ne with
Julie, he suddenly appeared to have gone fairly crazy. He sprang up,
thrust his hands through his thin hair, plucked at his beard, took a
cigar--which he immediately laid down again--and finally drew up his
chair close to the sofa, where Julie was seated.

"Fraeulein Julie," he said, with a deep sigh, "you will think it
strange, but I can't help myself; will you hear me for ten minutes on a
very serious matter, and then give me your advice and, if possible,
your support?"

She looked at him in amazement, but nodded kindly.

"A terribly bad story," he continued; "though, for that matter, a story
that is not without a parallel in this imperfect world of ours, and
one that ought not, by good rights, to break the heart of an old
lion-hunter. But the worst of it is, it so happens that I can turn to
no one for advice and aid, except to a young lady whose delightful
acquaintance I made but an hour ago. Now, my honored Fraeulein, if I
only knew of some married woman, or some respectable elderly lady, in
whom I had confidence--truly, I would spare you and myself the
embarrassment of having to talk to you about the old sins of my youth.
But in all this circle--all bachelors and single women--you will
understand, my dear Fraeulein--"

"Speak out boldly, Herr Baron; I am thirty-one years old."

"No, my dear Fraeulein, the baptismal certificate has nothing to do with
this question; and, although I have the greatest respect for you--you
are still far removed from the canonical age of a person inspiring
respect. But I have learned, through my brother-in-arms Schnetz, how
universally you are honored in Bohemia--pardon the expression, I mean
in the so-called society of Paradise--and that it only needs a word
from you to straighten out much more complicated affairs than this of
mine.

"Perhaps you do not yet know--that is to say, you have undoubtedly
known for a long time--for your talented friends do not generally keep
secrets from one another--in short, I have a daughter--'Have her while
she is mine,' as Polonius says--a daughter, of whose existence I had no
suspicion until recently. Upon the discovery of my fathership I knocked
at my heart, and waited to hear whether the so-called voice of Nature
within would awaken. _Pas le mains du monde._ You will find this
inhuman. But remember that I did not lead a worse life in this good
town than was the fashion at that time, and that this adventure came
half-way to meet me--I w