it is Heaven's 
 
144 1^^^ Opposite House. 
 
 will that you should die, it will send to your heart 
 the bullet destined, not for the criminal, but the 
 defender of Germany. France has declared war. 
 Serve your native land, and if the wrath of God de- 
 mands your life, at least yield it on the field of 
 honor." 
 
 " Marie," said Traugott, softly pressing her hand 
 to his lips, " may Heaven bless you for these words ! 
 You have restored me the hope, the consolation of 
 at least dying an honorable death, and if I offer my 
 breast to the enemy's artillery, there will surely be a 
 compassionate bullet which will grant a guiltless 
 grave to the perjured — " 
 
 Tears were streaming down Marie's cheeks, as she 
 leaned her head on his breast and bade him fare- 
 well. It was a sorrowful betrothal, and a still sad- 
 der parting. She clasped her lover's hands in 
 benediction, but Traugott pressed his lips on her 
 pure brow, and bade her an eternal farewell. 
 
 Meanwhile, tumultuous excitement pervaded the 
 halls of the Kurhaus — the dispatch, which brought 
 the news of the declaration of war by France as a 
 terrible fact, was being read aloud. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 BY LAW OF MIGHT 
 
 Doctor Brand must have had some unpleasant 
 experience. He was hurrying, with a very gloomy 
 expression, through the streets in the direction of 
 Heloise's lodgings. On arriving he rushed up the 
 stairs, and did not even consider it necessary to 
 wait to be announced, but barely pausing to knock, 
 entered. 
 
 Heloise raised her head and looked at him in 
 astonishment. She was kneeling on the floor before 
 her trunk, rummaging among the heap of articles 
 which Susanne had piled around her ; closets and 
 drawers, partly cleared of their contents, stood 
 open. 
 
 The dancer threw down her embroidered negligee 
 jacket and let her hands rest a moment. 
 
 " Mon Dicn ! Brand, how long has it been the cus- 
 tom to bounce in after this fashion ?" 
 
 The visitor did not answer immediately ; he was 
 
 [145] 
 
146 The Opposite House. 
 
 gazing with an angry frown at this chaos of boxes 
 and bundles, and ended by giving the tall wicker 
 trunk a contemptuous kick. 
 " What does all this mean, Heloise, if I may ask?" 
 The dancer folded her arms defiantly, and gazed 
 at him with a contemptuous shrug of the shoulders. 
 " How long have you controlled my plans, if / 
 tnay ask? I should think you might request in- 
 formation courteously, instead of putting your 
 questions with German bluntness. You are not 
 addressing one of your minions." 
 Brand stamped angrily on the floor. 
 "So you mean to leave here," he said, grinding 
 his teeth. " Perhaps I may have a word or two to 
 Bay about it. But first tell me what happened to 
 Gerrald yesterday ? I must suppose that you parted 
 in anger." 
 
 " In anger ? Oh, no, with all possible ceremony and 
 courtesy !" she answered, in a mocking tone, with- 
 out looking up from her work. " Poor Gerrald 
 scraped his knee sore before me, and raved about 
 the past ; then I ventured to refresh his memory a 
 little, and told him a short, delightful story about 
 those old times, and, being now a thorough gour- 
 mand, I tasted his heart's blood drop by drop. 
 When I took leave, I dealt a death-blow. We were 
 once such good friends, so I rendered a friendly 
 service. I took care that the ugly gold case should 
 
The Opposite House. 147 
 
 no longer weigh upon his heart, and flung it into 
 the lake near the Kurhaus. So you see that I have no 
 further interest inGerrald. I am avenged, and this 
 ends our compact, old friend. Your other plans 
 have little to do with me. I would have helped you 
 willingly had I known them, but it is too late now. 
 You see for yourself that our paths separate from 
 this day." 
 
 " Separate ?" cried Brand, in a terrible voice, his 
 eyes fairly devouring her slender figure, leaning so 
 lightly against the table, its graceful outlines 
 scarcely concealed by the folds of thin muslin. 
 " Remember your promise, ' Pledge for pledge.* 
 Now I demand my payment, comrade !" 
 
 Heloise had turned pale. She involuntarily drew 
 back a step and clasped her hands. 
 
 "The times have changed," she said proudly, half 
 averting her head, so that her delicate profile stood 
 forth in strong relief against the window. " I am a 
 Frenchwoman, you are a German ; our nations have 
 declared war against each other, and should I trade 
 with an enemy of my own nation ? Never ! Here, 
 Brand, take these gems ; they are a royal reward for 
 the service you have rendered me." She unclasped 
 the bracelet from her pink wrist and held out the 
 glittering ornament. 
 
 Brand approached in great excitement. 
 
 " Do you really expect to buy my claim on you 
 
148 The Opposite House. 
 
 with this miserable tinsel ? Do you really believe 
 that for this trash I would resign the hand prom- 
 ised to me ? You are mine, Heloise, and woe betide 
 us both if you do not keep your pledge !" Snatch- 
 ing the bracelet from her hand, he hurled it vio- 
 lently on the floor ; his fingers clutched her rounded 
 arm with an iron grasp, drawing her passionately 
 to his breast ; his hot breath fanned her cheek as he 
 covered her lips with kisses. 
 
 " Brand !" she shrieked, struggling to release her- 
 self. " Hear me, Brand. I will offer much for my 
 liberty. I do not love you, you monster, and I 
 would make your life a very hell of torture, if you 
 tried to bind me to your side. I should poison you 
 with my breath, slay you with my kiss, drain your 
 life like a vampire." 
 
 " You do not love me ?" said Brand, coldly draw- 
 ing back. His momentary intoxication had passed 
 away, and his calculating mind warned him to avail 
 himself of the favorable moment. " Well, then, I 
 do not desire a wife who does not love me. But lis- 
 ten, Heloise. I am now no longer the man who, with 
 ardent passion, sues for your love. I am the usurer 
 who demands his compensation, and who will not 
 leave the spot until he has the entire sum in his 
 hands. What will you pay me for your torn 
 note ?" 
 
 He stationed himself at the bell-rope and, with 
 
The Opposite Ho7Lse. 149 
 
 threatening arm, barred the way to the door. She 
 saw that she was in his power, and the conscious- 
 ness of her helplessness made her limbs tremble 
 till she felt like a frightened child. 
 
 " Here — my necklace, my cross, ten thousand 
 thaler s in money — " 
 
 " Nothing more ?" he asked, laughing. 
 
 " I have no more !" she groaned, wildly. 
 
 " Indeed ! It is well to have a little information. 
 For instance, where is the pretty casket in which 
 the white stones sparkle ? Show it to me again, my 
 angel. I have a great desire to see them." 
 
 The dancer's hand clenched in terrible fury ; she 
 longed to rush upon the scoundrel and kill him ; 
 then a bright idea entered her head. 
 
 " Brand, I will be your wife." 
 
 " Really ?" he asked, in a mocking tone, with a 
 low bow. " You do me too much honor, my gra- 
 cious lady. More than I can possibly accept after 
 being favored with a rejection. So the diamonds, 
 mademoiselle ?" 
 
 Heloise saw no escape. She still stood hesitating. 
 Despair seized upon her, but his mysterious eye 
 warned her by its savage menace, and, tottering to 
 the bureau, she brought out the costly ornaments. 
 Placing the casket on the table, she raised the vel- 
 vet-lined lid, scattering the gems over the mahogany 
 top with reckless haste ; and the sun shone through 
 
150 The Opposite House. 
 
 the window, making lightning flashes of color dart 
 around her trembling fingers. 
 
 " Is this enough to buy a soul from Satan ?" she 
 asked, in an expressionless voice. 
 
 " It will do tolerably well," replied Brand, with a 
 nod, as he let the gems slip separately through his 
 fingers, and then flung them back into the casket. 
 " One thing more, however, ma belle,'' he pleaded, 
 with a mocking assumption of gallantry. " Might 
 I ask for a little dedication ? Here are pens and 
 paper. I will dictate only a few words. Write, 
 mademoiselle ; I am in a hurry." 
 
 Heloise calmly took the pen — everything was now 
 a matter of indifference to her — a fragment of her 
 heart seemed to have been wrenched out with the 
 gems. 
 
 Brand slowly repeated the form of words, and she 
 wrote that she gave him the diamonds as property 
 legally acquired by purchase. Then she added her 
 name, and Brand even pressed her seal beneath it 
 for security. 
 
 " Everything must be in due form," he said, de- 
 risively. Then he read the lines once more and 
 folded the paper. *' What do you intend to do now, 
 my dearest ?" 
 
 " I shall go back to my native land, and hope to 
 return shortly with my victorious brothers to re- 
 cover my jewels." 
 
The Opposite House. 
 
 151 
 
 " Very hopeful !" he cried, laughing. " Well, I 
 wish you good luck on the journey, as well as in 
 everything else. We have been good friends so 
 long, were even engaged to be married, so I hope 
 we shall not soon forget each other. I have done 
 my utmost to aid you to fulfill a wish, and think you 
 will perceive that you ought to ' do as you are done 
 by.' All rcvoirf" 
 
 He took the casket under his arm and seized his 
 hat. A low, sarcastic bow, and the door banged 
 loudly behind him. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE HOUR OF PARTING. 
 
 War had been declared. Bodies of troops were 
 constantly passing through Wiesbaden. The peace- 
 ful watering-place resembled a camp, and patriotic 
 enthusiasm had reached its height. 
 
 Traugott Gerrald willingly obeyed the order 
 which summoned him to his regiment. He was to 
 leave in the evening. The parting was difficult ; 
 but he now saw a goal — a lofty purpose in life for 
 which he could struggle — a flood in whose waves he 
 might drown his sorrows forever. 
 
 Marie von Rotterswyl had been greatly agitated 
 by the news of Gerrald's departure. The confidant 
 of her love affair, her uncle Franz, whose invalid 
 condition would not permit him to take any share 
 in the conflict with the enemy of his country, had 
 brought the tidings. But Uncle Franz had again 
 won her warmest gratitude. He had rowed out in 
 a little boat on the Kurhaus lake, and at last suc- 
 
 [152] 
 
The Opposite House. 153 
 
 ceeded, to Marie's intense delight, in finding the 
 golden case — Gerrald's "talisman." It had caught 
 among the water-plants, and he had thus been able . 
 to restore to Marie her lover's treasure. 
 
 " I must see him to give him back the case," the 
 young girl entreated. 
 
 " Already? I would not do that until his return," 
 said Franz. 
 
 " And suppose he should never return ?" she ex- 
 claimed, gazing mournfully "nto his eyes. "No, 
 uncle, he must take his talisman with him when he 
 goes to the war. I have thought of everything, and 
 if it is God's will, have chosen the right course. 
 Where do you think I can see him ?" 
 
 " There will be no time at the railway station," 
 said Mr. Kartegg, thoughtfully. " The best plan 
 would probabl)'- be for me to g-o to him. He just 
 asked if he might see you once more. I dissuaded 
 him on your mother's account. The poor woman is 
 too excited to be able to control herself." 
 
 " But I can't take leave of him in the public 
 street," said Marie. 
 
 "Yes, you are right there, my child. H'm ! What 
 if I should take you to the drawing-room in the 
 hotel. If your uncle is with you, you can receive 
 him without hesitation." 
 
 A few minutes later Marie was standing with a 
 throbbing heart in the large drawing-room of the 
 
154 T^^^^ Opposite House. 
 
 libtel, gazing around her at the long mirrors, which 
 reflected her image so many times that she had un- 
 consciously paused and pushed the waving hair 
 back from her brow. A faint flush tinged her 
 cheeks, and the black veil framed her face like 
 gauze intended to relieve the dazzling hue of marble. 
 The girlish figure in the black wool dress was very 
 earnest and grave of aspect. 
 
 Hasty steps hurried through the ante-room. 
 Marie started, pressing her hand upon her heart. 
 He was coming — and now the door was pushed open 
 and Traugott stood before her, breathless from his 
 rapid walk. 
 
 " Marie !" he exclaimed, in a voice trembling with 
 joy. " How I thank you for giving me an oppor- 
 tunity to say farewell !" 
 
 He held out both hands and gazed into her eyes 
 with a look of radiant happiness. 
 
 " I could not let 3^ou go without a parting word," 
 whispered the young girl with downcast eyes. " I 
 struggled with myself a long time, but was forced 
 to give you this last hour to soothe my heart and 
 conscience." 
 
 " What a blessing this last hour will contain," he 
 said, softly. " What a consolation it will bring dur- 
 ing all the sorrowful ones which must yet be en- 
 dured ! Now that I know you have really forgiven 
 in6 I can go forth to meet my fate with a lighter 
 
The Opposite House. 153 
 
 heart. Now the bullet which has chosen my breast 
 for its goal will have no more terrors, and if I must 
 die, it will be with the sweet consciousness that no 
 living- soul harbors resentment against me. Will 
 you bear me in remembrance, Marie ? Will you 
 include me also in your prayers when you implore 
 mercy for all who have sinned ?" 
 
 An infinite anguish thrilled her ; dread for the 
 heart that loved her so tenderly. With a sudden 
 impulse, she held out her hand and raised her tear- 
 ful eyes to his. 
 
 " Yes, I will pray day and night !" she said, 
 faintly. " Not for the dead. My petitions will be 
 that God may guard the living man, for my sake I' 
 Then, with a trembling hand, she drew from her 
 pocket a small sealed package, tied with a white 
 ribbon, on which were embroidered in blue silk the 
 words : " God guard you." " There was another 
 reason for my coming," she said, in an unsteady 
 voice. " I have a new talisman, a memento for you, 
 with the request that you will accept it from me. 
 But before I give it to you, you must promise me 
 something." 
 
 Gerrald looked at her inquiringly ; a sorrowful 
 expression hovered around his lips. 
 
 " It is granted," he said, in a low tone. 
 
 Marie hesitated a moment ; her cheeks crimsoned 
 and she seemed deeply embarrassed ; then, rais- 
 
156 The Opposite House. 
 
 ing her eyes with an earnest look, she said, sol- 
 emnly : 
 
 " Promise not to break this seal, Traugott, unless 
 it is God's will that you should be severely wounded, 
 so severely that — that there would scarcely be a 
 hope of recovery. Then you may break it — not 
 before." 
 
 She had scarcely been able to utter the last words ; 
 her heart was beating so that it almost stifled her, 
 and the thought of the possibility that he might 
 open it with fingers stiffening in the death-chill 
 almost made her senses fail. But she controlled 
 herself. She knew that she ought not to make the 
 parting hard for him, and, with a touching smile, 
 held out her hand. 
 
 " I promise !" he said, earnestly, clasping it 
 closely. 
 
 Then Marie fastened the ribbon round his neck, 
 and he hid the memento in his breast, kissing the 
 ribbon and the hand which bestowed it, while the 
 young girl whispered, amid her tears : 
 
 " God guard you !" 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 A BOTTLE OF TOKAY. 
 
 After Brand had gone and Heloise, wringing her 
 hands, had convinced herself that the diamonds had 
 actually vanished forever, bitterness and resent- 
 ment raged with terrible fury in her heart against 
 the tool by whose aid she had just satiated her 
 vengeance on another. Pacing swiftly up and down 
 the room like the incarnation of hate, she brooded 
 over vengeance, and tried to devise plans for most 
 swiftly and surely regaining her lost treasure. 
 
 Wild thoughts darted through her brain, nearly 
 all fantastic and impracticable ; one alone she did 
 not reject, and pondered over the explanation. 
 What was the secret between him and old Baroness 
 von Rotterswyl ? Wikke had given various vague 
 hints that Brand was forced to be on the watch for 
 spies ; he had talked of a time in the past of which 
 he did not like to think. What was the chapter in 
 his life that he was forced to fear ? 
 
 The dancer stamped impatiently on the floor. 
 
 [157] 
 
158 The Opposite House. 
 
 She must get out of doors, and had already seized 
 her lace shawl and sunshade to prepare to go into 
 the open air, when some one knocked at the door, 
 and, to her great astonishment, Wikke appeared 
 on the threshold, 
 
 Heloise glanced angrily at him, but this melan- 
 choly-looking fellow could not possibly have heard 
 of Brand's rascally trick, and the sorrowful glance 
 with which he scanned the trunks and boxes had 
 evidently not yet seen the flash of the diamonds, 
 which his friend had doubtless carefully kept out of 
 sight to turn into cash privately. This conciliated 
 her, and put into her head a new idea, which she re- 
 solved to execute. 
 
 " Herr Wikke," she asked, approaching him, 
 " how do I happen to have the honor of your visit 
 with the mercury standing at eighty-six in the ther- 
 mometer ?" 
 
 " I 've just met Brand," he answered in a troubled 
 tone, " and learned from him that you were going 
 away, mademoiselle. 1 couldn't believe it, and was 
 obliged to convince myself in person whether the 
 bad news could be trusted." 
 
 " That is very charming of you," said Heloise, 
 kindly, " and I rejoice to be able to assure you that 
 I shall, perhaps, remain several days longer. It de- 
 pends entirely upon my own whim, and whether 
 my friends make my stay here agreeable. But sit 
 
I 
 
 The Opposite House. 159 
 
 down, mon ami, and spend a few hours pleasantly 
 witli me. It is very warm to-day, and one needs re- 
 freshment." 
 
 She smiled most winningly and held out her hand. 
 Wikke suddenly felt much warmer than he had 
 outside in the sun, and protested, with almost blun- 
 dering haste, that he should consider it an honor to 
 bear his beautiful friend company. His time was 
 entirely his own until eight o'clock ; then, of course, 
 he would be engaged. 
 
 Wikke had associated little with elegant women ; 
 with coquettish queens of the stage probably not at 
 all ; so the dancer's charming manner fascinated him 
 the more as, with easy familiarity, she leaned near 
 his chair, gazing at him with mischievous eyes. 
 
 Heloise could be bewitching when she chose, and 
 now she exerted all her arts to bind her companion 
 with the fetters in which even crowned heads had 
 languished. 
 
 She had long since discovered that he was not one 
 of the favored children of Intellect, but merely a 
 cunning sharper, who knew his trade very well, but 
 in the presence of this alluring woman was like a raw 
 youth, scarcely able to move his limbs. She had 
 noticed that Brand had said nothing about the 
 diamonds, because their value would be greater if 
 not divided, and she also knew that Wikke was 
 familiar with the assessor's youthful experiences. 
 
i6o The Opposite House. 
 
 Her plan was matured. One friend should throw 
 around the other's feet the snare which she only 
 needed to draw to bring the victim into the trap. 
 In the opposite cupboard stood a bottle with a slen- 
 der neck. The dancer brought it to the table and 
 let the sparkling drops flow into the glasses. It was 
 Tokay, which makes the blood flow more swiftly 
 through the veins. 
 
 Wikke was fond of good wine, though he could 
 not bear much. Now, when Heloise pledged him, 
 and he could drink from the same spot which her 
 red lips had just touched, he raised the cup with 
 twofold joy to drain it to the dregs. 
 
 Heloise had drawn the curtain aside ; the crim- 
 son rays of the setting sun cast glittering reflections 
 on her slender figure. Resting her head on her 
 hand, she gazed steadily at him, constantly urging 
 him to drink, and when he would not do so alone 
 she touched glasses with him. 
 
 "Brand has just been here," she said ; "but I am 
 very angry with him, and he is the sole cause of 
 my departure. Did he tell you nothing about it ?" 
 
 " Not one single word !" protested Wikke, passing 
 his handkerchief several times across his brow. " You 
 are angry with him, mademoiselle ; may I ask why ?" 
 
 The Frenchwoman sipped a little wine from her 
 glass, then carelessly raised it and pledged him. 
 
 "Why shouldn't I tell you? It was about a 
 
The Opposite House. i6i 
 
 Madam von Rotterswyl. You probably know noth, 
 ing concerning the matter." 
 
 " Rotterswyl?" interrupted Wikke, with a stupid 
 glan«e. " Oho, what about it ?" 
 
 " He told me that he had known her, had made 
 the acquaintance in a very unpleasant way. But 
 drink another glass, Herr Wikke, I have more wine 
 in the cupboard." 
 
 " Unpleasant ? Ha, ha, ha !" laughed her com- 
 panion, with a cunning twinkle in his eyes. " Does 
 he consider such things unpleasant? Unpleasant ! 
 Ha, ha, ha ! — and did he tell you nothing more ?" 
 
 " He put me off till another time, when he would 
 tell me the whole story," said the Frenchwoman, 
 with a keen glance at his glassy eyes. " But no, I 
 don't want ' another time,' and I shall stick to my 
 determination to leave to-morrow." 
 
 " Ha, ha, ha ! Don't do that, my angel !" said 
 Wikke, with a loud laugh. " There 's a tale con- 
 nected with the old witch ; but it 's a confoundedly 
 ticklish business, and whether I can venture to 
 speak of it — " 
 
 " Well ? Wasn't I right in thinking that you are 
 not a whit better than your friend Brand?" cried 
 Heloise, with feigned indignation. "I'll ring for 
 my maid at once, that my trunks may be packed." 
 
 Wikke held her arm. 
 
 " What a hot-headed little rogue," he said, jest- 
 
1 62 The Opposite House. 
 
 ingly, his voice husky from the wine. " Wait, 
 sweetheart, and try whether I '11 tell. I assure you 
 that you never heard anything quite so base. Yes, 
 Brand is a rascally fellow, but we must laugh at it, 
 for no head so clever will deck the gallows. And 
 he 's nearly ready for them. Ha, ha, ha !" 
 
 " And the story?" said Heloise, forcing herself to 
 endure his presence. 
 
 " Yes, the story," stammered Wikke, raising the 
 glass again to his lips. " The story was a good one. 
 Baroness von Rotterswyl, the black ghost with the 
 pretty daughter, was young once herself, and said 
 to have been as beautiful as the girl who is wor- 
 shiped by the handsome Prince of the Mill. You 
 probably know about that, eh ? Yes, yes ! She was 
 visiting a friend in some owl's nest of a castle. I 've 
 forgotten the name. And this friend was betrothed 
 to our Doctor Brand ; but he wasn't known by that 
 name then — no, indeed ; he called himself ' Herr 
 Count.' Moreover, he had lived in Stuttgart as 
 though he had the wealth of the Indies at his dis- 
 posal. Where he got his ducats Beelzebub could 
 tell better than I. Old Baroness von Rotterswyl 
 loved the brother of this fortunate fiancee, a young 
 dandy, named Lewin, if my memory serves me. 
 But one day the bomb burst. Brand took a fancy 
 to the beautiful diamonds of his future — " 
 
 " Aha !" said Heloise. 
 
