ng, she usually misconceived it. When he had
finished, my wife answered with a quiet smile:

"Be careful: the professor is again showing himself in you. It seems to
me that the professor finds it annoying to have listeners who are not
all attention."

Richard was a severe judge of his own motives and actions, and frankly
confessed that he deserved the reproach. Nevertheless ne could not
accustom himself to Annette's presence.

He had much knowledge of men, and constantly lived in a certain equable
atmosphere of his own; and the impulsive, changeable traits of Annette
were therefore repugnant to him.

She, too, felt the antagonism, and one day said to him, quite
roguishly, "The forester is the type of many men. I had always thought
that he found it refreshing to breathe the pure air of the woods; but I
find that he is constantly smoking his vile tobacco."

The petty war between Richard and Annette enabled us, for many an hour,
to forget the greater war that was raging out of doors. Annette was
quite anxious in her care for my wife, and could never fully gratify
her desire to be with her always.

Although Richard attempted to conceal it, it was quite evident that he
had a decided aversion to Annette.

He would sometimes spend whole days with Rautenkron the forester, and
was more frequent in his visits to Baron Arven than he had formerly
been.

But in the evenings, when we were all together, Annette seemed to
possess the art of drawing him out in spite of himself.

And thus we led a simple and yet intellectual life, while, without
doors, armies speaking the same language were arrayed against each
other with deadly intent.

CHAPTER VIII.

"Pincher is here again; he could not find him," said Martella one
morning. Her dog had returned during the night.

At noon, Joseph returned from Alsace. He had not succeeded in finding
Ernst, who had remained at my sister's house but one day, and had
seemed excited and troubled while there.

He had understood that Ernst had met some one at the railway station,
as if by appointment.

Joseph, who was always so cool and collected, seemed remarkably nervous
and excited.

I thought that he had perhaps seen Ernst after all, and was not telling
us all that he knew; but he assured me, in a somewhat confused manner,
that he had concealed nothing. He told me that he was out of sorts,
simply because of the triumphant and malicious airs that the