oing to ask you to
cut him loose, but after what you say I think it would perhaps be just
as well to keep them all tied until the narratives are completed."

With a sigh of resignation the young man began his story.

"I am American born, but my father, who was a civil engineer and of high
rank in his profession, was obliged, when I was quite a small boy, to go
to Austria, where he had made extensive contracts for the building of
railroads. In that country I spent the greater part of my boyhood and
youth. There I was educated in the best schools, my father sparing no
money to have me taught everything that a gentleman should know. My
mother died when I was a mere infant, and as my father's vocation made
it necessary for him to travel a great deal, my life was often a lonely
one. For society I depended entirely upon my fellow-scholars, my tutors,
and masters. It was my father's intention, however, that when I had
finished my studies I should go to one of the great capitals, there to
mix with the world.

"But when this period arrived I was in no haste to avail myself of the
advantages he offered me. My tastes were studious, my disposition
contemplative, and I was a lover of rural life.

"My father had leased an old castle in Carinthia, not far from the
mountains, and here he kept his books and charts, and here he came for
recreation and study whenever his arduous duties gave him a little
breathing-spell. For several months I had lived at this castle, happy
when my father was with me and happy when I was alone. I expected soon
to go to Vienna, where my father would introduce me to some of his
influential friends. But day by day I postponed the journey.

"Walking one morning a few miles from the castle, I saw at the edge of a
piece of woodland a female figure seated beneath a tree. Approaching
nearer, I perceived that she was young, and that she was sketching. I
was surprised, for I knew that in this part of the world young women, at
least those of the upper classes, to which the costume and tastes of
this one showed her to belong, were not allowed to wander about the
country by themselves; but although I stood still and watched the young
lady for some time, no companion appeared upon the scene.

"The path I had intended to take led past the piece of woodland, and I
saw no reason why I should diverge from my proposed course. I
accordingly proceeded, and when I reached the young lady I bowed and
raised my hat. I think t