ast found the right means to conquer her son, who now hung his head
despondently as Antonie entered the room.

"You're here already, are you, Will?" she asked. "I thought--but what is
the matter? Has anything happened?"

"Yes," said Regine, who, as usual seized the reins without fear. "We
have just received a telegram from Burgsdorf which will compel us to
start for home to-morrow morning. You need not be alarmed, my dear
child, it is nothing serious, only a piece of stupidity,"--she laid a
sharp accent upon the last words,--"a piece of stupidity which will soon
right itself, and the sooner its checked, the sooner the matter'll be
ended. I'll explain it all to you later, but we must go now; it can't be
helped."

Antonie listened attentively, but it required more than such an
announcement to stir her from her wonted repose, and the declaration
that it was nothing of moment, satisfied her. "But will Willibald have
to go, too?" she asked, without any special eagerness. "Can not he
remain?"

"Well, Will, can't you answer your sweetheart?" said his mother,
fastening her sharp gray eyes on her son. "You know best all the
circumstances. Do you think you can afford to remain here?"

There followed a short pause. Willibald's glance met his mother's; then
he turned toward Toni and said, in a half-depressed tone:

"No, Toni, I must go home--there is nothing else for it."

Toni took this news, which another girl would have seriously deplored,
very calmly, and began to plan where they had better dine on the morrow,
for they had a long distance to go by carriage before they would meet
the express train. This troubled her much more than the parting, and she
finally decided that she would prepare a luncheon for them, so that they
need have no care concerning their midday meal.

Frau von Eschenhagen triumphed in her heart as she went to announce
their departure to her brother-in-law. She had already decided upon the
reason which she would give him for their abrupt departure. Of course a
great many things could happen on a large estate like Burgsdorf, which
would demand the master's presence at a moment's notice. So the head
forester knew no more than his daughter, although he, in his blindness,
had been the cause of it all.

As for the rest, Frau Regine did not doubt her powers as soon as she
should get her son away from the influence of this witch. He had shown
himself amenable to reason at the last moment. She would say noth