The Opposite House. i6 
 
 J 
 
 " And absconded with the jewels and ready 
 money. The aforesaid Lewin met him in the forest 
 and stopped him. The fellow had keen eyes, and 
 recognized the masked count ; but the latter, too, 
 was no fool, thought ' dead men tell no tales,' drew 
 a pistol, shot his beloved brother-in-law and made 
 tracks as fast as possible. Ah ! But Frau von Rot- 
 terswyl is said to have spit fire and flame and given 
 the alarm to the authorities, who fairly tumbled over 
 one another. But it was no use ; all the clever gen- 
 try were forced to give up the chase ; the count 
 fooled them. That was nearly twenty years ago. 
 Brand is tolerably well along in life, but he paints 
 and dyes in order to pass for thirty. The whole 
 affair has been forgotten long ago, and is probably 
 outlawed. The fellow even had the insolence to 
 call upon Madam von Rotterswyl. But it seems to 
 me that she must have smelled a rat. At any rate, 
 Brand feels a strong inclination to become a citizen 
 of America. There, that 's the whole story !"' 
 Wikke drew a long- breath and gazed around him 
 with dazed eyes. He had spoken in a loud, excited 
 tone. Now his heavy tongue almost refused to obey 
 his will. " I can't help laughing when I think of 
 the rascally trick. An utterly worthless fellow ; but 
 he has brains — brains which can't be matched, and 
 — you see, sweetheart — Where is my glass ? Fill 
 it, little one, to the very brim." 
 
164 The Opposite House. 
 
 He groped over the table with an unsteady hand, 
 and his trembling fingers poured the last drops from 
 the bottle. A broad red stream stained the white 
 table-cloth, and he dropped heavily back into his 
 chair. His red head, with its glazed eyes, sank on 
 his breast, his hoarse laugh became an unintelligible 
 gurgle, and soon deep, rattling breathing announced 
 that friend Wikke had gone to dreamland. 
 
 Heloise gazed at the sleeper a moment with loath- 
 ing. Then hastily approaching him, her trembling 
 hands searched his breast-pocket. Yes — a letter- 
 case. Heloise seized it with sparkling eyes, and 
 examined the contents. A low cry of delight, and 
 she began to scrutinize notes, letters and memo- 
 randa. This lasted long enough to give the sleeper 
 the rest he needed. Then she rose, locked the 
 precious pocketbook and its contents in her writing- 
 desk, went up to the drunken man and shook 
 him. 
 
 " Herr Wikke !" she shrieked into his ear. " Herr 
 Wikke !" 
 
 He started and gazed around him with a stupid 
 stare, then passed his hand across his brow and 
 pondered. 
 
 " Surely I haven't been asleep, mademoiselle ?" he 
 stammered in an embarrassed tone. 
 
 "You have been nodding a little," she said, smil- 
 ing pleasantly. " It was excusable in the sultry at- 
 
The Opposite Hotise. 165 
 
 mosphere and with the strong wine. I was to blame 
 for not giving you a lighter drink," 
 
 "■ Oh, I shall never forgive myself," he said con- 
 fusedly, trying to stagger to his feet. She waved 
 her hand to check him, and brought a glass of water 
 from a side-table. 
 
 " Take a sip ; you will feel better." 
 
 He hastily emptied the glass. 
 
 " Oh, how my head aches !" he groaned. 
 
 " Would you like to cool your face a little ?" she 
 asked, sympathizingly. " I '11 get some fresh water." 
 She went to the next room and filled a basin, then 
 brought it in with a towel. " Don't trouble your- 
 self, Herr Wikke," she said, gayly. " One good friend 
 must help another." 
 
 The gray-haired man poured forth a flood of 
 thanks, and Heloise went into the next room to 
 listen, with an ironical smile, as the " good friend " 
 dipped his red head into the refreshing water. 
 
 Just at that moment the clock struck half-past 
 seven. 
 
 " By King Artus, half-past seven already !" cried 
 Wikke. " I must go to Brand at once. I beg a 
 thousand pardons, mademoiselle. I am frantic over 
 this accident, and cannot imagine how I could for- 
 get myself so far. My stupidity — " 
 
 "Don't trouble yourself any further about the 
 matter," said his hostess, indulgently. " But if I 
 
1 66 The Opposite House. 
 
 may advise you, say nothing about it to Brand ; he 
 might tease you most unmercifully. Don't tell 
 him you were here ; it would be more agreeable to 
 me. Are you better ?" 
 
 " Perfectly myself again," he answered with a low 
 bow. " But the recollection of my want of tact will 
 be a source of lasting pain." 
 
 " Nonsense !" she answered, laughing. " You see 
 that I haven't taken offense. But go, if you have 
 an engagement, and come soon to report your re- 
 covery." 
 
 Wikke took his departure, and Heloise laughed 
 gayly. 
 
 " Oh, thrice-praised Tokay ! Yonder fool hasn't 
 the least idea what a secret he has betrayed !" 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 ONE STEP NEARER. 
 
 Baroness von Rotterswyl had remained in Wies- 
 baden alone, sending Marie to visit a friend in 
 Stuttgart, in response to Countess Raven's earnest 
 desire to make the young girl's acquaintance. She 
 had not hesitated to give her consent, for the change 
 wrought in Marie by Gerrald's departure had not 
 escaped her keen eyes. Change of scene, new re- 
 lations and faces must efface the impression pro- 
 duced by the handsome Prince of the Mill and the 
 parting. 
 
 It was a bright, sunny morning. Frau von Rot- 
 terswyl sat at the window, reading. Suddenly a low 
 knock at the door interrupted her. 
 
 " A lady wishes to see you on urgent business," 
 said the maid. 
 
 The baroness looked up in surprise. 
 
 [167] 
 
1 68 The Opposite House. 
 
 " Admit her," slie said, curtly, fixing her gray 
 eyes somewhat curiously upon the door. 
 
 A dainty figure appeared, richly and tastefully 
 dressed, with waves of raven-black hair clustering 
 around her forehead, and the prettiest little feet 
 which had ever approached the aristocratic lady. 
 
 " Pardon my intrusion, baroness," said the stranger, 
 in a pleasantly modulated voice. " It will seem 
 bold, perhaps somewhat indiscreet for me to trouble 
 you, yet I believe I am acting in your interest by 
 making you acquainted with certain matters, mad- 
 am !" 
 
 The baroness's eyes measured the visitor keenly. 
 The piquant little face attracted her, but it was 
 unfamiliar, and she could not recollect having seen 
 the elegant costume, whose sea-green hue could not 
 fail to impress the memory. 
 
 ; " If you have called upon me in regard to a per- 
 sonal matter, madam," she replied with a formal 
 bow, " I can only express my gratitude for the in- 
 terest you feel in a stranger. At least I cannot 
 recall having made your acquaintance, and, if I 
 have done so, I must beg you to assist my imper- 
 fect memory." 
 
 " I am Heloise Chenois," said the dancer, with a 
 slight bend of the head, "and certainly have never 
 had the honor of meeting Baroness von Rotterswyl." 
 
 " And what do you desire ?" asked the baroness, 
 
The Opposite House. 169 
 
 haughtily. A name from the play-bills fairly froze 
 her blood. 
 
 "May I ask yoti to hear me patiently, madam?" 
 said Heloise, advancing a few steps nearer. " I re- 
 peat, that the matter I have to discuss is a serious 
 and important one." 
 
 The baroness silently pointed to a chair. All sorts 
 of fancies darted through her brain. What could 
 this person want of her ? She could not under- 
 stand. 
 
 " Permit me first to ask a few questions," the 
 Frenchwoman began, leaning lightly on the carved 
 back of the seat. " Did you know in your youth 
 
 Madam von B , the widow of an officer who 
 
 lived for some years in Stuttgart?" 
 
 " Certainly," replied the baroness in astonishment. 
 " But where, if I may ask — " 
 
 " Let me go on," interrupted the dancer, with a 
 modest but very resolute gesture. " I will relate 
 the following incidents merely to show that I am 
 aware of them, that you may credit the remainder 
 of what I have to say. This lady was betrothed to a 
 Count Berndt, who accompanied her on a visit to 
 her brother Lewin at Castle H ." 
 
 " Yes," nodded the old lady. 
 
 " And this brother — pardon my indiscretion, 
 baroness — was secretly betrothed to you." 
 
 Baroness von Rotterswyl shrank back, her face 
 
170 The Opposite House. 
 
 blanched to the hue of her cambric handkerchief. 
 A.n almost terrified look rested upon the dancer. 
 
 " That is also true," she said in a hollow tone. 
 
 " Count Berndt was a swindler," Heloise curtly 
 added. " He stole his fiancdes jewels and money, 
 and shot his brother-in-law in the forest." 
 
 " Girl !" shrieked the old baroness, " where did 
 you learn dramas which occurred before your birth, 
 of which no whisper ever reached the world — " 
 
 " Have patience !" said Heloise, gently loosing the 
 hand which the baroness had clenched upon her 
 arm. "True, no one knew who had murdered the 
 unfortunate Lewin. The poachers had shot him — 
 was not that the rumor ? But I know. No trace of 
 the traitor was found ; he was searched for in vain. 
 Ida died of grief because she could not survive the 
 condemnation of the man she loved." 
 
 Baroness von Rotterswyl pressed her handkerchief 
 to her eyes. Everything grew dark before them. 
 
 " It will soon be twenty years," the dancer con- 
 tinued, " and the story has been forgotten, like the 
 two victims resting in their graves. My home is in 
 Burgundy, and in my country it is said that a mur- 
 dered man can find no rest until the deed has been 
 expiated. Tell me, baroness, are 3^ou at peace, with- 
 out having found the criminal and without knowing 
 that he is punished ? Does your heart feel no long- 
 ing for revenge, or has it passed away ?" 
 
The Opposite House. 171 
 
 " Passed away !" cried the baroness, almost bit- 
 terly. " So long as this heart still beats it will have 
 no other thought." 
 
 " And do you hope to fulfill your vow? You have 
 some suspicion, have you not ?" 
 
 Heloise gazed keenly into the old lady's eyes ; her 
 voice sounded hollow and menacing. 
 
 The baroness started up from her chair. A ter- 
 rible thought flashed through her brain. This 
 woman knew Brand ; she was his sweetheart — his 
 spy— sent to examine her. Her reply was a haughty 
 rebuff. 
 
 " Suspicion, mademoiselle ? Why should I ? True, 
 I have one that you have come here from other mo- 
 tives than mere interest in me. Do not imagine that 
 the years have dimmed my eyes. They are still keen 
 enough, thank Heaven, to see through the plans of 
 my fellow-mortals." 
 
 She turned her back upon her with almost insult- 
 ing contempt. 
 
 " And yet you are mistaken, baroness," replied 
 Mademoiselle Chenois, with a quiet smile. " I as- 
 sure you that I stand before you as a friend. So 
 you have no suspicion ? Very well ; I have ! Ay, 
 I even know who stole the jewels ; I know Count 
 Berndt's real name ; I know who shot the baron in 
 the forest, and I know the hand that wore Ida's be- 
 trothal ring !" ^ 
 
172 The Opposite House. 
 
 The old noblewoman confronted her like a pallid 
 ghost, with dilated eyes and hands clenched so con- 
 vulsively that they pressed the delicate cambric 
 handkerchief into a mere wisp. 
 
 " You know all this ?" she shrieked, with savage 
 exultation. " You know — you know him ?" 
 
 " Yes," said Heloise, gravely ; " and I know, too, 
 that long ago you cherished some suspicion ; that 
 you closely watched the false count — I mean 
 Brand !" 
 
 " Brand !" repeated the baroness, in a terrible 
 voice. " Brand ! Where did you learn all these 
 things, child ? Where are your proofs — your wit- 
 nesses ?" 
 
 " I can produce no witness, or at best only a con- 
 federate and fellow-knave !" said the dancer, with 
 flashing eyes. " But I have one proof in my hands. 
 Convince yourself, baroness, whether those lines 
 could have been written by any other person than 
 the ex-Count Berndt !" 
 
 She drew from her pocket a scrap of paper and 
 unfolded the rustling letter. 
 
 Baroness von Rotterswyl snatched it from her 
 hand with passionate haste and read, in agitated 
 tones : 
 
 " Old pal, I shall be with you in Wiesbaden to-morrow, and 
 bring the whole party, Gerrald, the aristocratic little goose, also 
 old Lady Rotterswyl. Her presence isn't particularly agreeable. 
 
The Opposite House. 173 
 
 I would rather have the secret spy a hundred miles off, or, better 
 still, with her former lover in the ancestral tomb ! Her memory 
 appears to be better than I expected." 
 
 The sheet shook in the baroness's fingers ; she 
 gazed fixedly at it, then let it fall, 
 
 " I thank you, Mademoiselle Chenois," she said, 
 holding out her hand to the dancer. " I beg your 
 pardon for offending you just now." 
 
 It was the first time in Baroness von Rotterswyl's 
 life that she had ever asked forgiveness — and now 
 she appealed for it to a ballet-dancer ! 
 
 "■ But I hope you will solve this mystery entirely. 
 I understand the enigma only in part," she con- 
 tinued. " Where did you get this letter?" 
 
 " It fell into my hands by accident," said Heloise, 
 calml3^ " An intimate friend of the writer, to 
 whom the letter was addressed, dropped it out of 
 his case. I found it under his chair after he had 
 gone." 
 
 "• And how did you learn the whole connection of 
 the affair?" continued the baroness. 
 
 " From the same source. Herr Wikke had drunk 
 some of my Tokay and, in consequence, became 
 communicative." 
 
 " I have heard that Brand was your friend and 
 confidant, mademoiselle?" 
 
 There was still a tone of suspicion in the old 
 lady's vxnce. 
 
1 74 The Opposite House. 
 
 " He was also your friend. Ida's confidant," said 
 Heloise, shrugging her shoulders. " He knew that 
 I had jewels, and came for love of my diamonds." 
 
 " He has robbed you ?" 
 
 " Yes, madam !" 
 
 "You have reported it?" 
 
 The dancer smiled bitterly. 
 
 *' He is too clever a swindler to commit common 
 theft. No, he compelled me to give him a written 
 statement that I had bestowed the jewels upon him 
 as payment for a trivial friendly service. It was a 
 mere pretext, for I am sure that, had he given me 
 even a srlass of water, I should have been forced to 
 sign the paper. He put his hand on his breast- 
 pocket, saying : ' Do either this or that ;' and I knew 
 that he would be capable of anything, and that the 
 pistol he carried was loaded ! I was obliged to sub- 
 mit, if I wished to escape being murdered ! Re- 
 venge induced me to lure from his friend the secret 
 concerning you, madam." 
 
 The Frenchwoman spoke as lightly as though 
 the whole matter was a trifle, unpleasant, it is true, 
 but not to be changed. Baroness von Rotterswyl 
 had heard of the magnificent jewels, and was aston- 
 ished at this cool reception of the loss. 
 
 " Shameful !" she exclaimed, pacing hurriedly up 
 and down the room. " But how is he to be captured, 
 mademoiselle ? The man is as smooth and slippery 
 
The Opposite House. 175 
 
 as an eel, and I fear we can hardly trust solely to 
 the letter, though it is certainly the same hand- 
 writing. Let us see, I have some of Ida's old let- 
 ters." 
 
 She went to the chest of drawers, opened the one 
 in the middle, took out an old-fashioned portfolio 
 and hurriedly ransacked its contents, which con- 
 sisted principally of letters, yellowed sheets, ar- 
 ranged with a certain degree of care. 
 
 " Here, look yourself," she exclaimed, exultingly 
 taking out a letter to compare it with Brand's. 
 " Precisely the same hand, only here a little more 
 hurried and careless." 
 
 The dancer hastily approached. 
 
 " Adored Ida," " Old Pal." Yes, there was a strik- 
 ing resemblance in the handwriting. 
 
 " I have other things to reveal, madam," she said 
 in a more excited tone than before, " which would 
 surely place Brand in the hands of the police. It is 
 a secret which may cost him his life. He is a 
 sharper ; he is the head of a secret gaming-hell ; he 
 treads forbidden paths, and the police seem to be 
 already on his track. He is — " 
 
 " Mademoiselle !" cried the baroness, with vehe- 
 ment emotion, pausing before the visitor. " Is this 
 the truth ?" 
 
 Heloise laid her hand upon her heart. 
 
 " I swear it, for I have read it in his own hand," 
 
176 The Opposite House. 
 
 As slie spoke, she gave the baroness another letter 
 from Brand to Wikke. 
 
 The baroness read it eagerly and quickly. Then, 
 with a long breath, she straitened herself, pressing 
 her clenched hand upon her breast. 
 
 " Now, we have won the game !" she murmured, 
 her eyes blazing with hate. " Oh, my God, how I 
 thank Thee for this hour !" 
 
 " The main thing in the whole matter is haste, 
 madam," said Heloise, urgently. " If we wish to 
 accomplish anything, we must act promptly and 
 seize the nest before the birds have fled. Brand, as 
 you see from the letter, will play only two evenings 
 more, and then secretly make his escape to America, 
 so it would be advisable for us instantly to take 
 steps to prevent his eluding us." 
 
 " You are right," said Baroness von Rotterswyl, 
 rising. " Come, then, I will dress and hope that 
 you will drive with me to the office of the chief of 
 police." 
 
 " I will accompany you, madam !" 
 
 While waiting for the baroness, Heloise gazed 
 triumphantly at the green foliage before the 
 window. 
 
 " Only have patience, my diamonds. I will soon 
 come for you." 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 REVENGE. 
 
 "This will be the last evening," Brand nodded, 
 with an air of satisfaction, as he walked with Wikke 
 toward the gaming-hall. " Then we will go by the 
 night train direct to the North Sea, and I hope to- 
 morrow we shall see the sun rise over Bremen. 
 Deuce take it ! I have the travelling fever, and 
 can scarcely wait for the hour of departure to 
 come." 
 
 " Dame Fortune shall have six psalms sung to her 
 when we once breathe the sea air," replied Wikke, 
 drawing a long breath. " Satan knows I had a 
 wretched dream last night. Fie ! I actually felt 
 the rope cut into my neck, and when I woke, the 
 first thing I did was to touch my throat to try 
 whether the disagreeable knot was still there. It's 
 a very uncomfortable feeling to have the ground 
 sway under your feet." 
 
 U77] 
 
178 The Opposite House. 
 
 " Nightmare, my poor fellow," said Brand, forcing 
 a smile, as he involuntarily loosened his cravat with 
 his thumb. " Hanging has gone out of fashion in 
 the nineteenth century, and nobody thinks of cut- 
 ting throats on account of a little cheating at the 
 card-table." 
 
 " Yes, but suppose that story should leak out," 
 interrupted Wikke, glancing timidly around. " You 
 are surrounded by spies here — Baroness von Rot- 
 terswyl, for instance." 
 
 " Folly !" said Brand, with ?C gay laugh. " I 
 haven't an atom of fear of the old woman. If she 
 has failed to discover my identity in nearly three 
 months, she won't feel any suspicion during these 
 last six hours. Besides, I have served up various 
 items of news to her recently. Just now she is pur- 
 suing a clue in Breslau, like a vulture circling 
 above its prey. The poor province of Silesia is 
 closely watched. No, my boy, Baroness von Rot- 
 terswyl will not play the part of Nemesis in this 
 life, and, spite of our mutual antipathy, I '11 drain a 
 glass of champagne to her future prosperity. I 've 
 already ordered some bottles of wine, and we '11 have 
 one more jolly time this evening." 
 
 " Have you packed already ?" 
 
 " Everything except a few trifles to be flung on 
 the top ; then I '11 close the trunk and say farewell 
 for this time." Brand took his arm and entered 
 
The Opposite House. 1^9 
 
 the yard of the secret gaming-house. " Baltimore 
 is said to be a very gay place." 
 
 He laughed, turned the handle of the door, and 
 passed into the dimly-lighted corridor up to the 
 gambling-rooms. 
 
 Visitors gradually arrived. Brand had just ar- 
 ranged the table in the side-room and closed the 
 blinds ; the landlord, Kiihn, was noiselessly clear- 
 ing away the remains of the food which had been 
 served. 
 
 Most of the guests were mere youths, scarcely 
 beyond boyhood, and were either preparing for the 
 military service or visiting the springs for pleas- 
 ure. Some, it is true, came from the neighboring 
 universities to spend Saturday and Sunday at Wies- 
 baden. The majority were children of wealthy 
 people who had credit and property, but, still inex- 
 perienced and thoughtless, were easily tempted, and 
 who scarcely understood the meaning of the notes 
 or post-obits which they so willingly gave. 
 
 Ere long the gambling was in full swing, and 
 Brand's keen eye watched the cash that he might 
 be sure to have three times as much come in as he 
 paid out. Luck appeared to be decidedly on the 
 side of the bank to-day. Doctor Brand's well-kept 
 hand constantly gathered in piles of glittering coins, 
 and rarely pushed scanty gains across the green 
 table- 
 
i8o The Opposite House. 
 
 A death-like silence pervaded the room, inter- 
 rupted only by the monotonous tones of the crou- 
 pier's voice, or the clink of a gold piece falling on 
 the moldering boards. 
 
 Suddenly there was a loud noise on the stairs. 
 Heavy footsteps came nearer and nearer. It was 
 impossible that so many guests could have arrived 
 at once. 
 
 Brand listened ; his pale face bore unmistakable 
 evidences of excitement. 
 
 Suddenly he started up, and gazed with shaking 
 limbs at the door opposite, which had just opened. 
 A dark figure, in a cloak and helmet, appeared on 
 the threshold, grasping a drawn sword. 
 
 " In the name of the law," said a deep voice, 
 " you are my prisoners !" 
 
