ng, and despise the
low snobbishness of soul which could consider a man more fitted for
society because a foreign potentate had evinced an interest in him. And,
since we have begun this evening's dance with explanations, let me
further explain, that Mr. Anton Wohlfart is the son of a late accountant
in Ostrau, and that I shall consider any further allusion to this
misunderstanding as an insult to my most intimate friend. And now, my
dear lady, I am engaged to your daughter for the first quadrille, and
can positively wait no longer."

In the course of the evening Lieutenant von Zernitz came up and said,
"Fink, you have made fun of us, and I am sorry to be under the necessity
of demanding satisfaction."

"Be rational, and do nothing of the kind," replied Fink. "We have shot
together so often, it would be a pity now to take each other for a
mark."

Fink being by far the best shot in the room, Herr von Zernitz allowed
himself to be convinced.

Anton had vanished from the fashionable circle like a falling star, and
he never reappeared therein. True, it did occur to Frau von Baldereck,
rather late in the day, that it would be proper occasionally to invite
the young man, to prove that he had not been tolerated merely as--what
he was not, and some other families thought the same; but as these
invitations came, as before said, rather late, and as Anton declined
them, his fate was that of many a greater man--society forgot him. For a
short time the two chief hatchers of the grand report, Messrs. von
Toennchen and von Zernitz, spoke to him when they met him in the street;
for a whole year they bowed, then they too knew him no more.

The following day Anton told the merchant all that had passed, begged
him to forgive his late remissness, and promised greater attention in
future.

"I have no fault to find," replied the merchant, kindly. "And now let me
see the amount of your debts, that we may get your affairs in order."
Anton drew a slip of paper from his pocket, the cashier was called, the
sum paid, and put down to Anton's account, and that was settled.

In the evening Fink said to Anton, "You went off with flying colors; the
oldest man there declared aloud that you had behaved admirably."

"Who said that?" Fink told him it was the Baron Rothsattel, and did not
appear to remark his deep blush. "It would have been better," continued
he, "if you had not taken such a decided step. Why avoid the whole
circle, in which there