rative that her knowledge should appear to have been gained in his
presence.

Wilhelmine had studied many books of magic and innumerable accounts of
occult manifestations. She was half-dupe, half-charlatan, and indeed she
possessed much magnetic power.

Now in Bavaria, some years before this scene at Ludwigsburg, there had
been discovered an extraordinary peasant-girl gifted with rare faculties
of clairvoyance, thought-reading, ecstatic trances, prophecies, and the
rest. An account of her short twenty years of vision-tortured life had
been published by the doctor of her village--a crank, and supposed wizard
himself. This pamphlet Wilhelmine had read, as she read all books
concerning mysterious manifestations. His Highness, however, would never
look at anything treating of magic or witchcraft. He honestly disapproved
of such things, and feared them; though, in contradiction, he was much
attracted by his mistress's strange powers, which he affected to doubt,
yet, in truth, he was terribly afraid at times.

It was certain that he knew nothing of the Seer of Altbach, and thus
Wilhelmine felt assured she might risk the shamming of one of the
peasant-girl's feats, palming it off as an original accomplishment.

She continued to implore the Duke to show her the letter, but he was
obdurate; honour bound him, he said.

At length Wilhelmine's scheme had matured in her fertile brain, and she
was ready to begin her daring comedy.

'I cannot rest while I am ignorant of the accusations in that letter.
There must be something terrible, some fearful wickedness against me,
which you will not tell me, but which, like poison thrown into a well,
will pollute each thought of me in your mind, till at length your love of
me and your trust will die. Whereas, if I know of what I am accused, I
can wrench out this poisonous root with the sword of Truth, for oh! love
of mine, I am innocent, save for the sin of loving you.'

'And yet honour closes my lips! I swore to Forstner that his letters to
me should never be divulged; and though he is doubtless a traitor to me,
still I cannot absolve myself of my oath,' he answered sadly.

She stood up, and holding out both hands towards him, she said solemnly:

'Take both my hands in one of yours, look in my eyes, hold the letter on
my brow, and I will tell you what he says. Thus your honour is cleared,
for you have neither spoken nor given me the writing, but I shall have
guessed.'

'What madness