 Other police officers followed and hastily sur- 
 rounded the terrified gamblers, who stared, with 
 blanched faces, at these unbidden guests. Then 
 the momentary paralysis ceased, and was followed 
 by great confusion, amid which all rushed to the 
 windows. In vain. The room was in the second 
 story. The young men, fairly crazed by despera- 
 tion, dashed forward to force their way through the 
 ranks of the officers. Brand and Wikke darted to 
 the side-door. The former tore it open with trem- 
 bling hands ; a drawn sword flashed before his eyes 
 and a strong hand clutched his arm. Brand 
 
The Opposite Hozcse. i8i 
 
 wrenched himself free with almost superhuman 
 effort and rushed back into the room ; drops of cold 
 perspiration stood on his brow, and his eyes blazed 
 with the light of insanity in their deep sockets. 
 Taking refuge behind a table, he drew a pistol from 
 his breast-pocket. 
 
 " Scoundrel ! Wretch !" he muttered, through 
 his set teeth, as the men pressed toward him. 
 " I '11 shoot down like a dog the first person who 
 dares to touch me ! The devil knows I 've no idea 
 of jesting. Kiihn ! Wikke !" he roared, clenching 
 his fist. " Where is Kiihn ?" 
 
 The officers fell back a moment before the mad- 
 man who was brandishing the pistol at them. The 
 trigger snapped under his fingers, and his eyes 
 rolled with savage resolution. Wikke had already 
 been arrested and led out of the room. Brand 
 leaned against the wall, his face blanched to the 
 hue of death, his white teeth glittered between his 
 drawn lips. The policemen had formed a circle 
 round the croupier, while a lieutenant turned to the 
 trembling gamblers, who, with quiet resignation, 
 awaited their fate. 
 
 A compassionate expression hovered around the 
 officer's lips as he noted the reputable names of the 
 boyish prisoners. Then he was obliged to direct 
 his whole attention to Doctor Brand, who, with sav- 
 age threats, maintained his place. A painful pause 
 
1 82 The Opposite Hotise. 
 
 followed. The men hesitated to advance to\v^rd 
 the murderous bullet. Just at that moment the 
 door of the room opened, and a woman's figure 
 crossed the threshold. She was muffled in gloomy 
 black draperies, which trailed over the floor ; her 
 thin face looked like colorless marble amid the folds 
 of a black lace scarf, and a pair of staring gray eyes 
 rested upon the prisoner, who suddenly staggered 
 back, lowering his weapon. The baroness slowly 
 advanced ; her noiseless approach seemed to the 
 horrified man like that of a specter. With a gesture 
 of terrible accusation, she raised her slender hand 
 and, in a hollow tone, addressed the man, who, with 
 tangled hair, leaned trembling and powerless 
 against the whitewashed wall. 
 
 " Max Zaubinger, Count Berndt and Doctor 
 Brand, in the presence of these witnesses, I make 
 my charge against you. I accuse you of murder, 
 for with this bullet "—the baroness held the bit of 
 lead high aloft — " you killed the brother of your be- 
 trothed bride, Barop Lewin ! With the same hand you 
 robbed his sister of her jewels and property, forged 
 a will and a certificate of death in Holland, and, in 
 Eastern Prussia, the birth-year of the dead Max 
 Brand in the church register." 
 
 " Lies, infamous lies !" shrieked Brand, foaming 
 with rage. " The woman is mad, raving crazy !" 
 "Btj a last effort of resolve, he raised the pistol. 
 
The Opposite House. i8 
 
 o 
 
 " Make way — or, so help me Satan, a corpse will 
 lie here." 
 
 " Calm yourself, doctor !" replied the baroness, 
 in a tone of icy contempt. " If you think a double 
 murder will secure a better fate, you are mistaken. 
 Eleven men will be left to arrest you, if one of 
 their number falls a victim. So cease these vain 
 threats, which will be of no avail. Am I raving? 
 LiDok, sir. Do you know this letter, do you know 
 who accuses and denounces himself ?" 
 
 Brand's eyes stared at the page his gloomy ac- 
 cuser held out to him. Black shadows danced before 
 his eyes, and his heart fairly stopped beating. How 
 came this damning sheet into the hands of his 
 enemy ? With a gurgling laugh he staggered back 
 against the wall ; now he perceived that all hope 
 was indeed over. Then a terrible thought flashed 
 through his brain. With sudden resolution he 
 aithed his weapon at the head of the baroness, but 
 the sergeant's sword-blade darted still more swiftly 
 through the air, and, with a sudden blow, struck 
 down the menacing barrel. There was a loud re- 
 port, a cloud of smoke, and Brand fell forward 
 heavily against the sharp edge of the table. 
 
 The smoke floated around the tops of the helmets, 
 l^lie oil-l£lmps flickered dimly above the head of the 
 baroness, who, her figure drawn to its full height, 
 still stood with uplifted hand. Not a muscle in the 
 
184 The Opposite House. 
 
 stony face quivered. Why should she tremble 
 before the hand which had robbed her of every joy 
 in life ? 
 
 Close by the wall lay a dying man, still gasping- 
 faintly, his limbs twitching in the last agony. The 
 black-robed figure slowly advanced and gazed in- 
 tently at the hated features, from which the rude 
 hand of death had stripped the mask. The profile 
 of " Count Berndt " was relieved with horrible dis- 
 tinctness against the floor, waxen, pale and scarcely 
 disfigured, but without its perpetual smile. The 
 hand still clenched the pistol, and from the temple 
 a dark stream trickled down the whole shirt, crim- 
 soning the breast just at the spot where the fatal 
 bullet had struck the hapless Lewin. 
 
 " The murderer has executed himself, baroness," 
 said the captain of police. " Your accusation was 
 swiftly followed by justice." 
 
 The lady stood motionless before the lifeless 
 form, then, with silent horror, she stepped back, 
 clasping her slender hands : 
 
 " Thy ways are long and wonderful, oh, God, but 
 they lead to the goal — to vengeance and retribu- 
 tion !" 
 
 She bowed her head in prayer, then turned and, 
 with a formal greeting, passed noiselessly through 
 the door. 
 
 Meanwhile Heloise had watched the course of 
 
The Opposite House. 185 
 
 events from the next room. She saw that Brand 
 was shot, and glided swiftly into the little corridor. 
 His overcoat must hang there. She groped her way 
 to it and hastily searched the pockets, where she 
 found a large door-key and a bunch of small keys. 
 Grasping her prize with delight, she hurried swiftly 
 down the stairs into the darkness. 
 
 Without a single backward glance, Heloise rushed 
 through the deserted streets to Brand's lodgings 
 and, opening the door, ran up the carpeted stairs to 
 his room. She tried the key ; her fingers trembled, 
 but she clenched her teeth, opened the creaking 
 lock and, almost blind with excitement, stepped 
 into the room. 
 
 The trunk stood in the center, unlocked — so much 
 the better ! Heloise raised the lid and rummaged 
 with feverish haste among the various articles it 
 contained, tossing them hither and thither. Then 
 she uttered a low cry of delight. Her casket ! Her 
 casket ! 
 
 Snatching the treasure, she pressed it to her pant- 
 ing breast and fled swiftly from the dead man's abode. 
 
 Darting under the rustling trees in the park, she 
 glided through the shadows and reached home, 
 breathless. There she set the casket down and 
 lighted the gas — all the jets which she could find ; 
 she wanted to have the room as bright as though 
 the sun was shining into it with full radiance. 
 
i86 
 
 The Opposite House: 
 
 "Triumpli!" she exclaimed, with raptiirotis de- 
 light, loosening her wealth of dark hair. She was 
 standing before the mirror, longing to enjt»y thfe 
 sight of her resplendent image ! What a glow of 
 light the chandelier poured down upon her ! No^ 
 for her jewels — her diamonds ! 
 
 She went to the casket, pressing her hand upon 
 her beating heart, her eyes closed a moment, as if 
 she was afraid of being blinded by the flash of tile 
 diamonds— the spectacle of the idolized treasure to 
 which her whole soul clung ! Then she slowly 
 raised the lid. A startled cry followed, and Heloise, 
 staggering back, sank fainting beside the crimson- 
 lined jewel case. It was — empty ! 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 IN THE ENEMY S COUNTRY. 
 
 The mist hung like a damp pall over the neigh- 
 boring forest ; the broad plain lay veiled and form- 
 less, separated from a patch of land recently cleared 
 by a long row of fir-trees. The moon was pale, no 
 star shone brightly through the gray clouds, which 
 hung in a mass as heavy and threatening as though 
 all the smoke of the cannon used in the war had 
 risen heavenward to utter complaints and lamenta- 
 tions. 
 
 The wind swept by, tossing the swaying branches, 
 whose gay autumnal foliage whirled down to the 
 damp earth ; the plaintive notes of birds echoed from 
 the neighboring rushes, and died away in a soft 
 echo in the western valley. Wooded mountain- 
 peaks stood forth in sharp relief against the sky ; 
 the mysterious notes of the alarm-bell accom- 
 panied the red light on the clouds with appeals for 
 
iSS The Opposite House. 
 
 help ; yonder flamed the cruel torch swung by the 
 fleshless hand of war. 
 
 Here, too, in the little woodland meadow flames 
 were blazing, but the light they shed was peaceful, 
 and the scene which they illumined was full of re- 
 pose — the bivouac of the hussars. The guards 
 paced to and fro ; their steps died away on the moss- 
 covered ground, and nothing was heard save the 
 clank of the sabers when their wearers passed over 
 projecting roots, or the loose stones grated under 
 their tread. 
 
 The men, worn out by the long ride, lay sleeping 
 heavily on wretched beds made of scanty bundles 
 of rain-soaked strawy with their cloaks wrapped 
 about them. They were sturdy Germans, among 
 them many members of the Landwehr, called to 
 arms from the most varied trades, and lulled to 
 sweet dreams of their native land by the spicy odor 
 of the surrounding forest. 
 
 The officers were gathered around one of the 
 fires. A flask was passed from hand to hand, and 
 in the midst of the circle was spread a chart of the 
 country, which was eagerly discussed and studied, 
 and frequently crossed with colored pencil-marks. 
 
 The adjutant was silently tracing upon the chart 
 an almost imperceptible path through the moun- 
 tains. 
 
 " Poor fellow !" he murmured under his breath. 
 
The Opposite House. 189 
 
 " The path can scarcely be found upon the chart, and 
 to follow it on a dark night in an entirely unknown 
 country ! It 's two o'clock, major," he cried, looking 
 up. " They must have reached headquarters by 
 this time, if the way was open." 
 
 The major drew out his watch. 
 
 "Yes, they may be there. Indeed, they may 
 have reached their destination long ago," he added, 
 gravely; " but who can tell where our brave fellows 
 may be fighting ! The ride was at the risk of life, 
 and I almost fear that Gerrald pays too little heed 
 to the danger which surrounds him — knows no cau- 
 tion in his zeal. Have you found any by-paths, 
 Haldern?" 
 
 " Two cross-roads, major." 
 
 A pause ensued. The gentlemen were grave and 
 absorbed in their own thoughts as, sitting silently 
 side by side, they puffed clouds of smoke from their 
 short pipes. 
 
 The wind roared through the neighboring forest, 
 tossing the boughs to and fro. A wan moonbeam 
 stole through the clouds, and the alarm-bell, with a 
 last shrill note, ceased to sound. It was an uncanny 
 night. 
 
 "It would be a sad pity for Gerrald," murmured 
 Lieutenant von Haldern between his set teeth. " So 
 brave a soldier deserves to die on the field of honor, 
 and not be treacherously shot from ambush, like 
 
igo The Opposite Hous6.' 
 
 hunted game. These beastly Franc-tircurs infest 
 the whole tegion, and, by heaven, it 's no child's 
 play to slip through their line." 
 
 " Even if our brave cotnrade should not return," 
 interposed one of the captains, " he will proba,bly 
 die the most honorable death of any of us. In the 
 open field the soldier has his enemy before him ; he 
 knows where Death grins at him and does not fear 
 his dart ; but Gerrald volunteered for a ride dur- 
 ing which every step may be his last, where danger 
 threatens on all sides, and before which our boldest 
 men quailed. It was necessary to carry to head- 
 quarters the news that the enemy was advancing ill 
 strong force, unnoticed ; if he obtained free passage 
 all was lost. Thanks to the bold spy and our friend 
 Gerrald 's excellent glass, we perceived the ma- 
 neuver in time, and, I hope, shall now be able to 
 thwart the clever plan." 
 
 Meantime the smothered beat of horses' hoofs 
 was heard amid the neighboring thicket ; the 
 branches snapped and rustled ; now and then a 
 saber clanked. Impatient snorting and the noise 
 of pebbles dashed aside reached the ears of the 
 officers ; then the dewy moss subdued the sound, 
 and nothing was heard except the pattering of the 
 rain-drops shaken from the drooping boughs. 
 
 The sentinel challenged. 
 
 *' Lieutenant Gerrald and ten hussars returned 
 
The Opposite House. 191 
 
 from orderly duty," replied the young officer's 
 familiar voice. 
 
 The troop of cavalry turned into the meadow, 
 and their leader sprang from his steaming horse 
 and hastily advanced toward the group of officers, 
 who had started up and rushed to meet him. 
 
 " Where in the world did you come from?" asked 
 several voices in astonishment. But the young 
 man stood erect before his superior officer, raised 
 his hand to his cap in a military salute, and briefly 
 gave his report. 
 
 The flickering fire cast a vivid light upon his 
 handsome features and flashed upon his saber 
 swinging at his side. 
 
 " I thank you. Lieutenant Gerrald," replied the 
 major, with a tremor of feeling in his gruff tones. 
 " I thank you in the name of our country. You 
 have saved the lives of many brave comrades, 
 and aided our illustrious sovereign, if it is God's 
 will, to a fresh victory ! So the order to advajice is 
 given, the battle will come at last, and I believe, 
 gentlemen, that we are on the eve of an important 
 day. Your hand, Gerrald. What? Are you 
 wounded ?" 
 
 Haldern hastened forward and raised the limp 
 arm, in whose place Gerrald had offered his left 
 hand, while the other members of the group pressed 
 arouad him with eager questions. 
 
192 The Opposite Hozise. 
 
 " Were 5^011 forced to cut your way through the 
 enemy ? Have you had a skirmish ?" 
 
 The young officer made an involuntary effort to 
 raise the wounded limb. 
 
 "We met the men in blouses!" he muttered be- 
 tween his set teeth, with flashing eyes. " We were 
 obliged to leave two fine fellows yonder in the 
 mountains. Corporal Hocker has received a severe 
 wound in the head, and three horses are injured ; 
 but the darkness prevented my determining to 
 what extent. Sergeant Meissner's little bay limps 
 badly. I received a slash in the arm as a memento ; 
 it 's a mere trifle, but it makes it useless." 
 
 He turned and held out his sound hand to Hal- 
 dern and his other comrades. 
 
 " How are you, gentlemen ! I almost thought, up 
 yonder in the woods, that we should never say 
 good evening to one another again !" 
 
 His voice sounded blithe and cordial. 
 
 " So there was a sharp skirmish ?" cried a young 
 officer, springing across a bundle of straw to offer 
 his field flask. " By Jove, Gerrald, 3^ou are a lucky 
 fellow ! I am quite sure any one of us would have 
 bit the dust, and you alone, as Fortune's favorite 
 child, escaped with barely a scratch. There he 
 stands now as quietly as though nothing of the 
 least importance had happened, and yet he as good 
 as has the iron cross in his pocket. The major 
 
The Opposite House. 193 
 
 doesn't say much usually, but to-day — " He 
 glanced with a significant gesture at his superior 
 officer, who, accompanied by the surgeon, had gone 
 to the returned hussars to examine their various 
 wounds. 
 
 " So the bomb will burst to-morrow !" a first lieu- 
 tenant called across the fire. " Well, any battle in 
 the open field will be more welcome than this con- 
 founded work in the woods, where the utmost that 
 can be expected is to get a murderous bit of lead in 
 the ribs. So you encountered the band in the woods 
 and sharpened your swords on one another's bones 
 in the true barbarous fashion of ancient times. How 
 strong were they ?" 
 
 " Probably twace our number," replied Gerrald, 
 shrugging his shoulders. 
 
 Haldern gravely interrupted. 
 
 " I had confidently expected that you would re- 
 main at headquarters until to-morrow. To make 
 such an expedition twice in one night augurs more 
 than contempt of death, and I am also perfectly 
 sure that you returned to us by your own wish." 
 
 Gerrald gazed gloomily into vacancy. 
 
 " The order to march had to be brought to-night, 
 
 for we are to join the infantry in E at eight 
 
 o'clock to-morrow morning, and, consequently, we 
 must leave here at five at the latest. The general 
 wished to send a party of dragoons ; but what was 
 
194 ^^^^ Opposite House. 
 
 the use of having the poor fellows wander about in 
 this wilderness, where they would never have found 
 their way down into the valley ! I had already gone 
 through the difficulties, and knew the ground, while 
 they were ignorant of it. No, that would have been 
 useless waste of life ! My men ride like the Wild 
 Huntsman ; the horses were still fresh ; so wh}' 
 should others dash into needless destruction ? 
 Therefore I volunteered to return." 
 
 " I hope the general understood the meaning of 
 the offer ?" said Von Haldern, with sparkling eyes. 
 " I presume he was satisfied with his hussars ?" 
 
 " He thanked me in the name of the king and as- 
 sured me of his fullest appreciation," replied Ger- 
 rald, quietly nodding assent. " But I really don't 
 understand why you make such an ado over my 
 doing my duty, I consider it a matter of course." 
 
 " Go and cool your arm now ; the hand is very 
 much swollen," said the captain of the regiment, 
 who had returned with the major. " You will prob- 
 ably be unable to use anything but a revolver to- 
 morrow, Gerrald ; it 's a bad cut." 
 
 " And I advise you to get a few hours' sleep, my 
 brave young fellow," added the commander, holding 
 out his hand to him a second time. " Corporal 
 Hocker and Meissner have given me the details of 
 your skirmish, and I can only express my entire 
 satisfaction with yourj^iscreet management. I con- 
 
The Opposite House. 195 
 
 gratulate you, comrade, and shall propose your 
 name as a loyal soldier for the bestowal of the iron 
 cross." 
 
 Gerrald silently bowed his thanks. A deep flush 
 crimsoned his brow, and his mournful eyes sparkled 
 with the proud delight of the young warrior who 
 gathers his first laurels from the thorny, blood- 
 soaked ground. 
 
 Haldern thrust his arm into his friend's and drew 
 him away to the camp-fire. His brother officers 
 pressed with sincere pleasure around their univer- 
 sally popular comrade, and they finally exchanged 
 a " good-night "—perhaps the last. There was 
 something in the clasp of the hand which suggested 
 an eternal farewell. There is a strange feeling con- 
 cerning the parting on the eve of a battle. Who 
 knows whether to-morrow evening one can clasp a 
 hand warm with life ? 
 
 So they parted and laid their weary heads to rest 
 beside the crackling fire. It sounded as familiar as 
 at their beloved homes, and pitying dreams con- 
 jured around their damp couches the dear forms 
 far away in their distant native land. 
 
 Haldern and Gerrald still sat together. The fire 
 had almost burned out ; only a bright flash occasion- 
 ally blazed upward, flickering over the faces of the 
 two men who were conversing so earnestly together. 
 
 Leo von Haldern had a peculiar temperament. 
 
196 The Opposite House. 
 
 whose almost gloomy bias made him appear several 
 years older. A series of misfortunes and the loss 
 of the woman whom he loved had embittered his 
 youth and prematurely ripened him to manhood, 
 frequently rendering life a necessity hard to endure. 
 His features were pale, finely-chiseled, and marked 
 with the lines of fate. He was a quiet, thoughtful 
 man, whose frequent melancholy formed a strange 
 contrast to his companions' gay spirits, and which 
 doubly attracted him to Gerrald, whose reserve 
 touched a sympathetic chord. Their friendship 
 was a slow growth, but it was a bond formed for 
 life, which made the young men as intimate as 
 brothers. Haldern was a man of brilliant intellect, 
 whose talents and knowledge were gladly recog- 
 nized and appreciated. He served his country 
 better with his brains than with his blade, whose 
 keenness he had not yet had an opportunity to test. 
 Compared with his excitable friend, he possessed a 
 calm, reflective character, quietly repaired many an 
 error which the hot-headed Gerrald committed, and 
 yet bestowed upon the young officer, though so 
 much his junior, his warmest admiration and friend- 
 ship. His passionate longing for conflict and peril 
 impressed him ; the daring boldness with which he 
 made his reconnoitering expeditions affected him 
 as much as it won the admiration of his comrades ; 
 and the success which frequently attended his 
 
The Opposite Ho7ise. 197 
 
 efforts, and gained for him the esteem and regard 
 of his superior officers, rendered Haldern as proud 
 and happy as though he himself was the bold rider. 
 Gerrald was an original sort of fellow, and his fear- 
 lessness frequently bordered upon a strange defiance 
 of danger, when he essayed to push a perilous situ- 
 ation to extremes. 
 
 Yet Haldern's keen eye did not fail to perceive 
 that this scorn of death and exposure of his own 
 life was from a morbid desire to court the perils of 
 war as much as possible, that he was constantly 
 throwing down the gauntlet to death, and yet had 
 constantly escaped, frequently in a very remarkable 
 way. The young baron even understood his friend's 
 dreams and thoughts when, at the close of a day of 
 wild excitement, he was left to himself and his 
 reveries ; and after gazing mournfull}^ into the dis- 
 tance, he buried his face in his hands with a gesture 
 of despair, after covering the sealed mystery which 
 he wore day and night like a talisman upon his 
 heart with fervent kisses. 
 
 "Gerrald," the adjutant began, fixing his dark 
 eyes earnestly upon his friend's features, " this is, 
 perhaps, the last time I shall see you. What may 
 have befallen us by to-morroAV evening, we do 
 not know, and I have a sad foreboding that I must 
 tell you everything which burdens my heart to- 
 day, since I may not be able to do so to-morrow." 
 
