old it? I thought it had been
known only to this family and me.'

"'I am the guilty person,' said Meeta, coming forward; 'I will not
throw suspicion on others by hiding my fault;' and she then repeated
her conversation with Heister Kamp, but she could give no account of
how the secret had passed on to the gipsies.

"'I am sure,' said the pastor, 'that Heister would be above having to
do with such people; but she is a woman of excessive curiosity, and
such people are dangerous to others, as well as injurious to
themselves.'

"'A secret, my good girl,' said the countess, smiling, 'may be compared
to a bird in a cage; whilst shut up within our own breasts, it is safe;
but when we open the door, either of the cage or of the heart, to let
the inmate out, we can never tell whither it may fly; but you have
owned the truth, and you have suffered severely--let all be
forgotten.'

"'I have a proposal to make,' said the pastor; 'we will go back and
dine, and in the evening we will all come up and sup together; the good
man shall find us feasting when he comes home.'

"'Agreed,' cried the count and countess; 'you must set the house in
order, and we will send up the entertainment,' she added, speaking to
Meeta and Jacques; 'and we will be with you in a few hours. Let us then
see this little fair one in all the bravery of her Sunday attire.'

"And all was done as the lady and pastor wished. Meeta set everything
in proper order. Jacques brought his flocks from the pasture, and gave
his best help. All the Sunday dresses were put on, and Margot was
standing at the wicket in her very best apron, when the mule and the
lady appeared again, followed by the pastor and Monique, Ella, and
people without number, bearing the things needful for such a supper as
had not often been enjoyed under that roof.

"Oh, what a happy meeting was that! How delighted was the lady with
Margot, and what a beautiful little enamelled box for containing
sweetmeats did she give her from her pocket! But there were no
sweetmeats in it; there were what Margot called golden fish.

"Wolf had a glorious evening; he went about again to be patted, and he
had as much to eat, for once in his life, as he could conveniently
swallow.

"Meeta was forgiven by everyone, because she had not hidden her fault;
and the whole party were just sitting down to supper before the porch
when Martin Stolberg came home.

"Who shall say how astonished he was, or how grateful when t