198 The Opposite House, 
 
 Gerrald pressed the speaker's hand, and gazed 
 silently into the ruddy glow at his feet. 
 
 " You have been my best and truest friend, 
 Traugott," Von Haldern added, in an agitated tone. 
 " I have loved few persons, and been loved by few. 
 I have never known happiness. Death robbed me 
 of all that I held dear ; you are the only soul who 
 has understood me ; you have often shared my grief 
 and been silent concerning your own life. I have 
 never asked the cause of your mysterious conduct, 
 have never tortured you with questions, as a friend 
 may be permitted to do, because I was afraid of 
 being indiscreet. This is, perhaps, the last time 
 that we shall have the sky above our heads. Take 
 no secret into the grave, Gerrald. Reveal it." 
 
 The young officer raised his eyes sorrowfully. 
 
 " I have no secret, Leo," he said, in a hollow tone. 
 " On the contrary, too many already know it ; that is 
 why I keep silence. What you desire to learn is 
 quickly told ; the words containing so much misery 
 are absurdly few. I made a vow and broke it. I 
 possessed the love of a woman of angelic purity and 
 forfeited it. I deserted a ballet-dancer and she 
 revenged herself upon me, and now I wish to offer 
 my life in expiation, and Death disdains it ; or has 
 hitherto. What the morrow will bring 1 do not 
 know." 
 
 He supported his head on his hand and gazed 
 
The Opposite House. 199 
 
 fixedly at his sword, whose point was jagged and 
 stained. Raising the slender steel blade, he tested 
 the point with his thumb. 
 
 " It has done me many a good service," he mur- 
 mured ; " hold out bravely to-morrow, old friend." 
 
 Haldern made no reply ; he seemed lost in 
 thought. The leaves rustled, a horse snorted, and 
 a sentinel's saber clanked against the roots and 
 stones. 
 
 Leo raised his head. 
 
 " Does she no longer love you ?" he asked, in a 
 low tone. 
 
 Gerrald drew his treasure from his pocket. 
 
 " Look ; she gave me this when we parted ; a tal- 
 isman that is to protect me. Then we bade each 
 other farewell. I do not know what it is. I cannot 
 open it until I am severely wounded or can replace 
 it in her hands at the close of the campaign. Does 
 she love me ? Yes, she said so, though perhaps it 
 was an act of charity, of mercy, not to let the man 
 who once possessed her heart depart without a 
 blessing. Oh, Haldern !" he groaned, pressing his 
 hand upon his breast in the torture of his suffering. 
 " Why must I drag out this burdensome existence, 
 of which I am utterly weary ?" 
 
 " Do not sin, Gerrald ; you are standing on the 
 verge of the grave every instant !" said Haldern, 
 passing his arm around his friend's neck. "And if 
 
200 The Opposite House. 
 
 you survive to-morrow, show that you are still worthy 
 — to live." 
 
 The fresh morning breeze swept over the meadow 
 and drove the mist into the valley ; Haldern drew 
 his cloak closer around his shoulders and pushed a 
 bundle of straw under his head. 
 
 " Let us rest an hour, comrade," he said. " We 
 shall need fresh strength to-morrow, and it will be 
 so pleasant to be waked once more by the bright 
 sunshine." 
 
 " You speak as though you had ordered a bullet 
 specially for your heart," said Gerrald, trying to 
 jest. " No, we will not say good night to each other, 
 friend Leo. God grant that the sun may shine in 
 your eyes for many a year !" 
 
 A tender clasp of the hand, then all was still 
 around the fire ; its coals yet glimmered under the 
 ashes ; the blades of grass waved to and fro, a faint 
 light tinged the sky, and the sentinel on the edge 
 of the forest hummed softly under his breath : 
 
 " Then I think of my distant love, 
 Whether she tender and true will prove." 
 
{9^ 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 A MEETING. 
 
 The sun set, blood-red. It had witnessed much 
 misery during that day's course, been reflected in 
 many a dim eye, and drunk from the earth with its 
 burning rays many a soldier's heart's blood ; now 
 it was sinking to rest, casting a shimmering farewell 
 light upon the sleepers whose cold hearts will rest 
 on the morrow beneath the cool earth. They slum- 
 bered soundly and forever — the brave champions of 
 God and their native land ! 
 
 The battle was over. Deep peace brooded over 
 the broad field of conflict. A distant signal, a 
 neighing steed, dashing riderless across the plain, 
 were the only sounds, save an occasional death- 
 rattle. 
 
 [201] 
 
202 The Opposite House. 
 
 Gerrald slowly raised himself ; his bewildered 
 gaze rested on the sunset glow, wandered over the 
 field of carnage, the corpses and heaps of ruins, then 
 slowly returned to the broken sword at his side. 
 Where was he ? 
 
 He mechanically pressed his hand upon his shoul- 
 der. The warm blood trickled over his finger, 
 staining his dusty uniform. Gradually conscious, 
 ness returned, and, with a deep sigh, he looked at 
 the aching wound. So he was still alive ! He lay 
 bleeding upon the deserted field. Where were his 
 comrades ? Where was Haldern ? Yes, now he 
 remembered how they had fought — dashed against 
 the hostile square. He saw Haldern fall from his 
 horse ; pressed forward to lift the dying man ; he 
 saw the foe dash down upon him ; raised his pistol ; 
 beheld the enemy fall ; then his own horse sank 
 under him ; he worked his way out from beneath 
 the animal's weight ; his arm fell powerless ; some- 
 thing struck him ; then all was darkness. But where 
 was Haldern ? Did he still live ? Had he escaped ? 
 Traugott felt his strength revive. Turning his 
 head, he gazed searchingly around. There lay the 
 Frenchman whom he had shot, and a few paces off, 
 his horse ; but he did not see Haldern, And yet, 
 was not that a hussar uniform among yonder heap 
 of corpses ? And there again — and there ! Ah ! 
 He saw several familiar uniforms. 
 
The Opposite Hoilsc. 203 
 
 His heart quivered at the spectacle. He longed 
 to start up, to rush forward, but sank back again, 
 and a terrible pain in his arm and shoulder almost 
 robbed him of consciousness a second time. Groan- 
 ing heavilv, he let his head sink on the g-round. 
 The moss cooled his cheeks, and the broken stems 
 of the heather mingled with his tangled hair. 
 Minutes elapsed ; then a burning thirst tortured 
 him. He longed for a few drops of some refreshing 
 drink, and feeling for the leather thong which held 
 his field-flask, he raised it with a trembling hand to 
 his lips. 
 
 The brandy ran down his throat like fire, seemed 
 to rouse his dormant vitality, and made the blood 
 throb in his temples. Opening the uniform, he 
 tried to strip off the sleeve. Again a stream of 
 blood poured from the wound, dyeing the white rib- 
 bon on his breast. The " God guard you " was col- 
 ored with a crimson stain. Traugott pressed his 
 handkerchief on the wound, and once more at- 
 tempted to rise, tottering forward a few steps only 
 to fall again. By his side lay the French horseman. 
 The bullet had pierced his breast ; a dark stream 
 was also flowing from a wound above his high boots, 
 and his livid lips quivered from the terrible agony 
 he was suffering. 
 
 Unutterable sympathy overpowered the young 
 oflficer. He again loosed his field-flask, bent over 
 
204 The Opposite House. 
 
 the wounded man, and slowly dropped the strength- 
 ening liquid on his parched tongue. A long breath 
 heaved the chest, the limbs relaxed as if with a 
 sense of profound relief, and when Traugott un- 
 fastened the buttons of the coat and loosened the 
 sword-belt, the cuirassier opened his dim eyes and 
 gazed at the German deliverer who was so merci- 
 fully aiding his foe. 
 
 An inarticulate murmur reached his ear ; the 
 Frenchman's wan hand was feebly raised, and Trau- 
 gott understood the mute thanks, lifted the wounded 
 man's head to a more comfortable position, and re- 
 peatedly moistened his parched tongue. A smile of 
 touching appreciation flitted over his distorted face ; 
 then sighing heavily, he closed his eyes, and again 
 lapsed into unconsciousness. 
 
 Weakness also overpowered Traugott, who lay 
 gazing blankly at the clouds, whose sunset hues 
 were fading. He arranged his head more comfort- 
 ably on the moss-covered stone ; his hand rested 
 heavily on his breast, closely clasping the mysterious 
 jewel which seemed, in truth, to guard him. Then 
 he looked thoughtfully at the pallid face of the 
 French cavalryman, and the hand which but a few 
 hours ago had wielded the weapon with such youth- 
 ful vigor now lay clenched upon his bleeding 
 breast. 
 
 It was a narrow face, framed by a dark, full beard ; 
 
The Opposite House. 205 
 
 the liigh forehead was grave and furrowed by lines 
 of thought. Now there was a terrible rigidity in 
 every feature, a marble pallor which yielded only 
 to the deep shadows under the closed eyes — the 
 mysterious banner of Death, which he plants with 
 a rude hand upon the countenances of his victims. 
 
 Traugott gazed earnestly at this face, which con- 
 jured up a flood of thoughts. Who could he be ? 
 Where was his distant home, which would give him 
 no grave beside his loved ones ? Whom did he 
 leave behind in unutterable anguish ? Perhaps a 
 mother mourning her only child — her comfort, her 
 hope ; a mother whose sole joy was in those closed 
 eyes, perhaps never more to open upon the light of 
 this world. Oh, happy son, whose mother can re- 
 member him in love and peace, who need never 
 reproach himself with having darkened her life ! 
 Or did a betrothed bride await him — a young, loving 
 creature, whom his strong arm was to guide ? Will 
 she not weep for him and daily pray for his return ? 
 What was her appearance ? Did she resemble that 
 one image of maidenhood, fair and thoughtful, 
 gentle and sweet as yonder little wild rose hanging 
 by its broken stem from the bush ? Or was she a 
 true child of the Southern sun, laughing and viva- 
 cious, mischievous and coquettish amid her wealth 
 of waving brown locks ? 
 
 Gerrald's head sank lower^ on his.breast. The 
 
2o6 The Opposite House. 
 
 figures before his eyes became more indistinct, 
 blending into a misty blur. Only the blossom 
 waving on the rock opposite stood forth distinctly 
 before his eyes, and seemed to be transformed into 
 a girl's rosy face, nodding gently and consolingly 
 to him. The wounded man closed his eyes with a 
 smile, and dreamed of the little wild rose amid the 
 swaying boughs. 
 
 Dreary weeks dragged slowly along on leaden 
 wings ; weeks alternating between the delusions of 
 fever and death-like exhaustion, and which gave 
 cause for greater apprehension from the sufferer's 
 nervous exhaustion than from the wound itself. 
 
 Gerrald was in a hospital. How he had come 
 there he did not know ; he only remembered dimly 
 that he had been awakened on the battle-field by 
 the rescuing party, and had stood beside Haldern's 
 corpse to kiss, with deep emotion, the cold brow of 
 his loyal comrade. As he closed his glazed eyes 
 and then sank fainting himself, the nervous fever 
 set in, the surgeon had stated. 
 
 Now the worst was over. The struggle between 
 life and death had ended. Gerrald's youth and 
 vigorous constitution had again snatched him from 
 the edge of the grave, beside which he had so often 
 stood without descending into it. Next to his 
 couch was the one occupied by the French cuiras- 
 sier. It brought a soothing sensation to the yotmg 
 
The Opposite House. 207 
 
 officer to see the familiar features near him. He 
 felt less desolate after recognizing his companion 
 in suffering at his side. 
 
 By Traugott's special request the Frenchman had 
 received on the battle-field the prompt and careful 
 aid without which the feeble spark of life would have 
 been long since extinguished ; now the young Ger- 
 man tended him as one tends a beloved friend whose 
 wishes we seek to read in the eyes ere they are uttered. 
 
 The stranger was far too severely wounded to 
 keep pace with Gerrald in his recovery. He could 
 rarely exchange a few words with him — nay, he 
 scarcely recognized his Samaritan of the battle-field ; 
 and when consciousness slowly returned, as conva- 
 lescence progressed, he lay on his couch of pain in 
 gloomy silence, staring mournfully at the clouds of 
 snow which the tempest drove westward. He could 
 never again dance or ride, as if to vie with the little 
 flakes ; he had become a cripple ; sound and vigor- 
 ous in mind, but broken in strength in the very 
 prime of life ! 
 
 It was a gloomy winter evening. The storm 
 raged through the streets, creaking the rusty vane, 
 driving the icy flakes against the panes and heap- 
 ing them high on the frozen earth, then sweeping 
 them away and spreading them out in a glimmering 
 pall, beneath which all the magnificence and glad- 
 ness of the wide world lay buried. 
 
2o8 The Opposite Ho7ise. 
 
 An old monastery had been transformed into a 
 hospital, which sheltered in its cells and halls the 
 hapless victims of the dearly-bought victories, which 
 daily brought more sufferers to the House of Mercy. 
 
 Traugott lay in a small room on the ground floor, 
 with a Prussian infantry captain. The third com- 
 panion was the French cuirassier, who became more 
 and more warmly attached to his German neighbor. 
 There was a peculiar charm in approaching with self- 
 sacrificing kindness and friendship the man with 
 whom, a few weeks ago, he had a life-and-death 
 struggle, and studying in his book of life many a 
 noteworthy chapter which reflected the world in 
 hues ever new. What triumph could have been 
 greater than that of making the enemy a friend for 
 life? 
 
 Gerrald had learned many incidents of the young 
 Frenchman's past, which contained a portion of the 
 Parisian world, whose changeful scenes formed a 
 piquant romance in the eyes of the grave German. 
 Maurice de Gorc}?- was the son of aristocratic 
 parents, but having been orphaned at an early age 
 and left in possession of a considerable fortune, he had 
 enjoyed his youth to the full, fluttered through his 
 Parisian Eden, and finally fell in love with a little 
 dancer, far more deeply than he would ever admit. 
 She flirted with him as she did with the rest of her 
 admirers, laughed at him when he attempted to re- 
 
The Opposite House. 209 
 
 proach her for her reckless conduct, and pouted 
 scornfully when he talked of marriage. This irri- 
 tated his proud nature, and he broke with her. 
 She left the country, and Maurice married a mem- 
 ber of the aristocracy, the beautiful, idolized mar- 
 quise, who possessed every attraction save a heart 
 to love him. He admired her beauty, without feel- 
 ing any thrill of affection ; endured her caprices 
 without a murmur ; shared her triumphs without 
 being jealous. Day by day he became more gloomy, 
 till he was at last called an oddity. Then his wife's 
 conduct suddenly passed beyond the borders of de- 
 corum ; he roused himself from his indifference, de- 
 fended the honor of his name, obtained a divorce 
 from his wife, and shot her lover in a duel. 
 
 He was now entirely alone in the world ; but he 
 did not grieve. He had become too grave to find 
 pleasure in Paris, and so buried himself in the soli- 
 tude of his estates. There he wandered alone 
 through the woods, without friend or companion. 
 He did not even hunt much ; he had no interest in 
 the flying game ; but when he saw a glittering 
 lizard glide over the moor, with its bright eyes 
 sparkling through the blades of grass, he thought 
 of his litttle dancer, and sighed deeply at the re- 
 membrance. 
 
 Then the war came. He hurried back to Paris, 
 and took up arms. While riding through the 
 
2IO The Opposite House, 
 
 boulevards, chatting with an acquaintance, a branch 
 of laurel fell on the neck of his horse, and a laugh- 
 ing face bent from a carriage an da familiar voice 
 called : 
 
 " Bon jour, Maurice !" 
 
 He again saw his dancer of the Vari^t^s. His 
 love surged up again in his heart, stronger, more 
 sincere than ever ; but there was no time to tell her 
 so. And why should he ? She probably loved him 
 no better now than in former days. So he went to 
 the war. He wrote to her several times, and con- 
 stantly expected a few lines in reply ; but in vain. 
 She had probably never received his letters. 
 
 "What was the lady's name?" asked Traugott, 
 eagerly. 
 
 " Blanche Vertieux," said the cuirassier, dreamily. 
 
 " So it was not she," murmured Gerrald. He 
 fancied he must know the dancer, too. 
 
 The fire snapped on the hearth ; a little lamp 
 which diffused a flickering light hung from the chim- 
 ney. The sick-room was silent. Maurice lay asleep ; 
 the captain had stumped out into the hall on his 
 wooden leg to chat with some comrades, or to write 
 letters home, and Traugott lay silently on his 
 cushions, painting sweet visions of the future. 
 
 Just at that moment the door noiselessly opened. 
 A woman's slender figure entered, brushing the 
 flakes of snow from her black dress. The hussar 
 
■ The Opposite House. 2 1 1 
 
 did not look up. He thought it was a Sister of 
 Charity, and merely waved his hand toward his 
 sleeping friend. 
 
 Then words fell on his ears. A voice asked for 
 Maurice de Gorcy. 
 
 The tone of that voice was like an electric shock. 
 He raised himself, stared at the newcomer, and al- 
 most shrieked : 
 
 " Heloise !" 
 
 She, too, tottered back several paces, raising her 
 hands in boundless amazement, then murmured, in 
 a hollow tone : 
 
 " You here, Traugott?" 
 
 He gazed into her face, which looked pale and 
 narrow, framed in a black veil. The eyes were 
 mournful and surrounded by black circles ; the lips 
 were drawn tightly over the white teeth. What 
 had happened to Heloise ? She was no longer the 
 same as of yore. No longer the laughing beauty — 
 the Satanella of the D stage ; but a feeble, frag- 
 ile woman, standing in her black robes. What 
 could she have experienced to banish from her 
 cheeks the reckless, sunny smile ? 
 
 " So you are Blanche Vertieux ?" cried Gerrald, 
 raising himself. " Oh, I suspected it. I recognized 
 you in every word. No, do not go to him. Mau- 
 rice has been ill — dangerously ill. He must not see 
 you again so unexpectedly, Blanche Vertieux !" 
 
212 The Opposite Hotcse. 
 
 She. slowly approached and gazed mournfully at 
 him. 
 
 " Yes, that is my real name, Traugott ; though I 
 am known by it only in Paris. So he spoke of me — 
 he expected me ?" she went on, excitedly, " Ah, if 
 I have not come this weary way in vain !" 
 
 Her eyes met his, which rested gloomily upon 
 her, and he averted his head as she steadily returned 
 the gaze. 
 
 "Traugott," she said softly, clasping her hands, 
 " I never expected to meet you again in this life. I 
 did not hope to do so, and now that it has happened 
 I thank God for it." 
 
 A heavy sigh escaped her lips, and her eyes rested 
 anxiously on his pallid face. She awaited an answer, 
 but Traugott pressed his lips firmly together and re- 
 mained silent. 
 
 " It has burdened me like some evil spell," Heloise 
 continued, in a trembling voice. " The memory 
 haspursued me like a demon, granting me no peace. 
 I have had no good fortune since I left you, Trau- 
 gott ! Everything has resulted in disaster ; every- 
 thing went wrong, and the star hitherto so favorable 
 set forever in gloomy clouds. The remembrance of 
 our last meeting haunted me as if I had pronounced 
 the curse upon myself, and the hand which hurled 
 your jewel into the lake — " 
 
 "Silence!" groaned the wounded man. "Go, 
 
The Opposite House. 213 
 
 Heloise, go. Why do you cross my path again, if 
 you merely wish to remind me of the hour that 
 poisons my whole existence ?" 
 
 There was a terrible accusation in the tone of his 
 voice, and Heloise pressed her hand upon her heart 
 with a bitter smile. 
 
 "Poisons your whole existence ?" she repeated, 
 with an indescribable look. " As if you were the 
 only sufferer, Gerrald — a greater sufferer than the 
 woman who wrecked her own happiness with yours, 
 who is compelled to bear the double torture of the 
 pangs of conscience and of desertion — abandoned 
 alike by God and the world ! Do you imagine, Ger- 
 rald, that that night left no traces upon me — did not 
 pour into my heart the venom I sought to instill into 
 yours ? I have felt every word, every one of those 
 sharp dagger-thrusts with two-fold keenness in my 
 own heart, a heart that cannot forget that it once 
 loved you ! I have never wept during my gay life 
 on the stage ; never regretted any action ; did not 
 even know the bitter taste of tears. Now it seemed 
 as if all the omissions were to be repaired — as if I 
 were now to pass through all these hours of sorrow, 
 hours which had once seemed so absurdly far away. 
 I was to atone doubly for my former mockery. 
 Every form of misery has been heaped upon me 
 during this last year. Oh, God, what experiences I 
 have had ! What bitter, bitter want I have endured !" 
 
214 ^^^ opposite House. 
 
 She covered her face with her hands — thin, trans- 
 parent white hands. 
 
 Traugott raised himself on his pillows ; her words 
 pierced him to the heart, and the sight of her stirred 
 him even more powerfully than memory. 
 
 "You have suffered want?" he repeated, with 
 dilated eyes. " How can a woman like you suffer 
 want? You, Heloise, who are received everywhere 
 with open arms ?" 
 
 A sorrowful smile quivered around her lips as she 
 gazed intently at the sleeping cuirassier, who, sigh- 
 ing heavily, turned over on the other side. 
 
 " I was ill ; robbed ; helpless," she continued, in 
 a hollow tone. •' No one took my part ; I could get 
 no engagement. Matters went from bad to worse. 
 I knew what it was to eat dry bread. Oh ! And 
 then the war ! This horrible war ! I received a 
 letter from Maurice ; he was the only human being 
 who still cared for me. I sought him amid all these 
 horrors. I knew that I should find him." She 
 paused again ; then, with a swift glance, asked : 
 " Have you, too, been unhappy, Traugott ? Un- 
 happy for the sake of a half-withered flower, which 
 the fair-haired baroness could restore at any time ? 
 Why is your whole existence poisoned because, in 
 the whirl of the dance, you lost her little pledge of 
 love? Are you still wretched, Traugott? In the 
 name of Heaven's mercv, tell me that it is not so !" 
 
The Opposite House. 215 
 
 She sank beside his couch ; her timid glance 
 pleaded for mercy, and tears streamed upon her 
 clasped hands ; the flickering firelight danced over 
 her emaciated features. 
 
 " You do not know the association with that 
 flower, Heloise," murmured the young officer, in a 
 hollow tone. " You are mistaken if you think it 
 was a gift from Marie. When I put the flower into 
 the case, I neither knew her nor dreamed how ter- 
 rible the consequences of such a memento might 
 become." 
 
 " Not from Marie ?" escaped her lips ; her feat- 
 ures expressed mortal anxiety. " Good heavens ! 
 What was it, then ?" 
 
 " The last legacy of a dead woman !*' said Trau- 
 gott, with marked emphasis. " The blossom was 
 from my mother's coffin !" 
 
 A low cry reached his ears. Heloise was on her 
 knees, with her blanched face hidden in her hands. 
 There was no sound, only a slight tremor shook the 
 black-robed form. 
 
 At last she looked up at him, with a strange light 
 sparkling in her eyes. 
 
 " Then forgive me, for the sake of my soul, which 
 this flower has saved for the kingdom of heaven !" 
 
 Gerrald clasped her hand closely in his own. 
 
 " Forgotten and forgiven, Heloise !" he said, gen- 
 tly. " You have faithfully atoned for your error ; 
 
2i6 The Opposite House. 
 
 and I, too, have passed through darkness into light. 
 Let us part in peace, as friends — friends for time 
 and eternity !" 
 
 Heloise had risen, and laid her hand upon his 
 head, as if in benediction. 
 
 " Yes, be my friend, Traugott," she pleaded, with 
 a gentle glance. " I am beginning a new life to- 
 day, and God sent me the helping hand which will 
 point out the better path. A butterfly does not 
 stop fluttering to and fro. I am fit neither for a 
 sister nor a nun ; but I will be a good, true wife. 
 Yonder sick, crippled man needs aid and sympa- 
 thy — ' She pointed to the wounded officer. " If 
 he does not reject the dancer, she will find in his 
 heart a home where she can accomplish good." 
 
 ** No — he will not reject her!" exclaimed Trau- 
 gott, in an agitated tone. " He will welcome the 
 woman who occupies his thoughts night and day, 
 like a weary bird who has flown to and fro long 
 enough !" 
 
 " May God grant it," said the little dancer of the 
 Varietes. And clasping her hands, she prayed 
 silently. Satanella had laid her golden horns in the 
 grave with her lover. 
 
CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 AN EXCELLENT MATCH. 
 
 Baroness von Rotterswyl had returned from lier 
 visit to Frankfort. She looked somewhat pale and 
 weary, her eyes had a strangely mournful expres- 
 sion, and her gaze was pensive and often dewy with 
 tears. Her mother thought that her daughter's 
 manners were far more finished, and that she had 
 acquired at Countess Raven's entertainments the 
 ease of bearing which a Baroness von Rotterswyl 
 should possess under all circumstances. 
 
 Marie uttered a sigh of relief when she again en- 
 tered her quiet home. This peaceful room, with 
 its bow-window, was so far above the confused 
 tumult of the world, knew naught of all the heart- 
 break below, and received the young girl like a cozy, 
 hidden nest, whither she could flee with all her sor- 
 rows. True, there were no blossoms on the rose- 
 bushes in the window ; only a few Alpine violets 
 were opening their petals on the sill, and nodded a 
 greeting. The little songsters were still in charge 
 
 [217] 
 
2i8 The Opposite House. 
 
 of the bird-seller, and a thick layer of dust rested 
 on the book-shelves ; but her old friend in the black 
 frame gazed down at her with the same quiet smile . 
 Ah, did she not suspect how much sorrow her de- 
 scendant had endured during this time ? It cheered 
 Marie to know that she was again near her loyal 
 ancestress. She gazed at the familiar, pallid features 
 of the picture which, through so many long years, 
 had been her sole companion, leaned her head ten- 
 derly against the lifeless breast, and for the first time 
 felt thoroughly at home in her secluded nook. Alas, 
 it was a sorrowful meeting — very different from the 
 one Marie had imagined at her departure. Burning 
 tears coursed down her cheeks and wet Barbara 
 Gerrald's portrait. 
 
 Little Marie had been away many long months. 
 
 When she left D , the fierce sun of July was 
 
 burning in the heavens, and the whole wide world 
 was full of green foliage and blossoms ; every breast 
 was stirred with emotions of happiness, and the 
 heart joined exultantly in the love-song of Nature. 
 And now winter had come. All was cold and deso- 
 late, deserted and silent. The wind was tearing the 
 last withered leaves from the trees to the ground, 
 and the snow was falling, covering the bosom of the 
 earth with high white drifts, that the eye might see 
 no trace of former magnificence. 
 
 Marie went to the window, melted the glittering 
 
The Opposite House. 219 
 
 frost-flowers with her breath, and looked across to 
 his window, where he had once stood gazing mourn- 
 fully up at the sky. How long ago that was, and 
 how many changeful scenes life had unrolled be- 
 tween the past and present ! 
 
 The panes were covered with frost. The ancient 
 house stood before her, rigid and lifeless as a tomb, 
 like the enchanted palace in Uhland's poem, in 
 whose garret chamber white-haired Poesy sits at the 
 buzzing wheel. 
 
 Old Gretlis still lived in the lonely building, 
 shadowy and busy as a good spirit weaving thread 
 after thread into the long-desired shroud. 
 
 The young baroness gazed thoughtfully across 
 the street, then, with a heavy sigh, rested her head 
 against the window-sash. The sight of the silent 
 house pierced her to the heart, yet she could neither 
 avert her eyes nor turn her thoughts from it. She 
 had heard nothing from young Gerrald for a long 
 time. Whom should she ask ? She did not know a 
 single human being in Frankfort whom she could 
 trust ; no one was interested in Gerrald, no one 
 knew him. Perhaps Count Hasso might have aided 
 her, but she saw only too soon that it would be use- 
 less to apply to him. Besides, she felt a positive 
 aversion to Aunt Raven's idol, and the more the 
 latter praised his talents and, with maternal blind- 
 ness, lauded the young man to the skies, the more 
 
220 The Opposite House. 
 
 clearly Marie saw the fundamental defects in his 
 character, which were concealed by the superficial 
 varnish of polished manners. She had already seen 
 men of character too wholly unlike to be impressed 
 by this youthful dandy, who too often strove to 
 supply his lack of personal comeliness by the arts of 
 the toilet. 
 
 But Count Raven was a good match, and this 
 enabled marriageable beauties to close their eyes, 
 admire him in the most undeserved manner, and con- 
 stantly inspire the heir of Castle Raveneck with 
 fresh conceit. 
 
 His personal appearance was styled original, in- 
 teresting and attractive, because it was impossible 
 to call him handsome. Count Hasso had the height 
 which, combined with the leanness often associated 
 with it, produces a figure similar to Offenbach's 
 Prince of Arcadia — a figure whose every garment 
 seems borrowed, and hangs limp on the limbs. 
 Every novelty in the fashion journals, even were it 
 the most monstrous idea of some Paris or London 
 brain, was first adopted by Count Raven, who liked 
 to appear in society attired in the most extravagant 
 elegance. His mouth was large, and frequently 
 opened for a yawn, at which no one took offense ; 
 or for some witless remark intended to arouse a 
 laugh, and which duly fulfilled its purpose. This 
 mouth also opened at times to delight a circle of 
 
The Opposite Hotise. 221 
 
 appreciative friends with a song, in a voice that 
 certainly left much to be desired, but which had 
 been trained^by famous teachers in a series of the 
 most expensive lessons, and elicited expressions of 
 rapture on all sides. What did it matter if a false 
 note occurred here and there ? Count Raven sang 
 it — and Count Raven was a good match. 
 
 Marie could never forget her first meeting with 
 this hero of sporting circles. 
 
 Countess Raven had greeted her at the station, 
 and conducted her to the room assigned for her 
 use. She was expected in the dining-room at the 
 tea hour, and meanwhile a maid, placed at her 
 orders, was unpacking the young lady's trunks in 
 the next room. 
 
 Marie went down to the countess's boudoir before 
 the appointed hour, to spend the time in examin- 
 ing the well-filled book-shelves. She almost started 
 at the sight of a gentleman — a stranger — clad in 
 the most careless attire, who was reclining in a 
 rocking-chair and pufiing clouds of smoke through 
 his nose. 
 
 " Pardon me ! Come in, cousin !" he called, in a 
 somewhat harsh accent, without changing his atti- 
 tude in the least. " Excuse my negligee, but I 've 
 just come from some confotmdedly tiresome races. 
 My jockey was thrown, and I rode the second heat 
 myself. Zounds I It was tremendously tiresome ! 
 
222 The Opposite House. 
 
 But, by tlie way, welcome to our house. I shouldn't 
 have known you at all." 
 
 He put a pair of eye-glasses on his nose and, with- 
 out altering his negligent posture, held out his hand. 
 Marie took no notice of the gesture, but bowed 
 somewhat formally, and said that she would not in- 
 terrupt him longer. His boorish manners irritated 
 her. 
 
 '' Betise !'' replied Hasso, soothingly. "You see, 
 Marie, that I don't disturb myself at all — don't allow 
 myself to be interrupted. I never do — never ! You 
 won't shake hands with me ? Very well, just as you 
 choose. I understand the timidity of you ladies. 
 But no ceremony ; draw up yonder chair and sit 
 down. I '11 read you a few capital jokes from 
 Punch. I hope you understand English ?" He 
 pointed with his foot toward the piece of furniture. 
 His morocco slipper fell off, displaying a red-silk 
 stocking. "Miserable canaille!'' cried Hasso, bend- 
 ing his noble back to replace it. He would doubt- 
 less have accepted the service had Marie sprung 
 forward to relieve him of the trouble. " There are 
 plenty of liveried rascals running about the house," 
 he went on, trying to find the most comfortable 
 place among the cushions. " They fairly tread on 
 one another's heels ; but nobody is at hand when 
 wanted — of course !" 
 
 This sort of treatment began to amuse the young 
 
The Opposite House. 223 
 
 baroness. She knew that she was dealing with an 
 enfant gat^, and quietly took her seat in the chair 
 designated, asking, with a suppressed laugh, whether 
 tea was usually served so late. 
 
 Raven stretched himself. 
 
 " I really don't know, ma belle,'' he confessed, anx- 
 iously tying his Indian kerchief in the exact knot 
 desired. " I very rarely take tea with mamma ; 
 these tite-a-tHes are so horribly wearisome, and we 
 usually have guests only at dinners or evening en- 
 tertainments ; besides, I am so overwhelmed with 
 invitations that I 'm often compelled to practice all 
 Sorts of tricks to escape these notes, even to get to 
 the theatre. True, we don't have much in this 
 hole. A few passable ballet-dancers. Pshaw ! Peo- 
 ple here are very modest in their claims !" Count 
 Hasso said all this in a tone as blase as possible ; 
 then, leaning back again, stretched his legs before 
 him and puffed out volumes of smoke. " Zounds ! 
 Did you notice that ring, cousin ? Smokers make 
 such a fad of such things now. There it is again. 
 Capital ! Perhaps you would like a cigarette, too?" 
 
 Marie declined ; took up a book, and examined 
 the fine illustrations. 
 
 " I remained at home to-day especially on your 
 account," Hasso went on, scanning the young lady 
 as if he expected at least a fainting fit in acknowl- 
 edgment of such graciousness. " Mamma thought 
 
224 ^'^'^ Opposite House. 
 
 decorum demanded it. At first I was to go to the 
 station for you, but, to be frank, cousin, you arrived 
 at such an inconvenient hour that I could not pos- 
 sibly take out my bays again ; they have done 
 enough for to-day." He took a paper and some 
 tobacco from an elegant case, twisted another 
 cigarette, then settled himself comfortably to 
 smoke. 
 
 Marie assured him that she had not expected 
 such a sacrifice, and Hasso thought this quite a 
 matter of course, then glanced at the clock and 
 muttered an oath under his breath. 
 
 " Aren't you hungry, Marie ? Nobody knows 
 what they are all about to-day. It 's half -past eight 
 o'clock. But look here. I 'm used to their tricks, 
 and provide accordingly. Taste these conserved 
 fruits. They are nice, I assure you. My dog and 
 I eat a box of them every day. Minkahas followed 
 my taste very quickly. By the way, have you heard 
 of my dogs ? I 'm passionately fond of training 
 them. Minka leaps superbly. I '11 show you the 
 creatures some time, only please don't ask me this 
 evening. I know by the young ladies here that they 
 can never wait for me to begin. I 'm too much used 
 up to-day, 'pon honor." He slipped a bit of peach 
 into his mouth, and again offered the box to the 
 young lady. " I get these things direct from 
 Sarotti," he added. " He knows my exacting taste 
 
The Opposite House. 225 
 
 and sends me nothing but first-class goods. I hope, 
 cousin, that you will share some of my various 
 pursuits. I shall be pleased to escort you to the 
 theatre, concerts, etc., if it can be done without in- 
 terfering with my usual engagements. It mustn't 
 be any restraint upon me, comprenez-votis ? Will 
 mamma accompany us ? Why, you see, cousin, my 
 petite maman often promises a great deal which she 
 does not and cannot perform. She is so much in 
 demand. People fairly quarrel over us, and I am 
 quite accustomed to make my bow to her empty 
 chair. But that can be arranged. I just heard the 
 hall-door open. She is coming at last." 
 
 He leaned his head back, and gazed wearily at the 
 door. 
 
 " Bon soir, maman r he said, without rising. 
 " Excuse my keeping my seat. I 'm fairly knocked 
 up." 
 
 Countess Raven kissed his forehead as she passed. 
 
 " Good-evening, darling." 
 
 Then she held out her hand to Marie with a pleas- 
 ant smile. 
 
 " Ah, so you have already made each other's ac- 
 quaintance, children ?" she cried, in her vivacious 
 tones. " It is delightful to see how young people 
 waive ceremony, and — yes, as unconcernedly as pos- 
 sible, my Hasso in a dressing-gown ! But, mon 
 ange^ that is really too negligee for a first meeting." 
 
•2 2 6 The Opposite House. 
 
 She tapped his cheek lightly with her fan, then 
 turned to the young baroness : 
 
 " Forgive him, Marie ! He is often still a mere 
 child, who hesitates at nothing. But I rejoice that 
 he is still unspoiled. We so rarely find that among 
 5^oung men of the pre.sent day. You will be satisfied 
 with him in other respects. My Hasso is considered 
 a finished cavalier. He sings delightfully, is a very 
 fair artist, and the ladies here go into raptures over 
 him. Isn't that true, Hasso ? And it doesn't make 
 him the least bit vain. He is always the same — 
 agreeable to every one. People envy me this son. 
 Have you been talking long ? It grew rather late. 
 I had several letters to fini.sh ; but I hope tea has 
 been brought to you ?" 
 
 The young count had at last risen with a heavy 
 sigh, and clattered on exaggeratedly high heels to 
 the mirror. 
 
 " Count Hasso offered me some of his delicious 
 fruit," said Marie, smiling. " He had so much of 
 it that we were in no danger of starving." 
 
 " What ? ' Count Hasso ?' Surely, child, you will 
 not address your cousin so formally ?" cried the 
 countess, in horror. " Why, that 's an unheard-of 
 thing. Come here, my dear ; shake hands, and call 
 each other ' thou,' as you ought." 
 
 " I 've already offered her my hand, mamma," 
 cried the heir of Rayeneck ; " but Marie would not 
 
The Opposite House. 227 
 
 take it. But I 've treated her just like a cousin, 
 though she was so distant." 
 
 "Yes, my Hasso becomes acquainted at once!" 
 said his mother, smiling. " Come, my son, offer 
 Marie your arm, and let us go to dinner." 
 
 * * * * V; -X- 
 
 This was Marie's first impression of the young 
 man, and, unfortunately, all the time of their inter- 
 course could give no more attractive view of him. 
 His exaggerated familiarity, especially in the pres- 
 ence of strangers, affected Marie almost unpleas- 
 antly. The hints of acquaintances, and even of 
 Aunt Raven herself, which intimated that a future 
 wedding was in prospect, seemed an absurdity to 
 the young girl. But she maintained silence toward 
 her aunt as well as to her mother, and merely 
 treated the young hero to a few ready retorts, which 
 reduced him to the condition of an embarrassed 
 school-boy. Nevertheless, Count Hasso sometimes 
 
 paid a visit to D , and was thoroughly convinced 
 
 of the honor he paid the gray old house by his 
 august presence. 
 
 The baroness seemed to have expected the son of 
 the clever Countess Raven to be a person very un- 
 like this affected dandy, who had scarcely out- 
 grown the childishness of youth. His immature 
 character was by no means suited to attract or 
 bestow lasting happiness upon a woman of earnest 
 
2 28 The Opposite House. 
 
 nature ; and Baroness von Rotterswyl, seeing this 
 only too plainly, decided, though with a heavy 
 heart, to renounce her long-cherished desire to see 
 Marie mistress of Castle Raveneck. 
 
 The old baroness was strangely changed since 
 her return from Wiesbaden. Brand's end had made 
 a far deeper impression upon her than any one 
 would have imagined, and the pallid death-mask, 
 which had lain at her feet, seemed to have re- 
 opened old wounds which were now no longer 
 closed with icy pride, but permitted to bleed in 
 mild, beneficent tears, shed upon the breast of her 
 own child. 
 
 Marie scarcely recognized her mother. She could 
 not understand this sudden revulsion of feeling, 
 but she suspected that the hour had come which 
 made the ice melt and the buds of love and tender- 
 ness in the heart unfold. The relation between 
 the mother and the daughter grew warmer. They 
 began to comprehend each other, and the baroness 
 obtainted many a glimpse of her child's soul, which 
 made her seriously consider how to drive the cloud 
 from her brow. She read with more than usual 
 interest the news of the army corps to which Ger- 
 rald belonged, and glanced with evident haste and 
 anxiety over the list of the losses of the German 
 officers. 
 
 Ascending the steps leading to the little bow- 
 
The Opposite House. 229 
 
 window room, she scarcely dared to enter the 
 
 peaceful chamber from which rang the notes of 
 
 Marie's gay song. The newspaper containing the 
 
 mournful tidings rustled in her hand. She paused, 
 
 then reluctantly crossed the threshold, gravely 
 
 showed her daughter the news of Gerrald's wound, 
 
 and uttered no reproof when the poor girl threw 
 
 herself, sobbing, into her arms ; nay, she even 
 
 uttered a few words of sympathy for her young 
 
 friend and hoped he would soon recover. 
 
 Ah, how this new gentleness from the proud 
 
 woman comforted Marie ! 
 
 So the months passed slowly away. 
 
 ****** 
 
 It was a bright spring Sunday, clear and radiant 
 with the fresh green leafage that appeared on every 
 bush and shrub awakening to new life. The terri- 
 ble cold of winter had passed away, and the crocuses 
 and early primroses were already perfuming the 
 warm air. Marie was knitting socks for the wounded 
 men, and had just examined a heel with an air of 
 satisfaction, when the door was hurriedly opened, 
 and her maid, Liesbeth Lohfeld, almost rushed in. 
 
 " Pardon me, baroness," she cried, her cheeks 
 glowing with an almost purple flush from her haste, 
 *' but I bring such good news that I ran all the way 
 from the mills here in fifteen minutes. Just think, 
 my Friedrich has been made corporal !" 
 
230 The Opposite House. 
 
 " Good heavens !" said Marie, clasping her hands. 
 *' You have reason to be congratulated, Liesbeth. 
 Fortune seems to favor Friedrich. He remains un- 
 hurt, and is promoted. I am very glad." 
 
 " And he writes, too, that he shall not go back to 
 service after the campaign, but remain with the 
 army," continued Lohf eld's daughter, joyously. 
 " Then we can be married at once, and I shall be 
 ' Mrs. Corporal,' " she added, with marked empha- 
 sis. " But here, frdulcin, I have something for you, 
 too," she whispered, mischievously, drawing a letter 
 from her pocket. " As I met father, he called be- 
 fore I reached him : ' Liesel — Master Gerrald — ' " 
 
 *' What ?" cried the young girl, starting up and 
 trying to seize the letter. '* From him ?" 
 
 "Written to me," the little maid went on, mis- 
 chievously holding the letter behind her ; " he is 
 much better, the fever has left him, and — " 
 
 " vShow it to me — let me read it!" cried Marie, 
 with flaming cheeks. And Liesbeth, with a beam- 
 ing smile, gave her the letter. 
 
 " I knew it would please the baroness ; that's why 
 I brought it," she said, frankly. 
 
 Then, after watching her young lady hurriedly 
 unfold the sheet and scan its contents, she turned 
 and noiselessly left the room. vShe knew that peo- 
 ple prefer to read such lines alone. 
 
 Marie read with a throbbing heart that he had 
 
The Opposite House. 231 
 
 been seriously ill, but was now better. At present 
 
 he was in the E hospital, but should return to 
 
 his regiment as soon as possible ; that the armistice 
 would doubtless be followed by peace, and that it 
 would give him infinite happiness to return home. 
 And here at the end, in black and white — Marie 
 read the passage twice — three times — were the 
 words : " I hope Liesbeth is still in the service of 
 the baroness. Ask her to remember me to both 
 ladies, and present my greetings from the enemy's 
 country. I trust all is well." 
 
 Yes, there it was, in large, distinct letters. She 
 was not mistaken. So he thought of her, was con- 
 valescent, and perhaps would soon return ? Ah, 
 thou merciful Father in heaven, with how many 
 tears of gratitude she offered thanks for this mes- 
 sage of peace ! Marie laughed and wept in the 
 same breath, pressed the letter to her heart, and 
 was on her way downstairs to her mother when 
 Verja came to meet her, waving a newspaper aloft. 
 
 " Peace ! Peace !" she cried, breathlessly. " Thank 
 Heaven ! Here is the dispatch." 
 
 The young girl stared at the lines ; the printed 
 letters danced before her eyes ; she could not grasp 
 the meaning of these blissful words. 
 
 " Rejoice, Marie !" exclaimed Verja, wild with 
 delight. " Now, thank Heaven, they will all come 
 home, and not a hair of Fritz's head is hurt ! Out 
 
232 The Opposite House. 
 
 witli your flag — quick ! Every street is filled with 
 banners ! Do you hear ? They are just ringing the 
 bells, too! Hurrah!" And passing her arm around 
 her niece's slender figure, she drew her to the win- 
 dow. 
 
 " Joy — nothing but joy to-day !" murmured Marie, 
 with clasped hands, and for the first time the full 
 significance of this message of peace came to her, 
 with all the hopes following in its train. She re- 
 joiced at the notes of the bells and the radiance of 
 the spring, as she let the folds of her flag flutter 
 under the blue sky. Peace ! 
 
CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 IN THE MILL. 
 
 " Look alive with your work !" ordered Inspector 
 Lohfeld, swinging his hammer, with an eager glance 
 around him. " Here, Josef, hand me up the fine 
 needles ; choose the thickest bunches, and bind 
 them by twos, with young oak-leaves between or 
 sprigs from yonder holly-tree. Zounds ! This will 
 be a splendid welcome !" And he again dealt a 
 few vigorous blows to drive the nails through the 
 green boughs on the door-posts ; then, shading his 
 eyes with his hand, he drew back to enjoy the 
 whole effect. He scanned with evident satisfaction 
 the gayly-painted shield bearing the inscription 
 shining in the huge wreath. Lohfeld himself had 
 wielded the brush to paint the " Welcome " for his 
 young master. It was difficult work for the un- 
 trained fingers, but he finally accomplished it, and 
 now the interlaced letters gazed down at him like a 
 record of immortal fame. 
 
 [233I 
 
2 34 T^^^ Opposite House. 
 
 The mills, adorned with gala decorations, awaited 
 the coming of their lord and master, looking very 
 unfamiliar in their festal splendor. On the sides 
 of the entrance rose two slender masts, visible for 
 a long distance, twined with gay garlands, between 
 which were various coats of arms, while crossed 
 banners fluttered proudly in the z \x. A thick gar- 
 land of pine-needles united them like a waving 
 triumphal arch, bearing in the center a shield, which 
 was to greet the returning hero from the distance. 
 Every door in the court-yard was twined with green ; 
 the German colors, blended with those of the coun- 
 try, floated from gables and attic windows, while 
 tall oleanders and cedars were grouped in tasteful 
 masses around steps and pillars. 
 
 Even the old well in the court-yard had assumed 
 a holiday aspect ; small pine-trees concealed its 
 weather-beaten roof, and bright-hued paper roses 
 decked it here and there amid the green boughs ; 
 two maid-servants still stood talking in front of it, 
 while fastening the flowers in a few empty spaces. 
 
 Lohfeld had just shouted a word of cheer, then 
 turning to his door again, he hammered away to 
 his heart's content. The fuller and gayer of hue 
 his decorations became, the greater grew the zeal 
 of the worthy superintendent. Liesbeth was stand- 
 ing at the foot of the ladder, industriously handing 
 up the golden bits of tinsel, while from time to 
 
The Opposite House. 235 
 
 time she surveyed the work with the air of a con- 
 noisseur, and finally asserted her entire satisfaction, 
 though without every losing sight of the courtyard 
 gate, through which Corporal Friedrich must pass if, 
 faithful to his promise, he came there for a welcome. 
 
 Her young lady, too, as she had just told her 
 father, had prepared to receive the troops. Marie 
 von Rotterswyl held a magnificent laurel wreath, 
 adorned with a blue ribbon, ready for the victors — 
 or rather for one of them. 
 
 And now the hour had come, the fulfillment of 
 many a fervent prayer and the hope of so many 
 souls whose weal and woe were in Gerrald's hands. 
 Hundreds of voices shouted a welcome from the 
 depths of loyal hearts. 
 
 The adornment of the courtyard was completed. 
 The workmen, men- and maid-servants stood in the 
 center, and before the steps of the owner's residence, 
 musicians were stationed on the steps themselves, 
 and in front stood Inspector Lohfeld, with his wife 
 and child ; then, in the order of their rank, the rest 
 of the principal employees. 
 
 All were in gala dress, with a little bunch of 
 flowers on the breast or in the hat. Every face 
 wore a happy smile, for each was animated by the 
 same feeling, and full of gratitude to God for having 
 restored a master whose equal it would have been 
 hard to find. 
 
236 The Opposite House. 
 
 The young man, who was honored b}' old and 
 young with sincere^love and devotion, had become 
 their protector, their support, their father. 
 
 Lohfeld's eyes sparkled with pride and pleasure, 
 as, raising his toil-hardened hand with an eager ges- 
 ture, he explained once more the order to cheer. 
 
 " A thundering three-times three !" he exclaimed. 
 " Let them hear it as far as the city, just as he 
 reaches the entrance-gate, and when the carriage 
 stops we '11 all shout together : ' Long live Master 
 Gerrald !' and I '11 step forward and deliver the wel- 
 come. Liesbeth will hand him the bouquet, and 
 we '11 give another cheer — a good loud one ! And 
 you youngsters, up above, are to sound a flourish at 
 the beginning and end, such as hasn't been heard 
 in the city to-day ! The best the brass can do ; do 
 you understand ? Zounds, but our master shall hear 
 that his millers are in earnest!" 
 
 Again he marched up and down like a general 
 surveying his faithful troops. 
 
 Just at that moment a boy at the gate shouted at 
 the top of his voice : 
 
 " Look out ! Here he comes, and two others with 
 him !" 
 
 The news flashed through the waiting throng 
 like an electric spark. The men fell into position, 
 and Lohfeld loosened his collar and rubbed his 
 hands in anticipation of what was coming. The 
 
The Opposite House. 237 
 
 flags on the masts fluttered, as though waving an 
 impatient greeting, the sun laughed from the blue 
 sky upon the green leaves, and a thundering " Hur- 
 rah !" thrice repeated, welcomed the handsome offi- 
 cer dashing on his fiery steed through the open 
 gate. 
 
 He paused before the steps and waved a salute 
 with his glittering sword ; but the shouts of joy 
 drowned his words, and, forgetting rules and order, 
 the crowd poured forward, surrounding horse and 
 rider like the waves of the sea. 
 
 Had Gerrald possessed a hundred arms, they 
 would not have sufficed to extend to all the hands 
 outstretched in greeting as the men pressed eagerly 
 forward to hold the young officer's stirrup. 
 
 " Liesbeth," cried Lohfeld, suddenly, grasping 
 his daughter's arm, " the master is wearing your 
 baroness's laurel wreath !" 
 
 And he pointed excitedly to the green garland 
 which hung around the officer's neck, and whose 
 blue ribbons twined treacherously across his breast. 
 
 Liesbeth gazed at it with clasped hands. Her 
 little face beamed brightly, and forgetting every- 
 thing around her, she joyously exclaimed : 
 
 " Hurrah ! Then it was made for him !" and with 
 a happy expression, she offered her bouquet. 
 " Welcome, Master Traugott !" 
 
CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 AN INTERLUDE. 
 
 Aunt Verja was standing beside Marie, examin- 
 ing the blue-bells in the young baroness's golden 
 hair. 
 
 " Very pretty, /r///r /" she nodded, gayly. "You 
 will look like the personification of woodland poesy 
 in that wreath. I '11 fasten it for you myself, so 
 that every little blossom will show. Sit down, little 
 Alseide, and arrange the mirror conveniently for 
 me. Was it your own idea to wear a wreath of oak 
 leaves and forest flowers to welcome our brave 
 soldiers ?" 
 
 Marie glanced up into the Russian's beautiful 
 face, and answered, smiling : 
 
 " What could a German girl choose that would be 
 more fitting than the colors of her home ? I think 
 she can also wear them in the ball-room. Do you 
 suppose Herr Gerrald will be there, aunt ?" 
 
 She was handing her a hair-pin, and Verja noticed 
 how the little white hand trembled. 
 [238] 
 
The Opposite House. 239 
 
 " I hope so ! I should be very sorry not to see 
 him in his uniform. I should like to make the 
 young hero a little vain, and tell him that it is very 
 becoming. There, will you have this spray fastened 
 closer, or leave it loose ?" 
 
 Verja leaned back and looked at her niece's little 
 head. She was satisfied. 
 
 Just at that moment some one tapped lightly at 
 the door, and the maid noiselessly entered. 
 
 " Count Raven has just arrived from Frankfort, 
 and my mistress begs the ladies to come down as 
 soon as possible." 
 
 Baroness von Kartegg adjusted the glittering 
 gold bracelet on her arm and stepped in front of 
 the mirror. 
 
 " We '11 come directly, as soon as Fraulein Marie 
 is ready." 
 
 She stooped to arrange the pink-silk folds of her 
 train. 
 
 " Good heavens ! Count Raven !" cried Marie, in 
 horror, as the door closed behind the girl. " What 
 does he want now, especially this evening, when he 
 knows that we are to attend the officers' ball ?" 
 
 " Tell me, Marie, can you really endure Count 
 Raven ?" asked Verja, suddenly planting herself 
 before the young baroness, with the gaze of an in- 
 quisitor. " Tell me frankly and honestly ; I want to 
 know the truth." 
 
240 The Opposite House. 
 
 " No, aunt — certainly not !" Marie declared, so 
 promptly and sincerely that no doubt was possible. 
 
 '' Thank God !" said the Russian, with a sigh of 
 relief. " He is the very last person whom I should 
 have desired for a nephew. But now let us hurry 
 down, ch^rie. I 'm famishing for candied fruit." 
 And, laughing merrily, she took the blue and silver 
 gauze from the chair to wrap the young girl in its 
 misty folds. 
 
 Meanwhile, " my son Hasso " was pacing from 
 one mirror to another in the green drawing-room 
 below, sometimes scrutinizing his patent-leather 
 shoes and sometimes twisting his elegant silk hand- 
 kerchief, which was strongly scented with Flang- 
 Flang, around his hands. 
 
 Baroness von Rotterswyl sat silently on her chair^ 
 smoothing the fingers of her light kid gloves, and 
 occasionally casting a swift glance at the young 
 dandy, who now stopped before the piano, opened 
 it, and took his seat, with his limbs stretched in 
 front of him. 
 
 " Oh, a song !" The old lady took her fan and 
 lace handkerchief from her lap and laid it on the 
 inlaid table at her side. " I have never heard you 
 sing, Hasso," 
 
 " Sing? To night ?" replied the count, throwing 
 back his head, as if considering the matter. 
 " Really, aunt, I 'm not capable of it before a ball. 
 
The Opposite House. 241 
 
 I need repose, mood, inspiration for my perform- 
 ances, and I 've travelled by rail to-day from Frank- 
 fort to D . No, aunt, I can't sing. I would 
 
 rather play." And he began to rattle out of time 
 the notes of a polka. 
 
 A smile difficult to interpret hovered around the 
 lips of the baroness ; the most bitter irony, mingled 
 with a faint, sorrowful regret, as though she were 
 bidding farewell to a beautiful dream. 
 
 The portieres softly parted, and Verja's radiant 
 figure glided in, holding her handkerchief to her 
 lips and imitating the swaying movements of the 
 pianist, whose performance crimsoned her cheeks 
 with suppressed laughter. 
 
 Baroness von Rotterswyl shook her head and 
 turned to glance at Marie, who stood slender and 
 fair as a silvery cloud in the dark velvet framework 
 of the portieres. She exchanged a mischievous 
 glance with Verja, and then threw her beautiful 
 arm tenderly around the old lady's neck, pressing a 
 loving kiss upon her cheek. 
 
 Just at that instant Count Raven struck a few bold 
 chords, let his outspread hands rest on the keys a 
 moment, then rose with the weary, absent smile 
 with which great artists are prone to respond to the 
 plaudits of a crowded concert hall. 
 
 " Bravo, Count Raven !" cried Verja, rolling up 
 her eyes with simulated rapture. "Who would 
 
242 The Opposite House. 
 
 have dreamed of experiencing such a pleasure so 
 late in the evening ? You play bewitchingly — a mar- 
 velously beautiful performance." 
 
 Marie pressed her handkerchief to her lips to hide 
 her laugh by turning it into a cough. Her mother 
 cast a glance of alarm at Verja, whose eyes sparkled 
 with mischief ; but Count Raven, perfectly assured 
 that the praise was sincere, bowed graciously to the 
 ladies. 
 
 " Good evening, madam. I kiss your little hand, 
 dear cousin ! Yes, yes, I knew that my polka would 
 please you ! The young ladies in Frankfort are 
 fairly bewitched with this piece, and rarely let an 
 entertainment pass without persuading me to go to 
 the piano ! So you are in full ball-dress ? Superb, 
 ladies, superb !" and with evident good humor, the 
 heir of Raveneck put on his eye-glasses and scanned 
 the elegant costumes. 
 
 " But you, too, are dressed as though you in- 
 tended to break hearts in the first waltz. Count 
 Raven." Verja held her open fan before the laugh- 
 ing face. " Do you intend to accompany us to cele- 
 brate your cruel triumphs in our peaceful capital?" 
 
 " I really meant to surprise you, ladies, by ap- 
 pearing in the ball-room to request a dance ; but it 
 was so horribly tiresome in the hotel, with nothing 
 but lieutenants and waiters, that I determined to 
 come here," 
 
The Opposite House. 243 
 
 " Extremely flattering !" the Russian protested ; 
 and Marie asked gravely why Count Hasso had not 
 come in the morning to witness the imposing entry 
 of the troops ? 
 
 With what often seemed malicious enthusiasm, 
 she spoke of the brave fellows who had left their 
 homes, wives, children and property to devote their 
 lives to the service of their native land ! She had 
 scattered flowers and laurels in their path, and 
 thrown garlands to the heroes whose breasts were 
 adorned with the cross. Meanwhile, Count Hasso 
 had sat at home, training dogs and playing the 
 polka to young ladies. 
 
 Verja turned to the baroness ; her bright face had 
 grown strangely earnest. 
 
 " Did you see Herr Gerrald among the officers?" 
 she asked. " He wears the iron cross." 
 
 " Because he has fought like a hero," answered 
 the widowed noblewoman, in a very harsh tone. 
 " He has proved that the blue blood of the Rotters- 
 wyl race flows in the veins of this Prince of the 
 Mill also. Count Raven," she turned with her 
 head held haughtily erect, "give me your arm, the 
 carriage has driven up." 
 
 The servant put on the ladies' cloaks, and Count 
 Hasso obediently led the way with the baroness. 
 
 " My husband will receive us as a member of the 
 ball committee," whispered Verja, joyously. "Just 
 
244 '^^^ Opposite House. 
 
 think, Marie, I shall dance half the sets with Fritz 
 
 to-night. I shall be jealous of him, he looks so 
 
 handsome with the long beard he grew during the 
 
 campaign !" 
 
 Marie followed as though in a dream, trembling at 
 
 the thought of the happiness of this first meeting. 
 
 What torture it would be to utter formal words of 
 
 welcome in the presence of the multitude ! 
 
 ***** * 
 
 The spacious ball-room resembled an ocean of 
 light and splendor, through whose countless flames 
 waved the joy-banner of peace. From the vaulted 
 ceiling garlands and slender green boughs twined 
 around pillars and pilasters, fastened by escutch- 
 eons and military emblems, above which fluttered 
 the colors of united Germany, while white marble 
 busts of heroes, throned on pedestals, were sur- 
 rounded b}'- the names of the victories which had 
 rendered them immortal in the book of fame. 
 
 Uniforms of every variety mingled in motly con- 
 fusion. Bearded faces, before whose eyes so short a 
 time ago war had unrolled its pictures of horror 
 and despair, and whose gaze now rested upon the 
 fairest shield of domestic happiness, the smiling 
 faces of German maidens. 
 
 Near the door, tall, haughty and handsome as the 
 statue of Mars above him, waving his glittering 
 sword amid the green leafage, stood a young officer 
 
TJie Opposite House. 245 
 
 of hussars, who was frequently accosted and be- 
 sieged with friendly questions. 
 
 At last she arrived. A burning flush crimsoned 
 his face as, standing motionless among the group 
 of fir-trees, he gazed at her lovely features. Yes, 
 it was she — unchanged in beauty and grace — 
 Marie. 
 
 The ladies were instantly surrounded. He tim- 
 idly approached and bowed respectfully to Baroness 
 von Rotterswyl, who held out her hand and wel- 
 comed him with sincere pleasure. Traugott scarcely 
 recognized this gentle, cordial woman, whose lips 
 wore a strangely sweet expression, and whose hair 
 had suddenly turned white. 
 
 Then Gerrald addressed Verja, and at last reached 
 Marie. A crowd surrounded her, and he could not 
 utter indifferent words, but his eyes revealed the 
 passionate emotions with which his heart seemed 
 bursting. 
 
 " May I ask you for a dance, baroness? 
 
 Marie looked up, and he read in her blue eyes all 
 the faithful, unfaltering love, all her anxiety and 
 grief for her imperiled friend, all the rapturous joy 
 of the meeting. 
 
 He asked for the first and last dance, then was 
 obliged to draw back and make room for his com- 
 rades, who, with many compliments, were begging 
 for the young lady's dancing card. 
 
246 The Opposite House. 
 
 Count Hasso also requested it, 
 
 "The german already engaged?" he asked, in 
 astonishment. " Why didn't you keep that for me, 
 cousin?" 
 
 " Because you did not ask me to do so, count," re- 
 plied Marie, laughing. 
 
 " Gerrald ? Is the name Gerrald ?" said the heir 
 of Raveneck. " Von Gerrald?" 
 
 Marie frowned. 
 
 " No — Herr Gerrald," she said, curtly. 
 
 " Ah, yes, I remember. That's the mysterious 
 Prince of the Mill with whom all the ladies are 
 said to be in love." He laughed loudly. " I hope 
 you don't mean to dance the german with this in- 
 significant merchant, Marie?" 
 
 " Herr Gerrald invited me for the german, so I 
 shall dance it with him." 
 
 " A pretty business ! So I 've come all the way 
 from Frankfort to see you dance with a Herr Ger- 
 rald ! I supposed you would naturally reserve it for 
 me. I never make engagements in advance. It 
 confines people, and is sometimes annoying after- 
 ward. By the way, I rarely dance the german at 
 all. Ladies are too ready to imagine all sorts of 
 things ; but I would have risked it with you, Marie. 
 You are my cousin, and what you may be some 
 day — " He half shut his eyes and shrugged his 
 shoulders significantly. " Oh, pshaw ! Let this 
 
The Opposite House. 247 
 
 Herr Gerrald drop. You know you regret your 
 promise. Where is this miller-hero ?" 
 
 " I am ready, Herr Gerrald," said Marie, at the 
 same moment, smiling up at a hussar officer, who 
 silently bowed to her, and, without vouchsafing the 
 bewildered count another glance, she entered the 
 ball-room leaning on her partner's arm. 
 
 " Hail, Thou Who Victory's Laurels Wearest " 
 sounded like a burst of exultation from the hidden 
 orchestra. 
 
 "■ Aha ! So that's the fellow !" thought Count 
 Hasso, opening his eyes to their widest extent. 
 " I'll settle the miller !" And turning abruptly to 
 the right, he crossed the hall to inspect the richly 
 furnished sideboard in the adjoining room. Mean- 
 while Traugott and Marie were dancing the polo- 
 naise. The music was loud and noisy; the surging 
 sea of human beings around them laughed and 
 talked till the sound resembled the buzzing of a 
 hive of bees. Gerrald bent low toward Marie. 
 
 " Have you not a single word of welcome for 
 me ?" he asked in an agitated tone. "Was the green 
 laurel wreath flung from the distance your only 
 language for the returning soldier ?" 
 
 She looked him full in the eyes. " I know no 
 words which can express such a wealth of heartfelt 
 joy and gratitude," she said simply. 
 
 " Then you have held me in remembrance, Marie, 
 
248 The Opposite House, 
 
 have cherished your pure, sacred love for me, which 
 I had believed forfeited and hoped to regain in 
 death ?" he whispered with passionate fervor. " I 
 had imagined a different meeting — not here in this 
 noisy, glittering ball-room, surrounded by thousands 
 of curious eyes and ears. My first visit was to be to 
 you and your mother, Marie, from whom I desired 
 to ask my greatest earthly happiness !" 
 
 Her only answer was a look. The dance separated 
 her a moment from her lover, and she moved smil- 
 ing, with bent head, as if in a dream, in the line of 
 brilliantly dressed ladies. 
 
 Figure followed figure ; acquaintances addressed 
 Marie in jesting words ; Gerrald often shook a 
 comrade's proffered hand as they passed in the 
 dance. It was impossible to talk and express the 
 emotions of their overflowing hearts, as they mutely 
 moved in the glittering train, which seemed to float 
 on the jubilant melody of the National Hymn. At 
 last the graceful tangle separated, the music melted 
 into the notes of a waltz and, like a cloud of butter- 
 flies, the couples hovered over the smooth floor. 
 
 Traugott led his partner back to her mother, who 
 inquired about his long illness and his present 
 state of health, the horrors of the war, and the 
 period of suffering in the hospital ; and when Marie 
 was claimed by another partner, the handsome 
 officer took the seat she had vacated beside the old 
 
The Opposite House. 249 
 
 lady, and in his deep, musical tones, described his 
 experiences, the bloody battle-field and the meet- 
 ing with Heloise. A shiver ran through the limbs 
 of the listener, and her face blanched. 
 
 Question followed question, until the young man's 
 white brow crimsoned, as his companion's proud 
 lips congratulated him on the cross that decked his 
 breast. 
 
 Meanwhile, Count Raven strolled through the 
 hall with a very weary look ; he had danced an 
 extra waltz with the daughter of the Austrian am- 
 bassador, a vivacious little blonde, whose acquaint- 
 ance he had made in his mother's house at Frank- 
 fort. Now he scanned the ladies through his 
 eye-glasses with an air of the utmost unconcern, and 
 then gazed about in search of Herr Gerrald, with 
 whom he meant to settle the business of the ger- 
 man. Just at that moment he saw the person of 
 whom he was in quest take leave of Baroness von 
 Rotterswyl and go to one of the open windows, 
 where he stood looking out into the mild spring 
 night. 
 
 The heir of Raveneck determined not to miss the 
 opportunity, and, crossing the hall, stood the next 
 instant beside the young officer, whose slender fig- 
 ure towered so far above him that he scarcely 
 reached his shoulder. 
 
 " Excuse me, sir ; you are Herr Gerrald, if I am 
 
250 The Opposite Hotise. 
 
 not mistaken ?" he said, with a patronizing nod. 
 " I am Count Raven — Raveneck." 
 
 Traugott bowed. 
 
 " To what do I owe the honor ?" he asked, eying 
 the boyish young dandy with evident surprise. 
 
 " You engaged my cousin, Fraulein von Rotters- 
 wyl, for the german," Hasso went on, in a drawling 
 tone. He had wiped his eye-glasses with his hand- 
 kerchief, and again placed them on his nose to scan 
 the young hussar from head to foot. " I have come 
 to settle the matter." 
 
 Traugott could not trust his ears. 
 
 " Settle the matter?" he repeated, doubtfully, his 
 face darkening under the count's impertinent gaze. 
 " Fraulein von Rotterswyl knows that I engaged 
 her, and I do not think there can be any confusion, 
 as I have invited no other lady." 
 
 Count Raven smiled, and nonchalantly twisted 
 the little bunch of violets in his fingers. 
 
 "■ That 's just it, my dear sir," he said, over his 
 shoulder. " My cousin, unfortunately, is aware that, 
 in her haste, she promised a dance which — well, 
 which she would have preferred to have given to 
 some one else !" 
 
 He uttered a short laugh and ground the high 
 heel of his shoe into the smooth floor. 
 
 Traugott stood facing him, with his face blanched 
 to a ghostly pallor and his tall figure drawn to its 
 
The Opposite House. 2 5 1 
 
 full height, while his chest heaved with his laboring 
 breath, 
 
 "And what do you desire of me, Count Raven ?" 
 His voice sounded icy cold, and his features looked 
 as though they were carved from stone. 
 
 " Dear me, surely you understand !" said Hasso, 
 nervously. " Must everything be told down to the 
 most minute detail ? My cousin requests you to re- 
 lease her from her promise — voila tout I' 
 
 " Did Fraulein von Rotterswyl herself send you 
 here with this message ?" 
 
 Gerrald did not stir, but his eyes blazed with the 
 most intense excitement. 
 
 Raven flung the violets out of the window with 
 studied carelessness ; then, shrugging his shoulders, 
 cast an insolent glance at Gerrald. 
 
 " You seem very hard to convince, sir. I should 
 think it would not be so incomprehensible that a 
 young lady had changed her mind — femme rare, as 
 the French say. Surely you must know that best, 
 as you came directly from France." 
 
 A look of unspeakable scorn rested upon the 
 frivolous speaker. 
 
 " Then Fraulein von Rotterswyl prefers to dance 
 with you ?" 
 
 Traugott's lips curled with the most bitter sar- 
 casm. He felt an impulse to laugh aloud in his 
 rage and grief ; and yet no, it was impossible. Marie 
 
252 The Opposite House. 
 
 could never have inflicted such a slight upon him. 
 He did not hear the count's conceited " Certainly ;" 
 but, with a hasty step forward, stood at his side, 
 saying, curtly : 
 
 " Follow me, Count Raven. I am sorry to be 
 compelled to say that I must have Fraulein von 
 Rotterswyl's confirmation of your statement." 
 
 He led the way, and Count Hasso, biting his lips, 
 followed, muttering : 
 
 " Such a fuss about nothing !" 
 
 Marie stood talking eagerly with an elderly officer, 
 close beside the group of fir-trees, overtopped by 
 blossoming oleanders and laurestinas, which con- 
 cealed the band of musicians. 
 
 Marie had rested her arm on the bronze pedestal 
 of a Germania ; her hand, lightly grasping a glittering 
 fan, was relieved against the metal background, and 
 her smiling face, flushed by the exercise of dancing 
 and animated by her large blue eyes, was raised to 
 the bearded colonel as earnestly as if she longed to 
 read his very thoughts ere his lips uttered them. 
 
 Gerrald advanced and bowed formally to the 
 speaker. His brow was dark and grave, and the 
 glance which rested on the young girl's face seemed 
 almost unfriendly. 
 
 " Pardon me, baroness. Count Raven has just 
 been to see me, and I have come in person — to hand 
 you my dancing-card, which is now useless." 
 
The Opposite House. 253 
 
 " Don't forget tlie Grand Cross in the german, 
 frdulein /" said the colonel, jestingly, as he took 
 leave. " I am proudly anticipating the honor. 
 Good evening, gentlemen." 
 
 Marie turned to Traugott with questioning eyes. 
 
 " Your dancing-card ?" she repeated, shaking her 
 head. " What am I to do with it?" 
 
 " Erase your name from the german, as you de- 
 sired." He spoke quietly, but his eyes rested 
 steadily on her sweet face. 
 
 " My name ! Don't you wish to dance with me ?" 
 She looked up almost terrified. "Good heavens, 
 what has happened ?" 
 
 No, those sweet lips could not lie ! A burning 
 blush crimsoned Gerrald's brow. He hastily moved 
 a step nearer and asked : 
 
 " Then you did not send Count Raven ?" 
 
 Marie, her lovely face suddenly paling, turned to 
 the young dandy, who was unconcernedly breaking 
 off the green needles of the firs, 
 
 " Count Hasso," she said, sternly, " there seems to 
 be some misunderstanding here. Will you please 
 explain ?" 
 
 " My little cousin," replied the nobleman," you look 
 like a judge sentencing a criminal. It 's really ab- 
 surd to make such a talk over the trifle. Tell Herr 
 Gerrald yourself that you prefer to dance with 
 me ;" and half turning, he gazed after the little 
 
2 54 "^^^c Opposite House. 
 
 Austrian, who had given him a languishing glance 
 as she danced past him. 
 
 Marie looked hopelessly at Gerrald. 
 
 " I don't understand," she said, clasping her hands 
 anxiously. " Tell me, Herr Gerrald, what does all 
 this mean ?" 
 
 A radiant smile brightened the face of the young 
 mill-owner. 
 
 " I see that there must be some mistake here," he 
 said, with quickened breath. " Count Raven came 
 to me and asked, in your name, a release from the 
 engagement to dance the german, which you had 
 given too hastily. So that was not true ? You did 
 not send your cousin ?" 
 
 "Good heavens!" she exclaimed, in horror. "I 
 knew nothing at all about it." And trembling with 
 indignation, she turned to Count Hasso. " How 
 could you have made such a mistake ? How did 
 you venture to arrange in my name matters concern- 
 inr^ Avhich I never had athouQ'ht of consulting von ?" 
 
 Hasso threw back his head and measured Gerrald 
 with a look of the most insulting arrogance. 
 
 " Because, Marie, I might suppose that you would 
 prefer to dance with Count Raven rather than with 
 Herr Gerrald, the mill-owner." 
 
 And tearing a handful of green needles from one 
 of the trees, he tossed it scornfully on the shining 
 floor. 
 
The Opposite House. 255 
 
 The tall, proud figure of the officer of hussars 
 confronted him. The cross of honor glittered on 
 his breast, and the blue vein swelled on his fore- 
 head. 
 
 " Enough, sir," he said, with crushing dignity. 
 " You will permit me to give my answer to that re- 
 mark when we are alone." Then turning to Marie, 
 he added, with a sudden change of tone: ''An 
 revoir ! I will not resign my claim to the german." 
 
 " Alone ? That is a challenge !" exclaimed Raven, 
 barring his way, while his characterless face ex- 
 pressed the utmost embarrassment. " A duel ? 
 Ah, charming — charming! Ha! ha! ha! Listen, 
 cousin. I am to risk my life for your sake," and 
 again he uttered a laugh so loud and forced that 
 Gerrald, with the utmost contempt, turned his back 
 upon him. 
 
 " I did not imagine, Count Raven, that you pos- 
 sessed so little tact as to discuss such subjects in the 
 presence of ladies." 
 
 " Merciful God !" pleaded Marie, white as the 
 marble statue at her side. " You won't take the 
 affair so seriously, Herr Gerrald ? Oh, tell me that 
 you will not challenge him !" Approaching with 
 clasped hands, she gazed with mortal terror into his 
 gloomy eyes. " Traugott !" she said, softly. "Trau- 
 gott!" 
 
 "Don't trouble yourself about it, Marie. The 
 
256 The Opposite House. 
 
 whole affair is absurd !" cried the heir of Raveneck, 
 in a shrill tone. " Farewell, cousin. It 's a mere 
 bagatelle,'' and tossing his head, he turned on his 
 heel, and walked carelessly to one of the adjacent 
 rooms. He had plenty of friends whose finances 
 were always at a low ebb, who would consider it an 
 honor to fight for the aristocratic favorite of the 
 Frankfort society dames. Gold rules the world, 
 was the thought with which Count Raven consoled 
 himself. 
 
 Traugott gazed earnestl}'- at Marie's terrified face 
 and, leading her to a divan, he sat down by her 
 side. 
 
 " Do you really expect me to let that arrogant 
 boy's insult pass unpunished ?" he asked quietly 
 " I owe it to this uniform to let no speck sully its 
 lustre." 
 
 " You yourself call the count a boy, and yet wish 
 to judge him as a man !" vshe exclaimed wildly. 
 " Oh, I will not suffer you to risk your life again 
 after escaping, as if by a miracle, from all the 
 perils of war ! Oh, no ; promise, promise me to 
 keep the peace. I cannot endure the thought of 
 being the cause of this unhappy quarrel." 
 
 Tears sparkled in her eyes, and her voice was 
 full of heart-rending entreaty. 
 
 Gerrald, smiling, tried to soothe her. 
 
 *' The count must beg my pardon," he said, " and, 
 
The Opposite House. 257 
 
 so far as I can judge, I am quite sure that he 
 will." 
 
 Just at that moment a lieutenant of dragoons, 
 who had been searching all through the hall for 
 Marie, approached to claim his partner for the 
 Lancers. 
 
 " He must ask your pardon ; that is the only way 
 to appease you," whispered the young girl, hurried- 
 ly. And as Traugott bent his proud head in assent, 
 she rose with a faint glimmer of satisfaction on her 
 pale face. 
 
 " Pardon me, baroness," said the dragoon, his 
 spurs clanking as he bowed before her. " I've been 
 searching for you all through the hall. The crowd 
 is tremendous. Excuse me for taking away your 
 lady, Gerrald !" And he slipped Marie's hand 
 through his arm, and led her swiftly to their place 
 in the Lancers. 
 
 How slowly the minutes passed ! The dance 
 seemed endless. At last, at last, her partner again 
 offered his arm, and, with an expression of thanks, 
 led her back to her seat. Marie cast a hasty glance 
 around the hall, and saw Count Hasso standing be- 
 side the fragrant orange-trees, and before him, half 
 hidden by a group of palms, was the coquettish little 
 Austrian, laughing and flirting, the one thought in 
 her pretty head being that the man before her 
 was a good match. 
 
258 The Opposite House. 
 
 Marie drew nearer. The heir of Raveneck was 
 offering his box of fruits, and, with his mouth full, 
 describing how one of his trained dogs had just 
 gone lame in the left hind paw. 
 
 "Aha, little cousin," he interrupted, " you must 
 have seen my box in the distance ; there is an 
 apricot on top, just as sweet and rosy as yourself I" 
 And laughing loudly at his own gallantry, he prof- 
 fered the boyibonniere. 
 
 "Adieu, Count Raveneck !" said the ambassador's 
 daughter, tossing her head, turning up her little 
 nose, and abruptly greeting another partner who 
 approached the young lady with a low bow. 
 
 " You see she took offense because I made you a 
 lover-like speech !" said Hasso, with great amuse- 
 ment. " Ha ! ha ! little Bella thought she had me 
 in her pocket." 
 
 A shade of displeasure clouded Marie's brow. She 
 declined the fruit, and said, hastily : 
 
 " Listen to me a moment. Count Hasso. I want to 
 speak seriously." 
 
 " Very well. I suppose it 's about the duel. Ha, 
 ha, ha ! Let me have the fun of giving Herr Ger- 
 rald an aristocratic bullet as a souvenir !" 
 
 " Herr Gerrald has the reputation of being an ex- 
 cellent shot," whispered Marie, with a throbbing 
 heart. " Perhaps it might be you, and not he, who 
 would be the victim, Cojant Hasso ; and then think of 
 
The Opposite House. 259 
 
 the despair of your poor mother and my own suf- 
 fering for having been the cause of this misfor- 
 tune." 
 
 The young dandy threw back his chest, smiling. 
 
 *' Would you weep and mourn for me all your 
 life ?" he asked cruelly. 
 
 Marie drew farther back behind the green boughs. 
 
 " Oh, do not jest about such things," she cried, 
 skillfully evading the difficult question ; " think 
 rather of how to save yourself for the world and 
 your friends ! Why conjure up the bloody scene 
 which may have consequences so serious for you, 
 Count Hasso !" and she raised her clasped hands 
 beseechingly. " I entreat you to relieve my anxiety 
 and be reconciled to Herr Gerrald." 
 
 " If it will relieve you, certainly !" replied Count 
 Raven, in the blissful hope of having found a plausi- 
 ble motive for arranging the disagreeable business ; 
 " but 1 don't know how it is to be done." 
 
 Marie's eyes sparkled. 
 
 " Oh, there is nothing easier !" she cried eagerly. 
 " Go with me to Herr Gerrald, and tell him that you 
 would be sorry to be misunderstood, as you had not 
 the slightest intention of offending him." 
 
 "H'm, that might do!" said Hasso, laughing 
 pleasantly. " He did entirely misunderstand me. 
 The whole affair was a mistake, which he took in 
 the wrong way ! But, of course, I must tell him all 
 
26o The Opposite House. 
 
 this alone — voiis comprenez, cousine ? On account of 
 gossip !" He twirled his box of confectionery in 
 his hands, keeping time with his foot to the gay 
 polka performed by the orchestra. 
 
 " Then come quick ; I '11 take you to Herr Ger- 
 rald," urged Marie, in an agitated tone. And Hasso 
 obediently offered his arm and escorted her through 
 the hall. 
 
 A pair of eyes, flashing with anger, followed 
 them. Then the fair-haired Austrian laughed and 
 gave her delighted partner a rose-bud from her 
 bouquet. 
 
 Gerrald was still sitting on the red-cushioned 
 divan behind the group of fir-trees. His head 
 rested against the wall, and his eyes were fixed on 
 the huge eagle, with outspread wings, which held 
 the green garlands in its beak. Hasty steps ap- 
 proached, and, like a vision in a dream, Marie stood 
 before him, followed by his enemy, Count Raven. 
 
 " Herr Gerrald !" said Marie, with panting breath. 
 " Count Raven is seeking you to express his regret 
 for the misunderstanding, which was not intended 
 to convey offense to you." 
 
 " Yes, I am sorry. It was^ a little jest," Raven 
 added with a stupid smile. " I did not intend to vex 
 you. Let us think no more about it. My cousin is 
 frantic," and with a cordial " Shake !" he held out 
 his gloved right hand to Gerrald, 
 
The Opposite House. 261 
 
 G^rrald did not seem to see the gesture. He had 
 risen and stood before the young man with an air 
 of haughty reserve. 
 
 "You apologize for your want of tact?" he asked, 
 in a sharp, curt tone. 
 
 " Yes, yes !" said Marie, hastily, and Count Hasso 
 bowed his head in assent. 
 
 " Quite right," he said, in a tone of mingled em- 
 barrassment and discomfort. 
 
 " I am satisfied with your explanation," said 
 Traugott, after a brief pause. A glance at Marie's 
 blanched face calmed the angry excitement which 
 the count's absurd behavior aroused, and turning 
 from him, he bowed to the young girl. " I hope 
 you are satisfied, baroness." 
 
 He did not vouchsafe the hero of Frankfort draw- 
 ing-rooms another glance. 
 
 " Then everything is settled ?" Hasso uttered a 
 sigh of relief. " But in arranging this affair we 
 have entirely forgotten to dance. This is my polka, 
 cousin." 
 
 A flush of joy crimsoned Marie's cheeks. 
 
 " I thank you, Herr Gerrald," she murmured from 
 the very depths of her heart, and then accompanied 
 her impatient partner into the surging human sea 
 which filled the ball-room. 
 
 The german was drawing to a close. Gerrald 
 brought his partner the fragrant little bouquet, and 
 
262 The Opposite House. 
 
 Marie, with sparkling eyes, fastened the order on 
 his breast. The countless lights in the chandelier 
 glittered above them, while the sounds and scents 
 around them seemed like the joyous greeting of 
 peace. 
 
 " And I may come to-morrow ?" asked Traugott, 
 with beaming eyes. He led his partner back to her 
 mother. " May I say ' till we meet again ?' " 
 
 Then a pair of blue eyes smiled at him, and rosy 
 lips whispered : 
 
 " Till we meet again." 
 
 Count Hasso hastily swallowed a glass of cham- 
 pagne, and leaned thoughtfully against the side- 
 board. 
 
 " This paying court is a risky matter," he thought. 
 *' I '11 end it to-morrow. The poor girl suffered 
 terrible anxiety about me to-night, and trembled for 
 my life. Well, she shall be rewarded." 
 
 This was Count Hasso's resolve 
 
CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 HAPPINESS AND REALIZATION. 
 
 Count Hasso sprang into the carriage and drove 
 off, without vouchsafing the venerable gray house 
 another glance, but sat propping his chin on the 
 gold head of his cane in silent wonder, trying to 
 understand this ninth marvel of the world — this 
 fact which required much pondering to grasp. He, 
 the heir of Castle Raveneck, the irresistible mortal 
 for whom the Frankfort ladies were ready to go 
 through fire, this breaker of hearts and peerless 
 singer, the wearer of a coronet with nine points, 
 this much-desired, courted and admired Count 
 Raven, had — been rejected ! 
 
 It was almost inconceivable ; and, yes, it was not 
 
 quite clear to himself. He did not exactly believe 
 
 it. And who gave this mitten ? An insignificant 
 
 little baroness, who positively had nothing at all 
 
 except an aristocratic name and a pretty face. The 
 
 [263J 
 
264 The Opposite House, 
 
 iew thousands of her fortune would barely furnish 
 a man like Hasso with pocket-money ; and who lived 
 in a house — the rejected suitor threw back his 
 head and turned up his nose — which was almost de- 
 voured by wood-worms, and might be expected to 
 fall clattering about the occupants' heads at any 
 moment. He would not have expected his groom 
 to live in such an antiquated abode. 
 
 Bah ! It was merely an evidence of alarming 
 narrow-mindedness, inconceivable folly, which could 
 only awaken pity, and, at last, become actually 
 amusing from the rarity of having the hand of a 
 Count Raven refused. 
 
 The jest would excite mirth in the circle of his 
 intimate friends ; they would laugh and congratu- 
 late the young man upon having escaped the con- 
 sequences of childish haste so easily. Or would it 
 be better for him to pass over the matter in total 
 silence ? But, no ; she might boast of her triumph, 
 and it would be better to take the initiative ! 
 
 Hasso angrily pulled the photograph of the coy 
 lady out of his pocketbook, and gazed at the lovely 
 features with a frowning brow. " But the little 
 witch is pretty !" he confessed defiantly. " Con- 
 found it ! The very first time I have really fallen 
 in love, to have such a — " The sentence ended in a 
 sarcastic laugh. 
 
 " What will mamma say to it ? She 11 be amazed. 
 
The Opposite House. 265 
 
 consider it ridiculous — absurd. And here these mis- 
 chievous eyes look at me as though they wanted to 
 laugh at my discomfiture ! Deuce take them !" The 
 heir of Raveneck tore the picture of his lost love, 
 and threw himself back among the cushions. 
 " Come, we'll forget !" he grumbled. 
 
 His box of candied fruit awakened other thoughts, 
 and, opening it, he thoughtfully bit into a tempting 
 apricot. But either, for the first time, the fruit 
 was poor, or it was his own mood — at any rate, the 
 beautiful apricot tasted bitter. 
 
 Meanwhile Marie von Rotterswyl was standing 
 in her tower-room, pressing her burning brow 
 against the panes. Her temples beat and throbbed 
 so wildly, and her little heart seemed as if it were 
 ready to burst its narrow confines and fly exulting- 
 ly to meet " him." The room was so sultry, so 
 oppressive. She opened the door and ran down 
 into the garden, into the wide, surging sea of the 
 fresh spring air, beneath the radiant sky, past the 
 marble statues, by the yew hedge, till at last she 
 stood by the little pond. 
 
 How still it was here ! The turf was glittering 
 with the first green of May ; fresh, waving blades 
 of grass, amid which bloomed the white stars of 
 the daisy and early primroses. Hidden far be- 
 neath, too, were the sweet violets, which sent forth 
 their fragrance on the soft breeze to greet her. 
 
266 The Opposite House. 
 
 Marie sat down upon a log, and dreamed under 
 the whispering boughs, whose silvery catkins 
 drooped low over the quiet pool. The rusty chain 
 for mooring boats lay at her feet, winding over the 
 crumbling marble steps down into the mysterious 
 depths. The yellow leaves of last year's rushes 
 bowed rustling under the hem of her light-blue 
 dress, which floated around her like an airy cloud. 
 
 It was a fair picture, the slender, girlish figure 
 beside the neglected pond, the brown water-grasses 
 nodding about her. She looked like a thoughtful 
 nymph, who had just risen from the glittering 
 spray. 
 
 How much the curious wrens on the willow- 
 boughs would have liked to know what important 
 thoughts occupied the fair little head, why the 
 mouth smiled so bewitchingly, and the eyes were 
 raised heavenward so thoughtfully, as if the radiant 
 sunshine contained some vast, vast enigma, whose 
 solution the young girl could not grasp ! 
 
 Count Hasso had called a few hours before, and, 
 with a very important air, requested to see Baro- 
 ness von Rotterswyl. 
 
 Marie did not long for his society, especially 
 to-day. When she was momentarily expecting the 
 coming of another, who absorbed her every thought, 
 and whose image alone hovered before her eyes — 
 a tall, handsome officer, whose face grew radiant 
 
The Opposite House. 267 
 
 as he reined in his charger, to catch a wreath which 
 floated down to him with fluttering ribbons. Ah, 
 it was already four and twenty hours since she had 
 seen him for the first time after their long separa- 
 tion. What a flood of thoughts filled her soul, what 
 a longing contracted her heart, when she saw Verja 
 rush so joyously into her husband's arms ! She 
 could rejoice before the world ; could express her 
 happiness in a thousand tender words, while Marie 
 still stood at the window, gazing intently with tear- 
 ful eye at the spot where " he " had just bowed his 
 thanks for her greeting of love. 
 
 Ah, what would happen now ! Will no sun of hap- 
 piness ever rise ? Yet she was full of hope. Her 
 heart was overflowing with gratitude to God, who 
 had permitted his return home. He lives, he loves 
 you ; do not despair, my heart. 
 
 She had been sitting in her little room, thinking 
 of him alone. Then her mother entered, grave 
 and solemn, as if she were come in the name of the 
 law. 
 
 " Marie," she said, abruptly, " Count Raven asks 
 your hand in marriage. Will you give it to him ?" 
 
 Alas, it seemed as if a violent blow had shattered 
 her sweet dream ! What answer her cry of terror, 
 her deadly fright made she knew not ; she saw only 
 the strange tremor of the old baroness's lips as she 
 gravely stooped to kiss her on the forehead. 
 
268 The Opposite House. 
 
 " And why do you refuse the count's hand ?" she 
 asked. 
 
 Then the ardent love in the young girl's heart no 
 longer knew timidity or fear. Like a deep, long 
 hidden fountain, which at last bursts all barriers 
 and rises to the light of day, the confession poured 
 from her lips, swifter, more jubilant, culminating 
 in the rapturous avowal : " I love /iim alone !" And 
 when the bonds were once broken, the seal removed 
 from the timid lips, the shrinking child had no 
 further thought of silence. Everything must be 
 confessed, everything must ring in her mother's 
 ears ; and Baroness von Rotterswyl listened with an 
 aching heart to this sacred, long-repressed fervor of 
 first love — this suffering and hoping, fearing and 
 yearning, and mortal dread of her mother's anger. 
 And as her child's arms clasped her neck so tenderly, 
 as every word found an answering chord in her own 
 heart, and long-buried memories of her youth 
 awoke, the very last barrier of pride melted, the ice 
 of the proud soul thawed under the fire of love 
 which poured so resistlessly from the lips of her 
 child. She clasped her hands in a swift battle with 
 herself ; her tearful eyes wandered toward heaven, 
 as though she were bidding farewell to a long- 
 cherished dream ; then she clasped her daughter to 
 her heart in benediction, murmuring a short, almost 
 incredible reply — that she should become the wife 
 
The Opposite House. 269 
 
 of the man she loved. And ere Marie could utter a 
 word of gratitude, her mother's tall figure had 
 vanished behind the door to give the waiting suitor 
 her answer. Even now the baroness would not 
 yield, could not let the mask fall so suddenly and 
 reveal the unhappy, broken-hearted woman, whose 
 whole life had been only a shield to hide the deep 
 wounds dealt by love. 
 
 Marie stood alone, dazzled, almost giddy in the 
 presence of the glow of happiness which had so sud- 
 denly followed her suffering. 
 
 Now she sat beside the pool, pondering. 
 
 Meanwhile Liesbeth stood at the door of the 
 house, gazing down the street. Suddenly she 
 shaded her eyes with her hand and bent forward. 
 An officer of hussars was striding swiftly over the 
 pavement, his spurs clanking as he moved. The 
 maid recognized the tall figure and knew his 
 errand. 
 
 " How do you do, Master Gerrald ?" she said, 
 courtesying. 
 
 " Liesbeth," he asked, his face flushing, " is Frau 
 Ton Rotterswyl upstairs?" 
 
 " In the drawing-room," she answered. 
 
 " And Baroness Marie ?" 
 
 " Alone in the garden," was the almost mischiev- 
 ous answer. 
 
 The young oflBlcer crimsoned to the brow. 
 
270 The Opposite House. 
 
 " Liesbeth," he said, hastily, " I once did you a 
 favor, and asked your father to let you go to the 
 city. You told me, when you went away, that if you 
 could ever render me a service in return, you would 
 be ready. Do you remember ? I will hold you to- 
 day to your promise. Show me to the garden ; 
 make the mistake of supposing that dot/i the ladies 
 were there — " 
 
 " I understand, Herr Gerrald," Lohfeld s daughter 
 nodded, gravely. " Follow me, please." 
 
 She passed through the corridor and led the 
 young man across the courtyard into the garden. 
 
 The gravel creaked under Traugott's rapid foot- 
 steps, his saber rattled and his spurs rang on the 
 stones, but not a word was exchanged between them. 
 Suddenly Liesbeth paused and cast a searching 
 glance around. 
 
 " I don't know where she can be," she said. " She 
 isn't in the arbor ; she very seldom goes to the lin- 
 den walk. But stop ; she is probably sitting by the 
 pond. This way, please, Herr Gerrald. Yes, I see 
 her blue dress yonder through the willow boughs. 
 Keep straight on along this path. It will lead you 
 there." 
 
 " Many thanks, Liesbeth," stammered Traugott, 
 evidently trying to control his embarrassment. " I 
 only want to speak to Baroness Marie. We 'U come 
 directly ; but I would rather you did not announce 
 
The Opposite House. 271 
 
 me to Baroness von Rotterswyl just yet. Many 
 thanks, Liesbeth; you 're a good girl." Andhe walked 
 hastily away as if to escape the incredulous look 
 with which the " good girl " greeted his " we '11 
 come directly." But Liesbeth was discreet, and 
 only said, with a ludicrously solemn expression : 
 
 " Very glad to do it, Herr Gerrald," turned on her 
 heel and fairly ran back to the house. 
 
 *' Friedrich," she giggled to her approaching 
 
 lover, " the ' pop * is coming." And when he asked 
 
 the names and other particulars, she laid her finger 
 
 mysteriously on her lips and murmured, " 'St !" 
 * * -x- * * * 
 
 The rushes were whispering their monotonous 
 song around the dreaming girl, the birds on the wil- 
 low-branch were singing low, sweet notes, and the 
 outlines of the fair face quivered on the water, 
 melting into its own golden locks and blending with 
 the dazzling sunshine, which painted its reflection 
 on the undulating water. Glittering wings flitted 
 through the young foliage, and the timid lizards 
 darted over the rocks on the shore, which looked as 
 crumbling and moss-grown as if they might tell 
 tales of the days when the castle fountain had stood 
 here m the place of the pool, and from its cool 
 depths rose the nixie to tell the lovely, high-born 
 dame of the marvels never before beheld, in order 
 to draw her down into the waves, leaving the proud 
 
272 The Opposite House. 
 
 halls desolate, until they slowly crumbled, thorns 
 and thistles grew over them, and the spring be- 
 neath hollowed its bed among them. 
 
 Fleecy clouds drifted across the sky, and a red- 
 and-white streamer fluttered amid the distant tree- 
 tops. 
 
 Then the sand on the path creaked, a dry branch 
 in the grass snapped, and Marie, startled, raised her 
 head, then sprang up with a low, exulting cry. He 
 stood before her. 
 
 A burning blush flamed in her cheeks ; her dark 
 lashes drooped in charming embarrassment ; then 
 rose, revealing eyes beaming with delight. She 
 advanced to meet him — then paused timidly. Her 
 rosy lips trembled, but found no fitting words. 
 What was she to say ? 
 
 Traugott stood smiling down at her, raised his 
 arms, and silently extended them. 
 
 The little bird on the bough caroled a joyous 
 love-song, and Marie rushed into the open arms to 
 nestle on her lover's breast. 
 
 "Traugott!" she murmured, with an indescriba- 
 ble blending of love and timidity. — " Traugott !" 
 
 The sun sparkled on the water; the boughs 
 swayed above their heads ; the little songster sud- 
 denly spread its wings and soared upward to the 
 blue sky, announcing to the radiant ■ universe the 
 new yet ever old story of binding and eternal troth. 
 
The Opposite House. 273 
 
 They sat together on the mossy trunk, unable to 
 find language to utter the feelings of their hearts. 
 Marie leaned her head on the young mill-owner's 
 breast, listening with throbbing pulses to the un- 
 familiar words of happiness and fidelity. 
 
 Suddenly she started up. " Traugott," she asked, 
 a still deeper fiush crimsoning her cheeks, "have 
 you opened my memento ?" 
 
 A line of pain marked the forehead of the hand- 
 some officer, gliding like an icy breath over his 
 radiant features. 
 
 " Why do you remind me of my talisman now, 
 Marie ?" he said, almost reproachfully. " Must its 
 memory embitter even the happiest moment of my 
 life ?" 
 
 The young girl gazed deep into his eyes ; then, 
 with an almost mischievous expression, answered ; 
 
 " It is cruel, isn 't it ? And yet I must grieve you 
 with it. Where is my amulet, Traugott ?" 
 
 He silently unfastened his coat, slipped the ribbon 
 from his neck, and gave her the untouched secret. 
 
 Marie's face blanched. 
 
 " This ribbon " — the words fell from her lips 
 like a cry of fear — " this ribbon is red — the end has 
 drunk your blood !" 
 
 She threw her arms around his neck with sudden 
 terror, as if to guard her lover from the murderous 
 bullet. 
 
2 74 ^^^^ Opposite House. 
 
 Then her fingers broke the seal, the covering of 
 his unknown talisman fell, and the slender white 
 hand was held out to him. But no, he was dream- 
 ing — it was impossible. He was mad to believe that 
 this was his cross — his locket. 
 
 Oh, all was delusion — the girlish figure before 
 him was a vision of his fevered brain, and the 
 whole scene a mere illusion of his crazed fancy ! 
 He was still lying in the gloomy hospital. Would 
 he not wake presently, and — but no ! The fresh 
 May breeze was blowing through the branches, the 
 sun was laughing in the heavens, and the young 
 girl was Marie, his own beloved Marie, who held in 
 her hand his locket, his cross, which the lake had 
 swallowed before his eyes ! 
 
 He rubbed his forehead and stared at the miracle 
 in her fingers. He could not believe his eyes. 
 
 " Marie !" he cried at last. " Am I awake ? Am I 
 out of my senses ? Or do miracles happen still ?" 
 
 Marie laughed joyously, and pressed the treasure 
 into his hand : 
 
 " Here, here, take it, dearest ! It is your own 
 property, which has so long accompanied you with 
 my love and my blessing. Oh, look at it, Traugott — 
 your locket, your flower, your precious legacy ! 
 Surely you recognize it, only you don't understand 
 how it came into my possession, and deem love so 
 weak, so timorous, that it cannot jvrest its treasure 
 
The Opposite House. 275 
 
 from the waves. The lake must open its icy arms 
 when the voice of the heart commands. The depths 
 must yield their booty when a faithful hand 
 demands it ; and now believe the miracle, you 
 doubter, and be happy — happier than you ever were 
 before." 
 
 Traugott, deeply agitated, gazed long and ear- 
 nestly into the beautiful eyes of the woman he 
 loved, covered her little hand with kisses, pressed 
 it with its treasure to his throbbing heart, and again 
 examined the genuineness of the gift, in whose 
 reality he could yet scarcely believe. But here within 
 were the letters of his father's name ; here still lay 
 the white flower of death, uninjured ! Ay, it was 
 indeed his precious property ! 
 
 A tumult of bliss took possession of his soul, in- 
 toxicating him with its resistless might. All sor- 
 rows were forgotten, all darkness merged in 
 dazzling light ; and the swift alternation of grief 
 and joy confused him. It was too much happiness 
 all at once ! Then, when the tumult had partially 
 subsided, when the young man passionately pleaded 
 for an explanation of the miracle, Marie's sweet 
 voice described that night on the lake, when, with 
 Franz, she had cast the net for happiness and drawn 
 up so magnificent a prize ; the unutterable anguish 
 which threatened to overwhelm her, and finally the 
 moment when she again held in her hand the treas- 
 
276 The Opposite House. 
 
 Tire so painfully sought, while Traugott listened 
 as though to an incomprehensible tale. 
 
 " What can have become of that ballet-dancer ?" 
 asked the young girl, pausing suddenly and looking 
 up at him with almost timid glance. " That woman 
 could not have known a moment's happiness from 
 that hour, or she never loved you !" 
 
 " She is dead," replied Gerrald, in a sorrowful 
 tone. " She died at peace and reconciled to God 
 and the world. The butterfly flitted through its 
 bright summer of happiness, and enjoyed its short, 
 bright existence ; but could not endure the winter of 
 want and sorrow. She succumbed to the shadow 
 which she herself had cast over her sun." 
 
 "Then you saw her again? You talked with 
 her?" 
 
 The young officer narrated his meeting with the 
 will-o'-the-wisp that had once more crossed his 
 path, suddenly beaming with a milder radiance, and 
 then vanishing in eternal darkness. 
 
 " She remained in the hospital and nursed her 
 former lover," Traugott continued, in a tone of deep 
 feeling. " She never left his couch until he fell 
 asleep, and then she glided up to the other rooms, 
 where she talked and jested with her countrymen 
 as though her gay laughter could belie the pallid 
 cheeks which revealed her suffering. I had forgiven 
 her, and this rendered hej r?lm and almost gentle ; 
 
The Opposite House. 277 
 
 but she rarely came and talked with me. She cared 
 for me while I was asleep, and I felt, as if in a 
 dream, lips pressed to my hand, upon which, when 
 I woke, tears were glittering. Heloise coughed 
 violently, and at times suffered from weakness and 
 weariness ; but she never complained. On the con- 
 trary, she consoled Maurice with jesting words, and 
 soothed him by the smile on her pale lips. Sud- 
 denly typhus fever broke out in the French division, 
 and no entreaty, no representations could dissuade 
 Heloise from carrying refreshments to the sufferers. 
 One day she did not return. She herself was one 
 of the first victims." 1 
 
 "And the French cuirassier?" asked the fair- 
 haired girl, with dim eyes. 
 
 " He has returned home and tends her grave in 
 the distant South," replied Traugott, gravely. " The 
 unfortunate man had scarcely been able to believe 
 in the reality of his happiness, when it was once 
 more cruelly torn from him. I do not know whether 
 he can bless the sip from my field-flask which kept 
 him alive." 
 
 Marie looked up at him with tearful eyes. 
 
 " I have been unable to feel aught save hatred 
 and contempt for that woman, and since that hour 
 on the island in the park I have wished for revenge 
 on her, as if I might thus buy back your happiness, 
 Traugott ; but when I learned afterwards how great 
 
278 The Opposite House. 
 
 a loss she had sustained through Brand, how she 
 had been found senseless beside the empty casket 
 which had contained her diamonds, how constantly 
 she was obliged to wander through the world, I 
 could not help pitying her, and shuddered at the 
 wild life which brought naught save storms and 
 which bore so little fruit." 
 
 Gerrald silently bowed his head and gazed at the 
 shining dragon-fly which fluttered restlessly over 
 the water, and at last, with weary wings, sank into 
 the depths. 
 
 " Marie," he suddenly exclaimed, pressing her 
 hand to his lips, with a loving glance, " forget 
 Heloise. Do not suffer the first shadow to pass 
 over our sunny happiness, or waken by her name 
 memories which should now be forever buried and 
 forgotten. My past life is closed to-day. I am be- 
 ginning a new and promising course, and when I 
 enter your mother's presence in the king's coat, 
 adorned with the cross I have so lately won, please 
 God, she will not refuse me the hand of her child, 
 in which rests all the happiness and confidence of 
 my future ! I shall remain in the army, Marie. I 
 have learned to love my sword, and can no longer 
 part from the color which has protected my treasure 
 in battle and danger. Will you become the wife of 
 a soldier, dearest, who can offer you laurels and an 
 honorable sword, but no coronet ?" 
 
The Opposite House. 279 
 
 Marie held out both her hands with a radiant 
 glance. 
 
 "You intend to remain in the army?" she cried, 
 exultingly, in an outburst of delight. " Oh, how 
 pleased mamma will be ! Come, Traugott, let us 
 take her this glad news at once." The young girl 
 started up excitedly, and was hurrying through the 
 grass and sedges ; but she paused suddenly, ask- 
 ing, almost timidly : " And the mills — what will be- 
 come of the mills, if their owner is away ?" 
 
 Traugott smiled. 
 
 " Lohfeld will be my manager, and I am sure that 
 the wheels will be guided by a faithful hand. True, 
 it will cost a struggle before the men can get accus- 
 tomed to the new idea ; but no matter ! And he too 
 must yield, though it is hard to contend against 
 loyalty and devotion. 
 
 " Now come, Marie ! Ah, how confident and bold 
 I feel, with your cross and the wonderful flower 
 again on my heart ! I could dispute your posses- 
 sion with the whole world, and yet I dread your 
 mother's glance. Does she suspect what is to be 
 asked of her?" 
 
 "She knows all," whispered the young baroness, 
 " and awaits your coming to complete my happi- 
 ness. After the long winter comes the spring, and 
 hearts, too, thaw when love shines faithfully and 
 ardently upon them. You will scarcely recognize 
 
28o The Opposite House. 
 
 my mother, Traugott. She is no longer the un- 
 approachable woman of former days, but my loyal, 
 tender mother, who can understand her child, and 
 who knows herself what love is. A short time ago 
 she told me her own love-history, and I perceived, 
 with tears, that, though her heart had been embit- 
 tered and hardened by sorrow, it had never ceased to 
 throb lovingly for me. Do not ask too much of her 
 at first, dearest ; do not expect her to show you a 
 tenderness which she often still denies me. Be 
 content with her friendship and esteem, and do not 
 forget how hard it is to embrace, as a son, a man 
 whose family has always been the object of hatred. 
 Mamma likes you ; your uniform will raise you 
 still more in her eye, and at least relieve her of 
 the terrible thought of being compelled to marry 
 her child to a merchant. The feud between the 
 Gerralds and Von Rotterswyls was too deep and 
 had endured too many years to be so swiftly for- 
 gotten. The formality of her manner will also 
 disappear, when she sees how truly I love you, 
 Traugott ; ana when she has once accepted you as 
 her daughter's husband, it will not be long ere she 
 treasures you in her heart as a son." 
 
 They walked along the path bordered with yew, 
 brushing the waving tendrils which grew so lux- 
 uriantly over the tall stone statues that they were 
 almost hidden beneath the leafage. Their fixed 
 
The Opposite House. 281 
 
 eyes stared down at the young couple, and the wind 
 
 rustling the tops of the ancient trees and lightly 
 
 stirring the dust on the moss-grown heads brought 
 
 a mysterious whisper : 
 
 " Wake, thou pallid woman, who so often sat 
 
 here weeping ! Rise, patient Barbara von Rotters- 
 
 wyl, the hour has come for whose fulfillment thou 
 
 hast prayed with a breaking heart ; the chasm is 
 
 filled, and to-day a great festival is celebrated in 
 
 memory of you !" 
 
 ***** * 
 
 Old Gretlis sat at the gable window of the vener- 
 able Gerrald house, holding the thread in her cold 
 fingers. Her white head had sunk low on her 
 breast, and her eyes were closed for their last, long 
 sleep. A peaceful dream seemed hovering over 
 her, for her lips smiled — a dream of wedding-bells, 
 which had echoed through the open window, and 
 at whose devout sound she had arranged a little 
 bouquet to carry down to the door. 
 
 Then she had welcomed her master's young wife 
 to the home of his ancestors, laid her trembling 
 hands in benediction on the beautiful head, tottered 
 into the spacious hall with him, and looked on with 
 beaming eyes as the young wife decorated old 
 Zacharias's portrait with a bridal wreath, and hung 
 the picture of Baroness Barbara at his side. It was 
 a high festival in the life of the faithful maid-servant. 
 
282 The Opposite House. 
 
 Then she again sat in the bow-window room, 
 busily turning the wheel, till it suddenly stopped, 
 and the thread broke between her fingers. Old 
 Gretlis's shroud was finished. 
 
 The venerable house stood as solitary and silent 
 as a tomb, save that the clock on the wall ticked on 
 till, with dull strokes, it struck twelve ; then the 
 hands stopped with a sharp snap, like a cry of pain. 
 Its course, too, was run. 
 
 The past had ended, and the Book of Time, in 
 which were recorded all its memories, conflicts, 
 hate and love, had closed. 
 
 With the dawn of the young morning, a new 
 day-star rose for the House of Gerrald, pouring its 
 sunny light upon the branches of the family tree, 
 and making them put forth leaves and blossoms, 
 and grow with more vigor than ever before, be- 
 neath the animating breath of the spirit of the age. 
 And the good genuises of the ancient race whis- 
 pered, smiling, in Traugott's ear : 
 
 " Hail to you and your House, oh, happy Prince 
 of the Mill !" 
 
 THE END. 
 
A HERO OF THE SWORD. 
 
 The King s Gallant 
 
 By ALEXANDRE DUMAS. 
 
 "The King's Gallant" is deserving of 
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 marks a distinct triumph in his career. . . 
 
 If this production is full of the rushing 
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 yet it was the stepping stone which led to 
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 hailed as the " Wizard of Fiction." . . . 
 
 It is a volume full of action with a strong 
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 character 
 
 i2mo. Cloth. Price, ^i.oo. 
 
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THE STORY OF A HOPELESS LOVE. 
 
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 When two women love one man there is 
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 In quest of gold he visits Mexico and 
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 if one true woman's heart breaks before the 
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 There are many touching incidents in the 
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The Story of a Fight for a Throne 
 
 D'Artagnan, the 
 King Maker . . . 
 
 By ALEXANDRE DUMAS. 
 
 Written originally by Dumas as a play, and now for the 
 first time novelized and translated into English. 
 
 The Philadelphia Enquirer says : 
 
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 cavalier falls victim to Cupi 's wiles is one 
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 dispatches the redoubtable D' Artagnan on his 
 king-making mission to Portugal." . . . 
 
 i2mo., Illustrated. Price, ^i.oo. 
 
 STREET AND SMITH, New York and London 
 
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