the hall a moment, and went into his
study to fetch cigars; and there he found Letty, hiding behind the door.

"You here, young lady?" he exclaimed surprised, stopping short.

"Don't let anyone see me," she whispered. "Princess Ludwig and Aunt Anna
are in the dining-room. I ran in here when I heard people with you. My
hair is all burnt off."

"What, you went too near?"

"Sparks came after me. Don't let them come in----"

"You were not hurt?"

"No. A little--on the back of my neck, but it's hardly anything."

"I am very glad your hair was burnt off," said Axel with great severity.

"So am I," was the hearty reply. "The tangles at night were something
awful."

He stood silent for a moment, the cigar-boxes under his arm, uncertain
whether he ought not to enlighten her as to the reprehensibility of her
late conduct in regard to her aunt and Klutz. Evidently her conscience
was cloudless, and yet she had done more harm than was quite calculable.
Axel was fairly certain that Klutz had set fire to the stables.
Absolutely certain he could not be, but the first blaze had occurred so
nearly at the moment when Klutz must have reached them on his way home,
that he had hardly a doubt about it. It was his duty as Amtsvorsteher to
institute inquiries. If these inquiries ended in the arrest of Klutz,
the whole silly story about Anna would come out, for Klutz would be only
too eager to explain the reasons that had driven him to the act; and
what an unspeakable joy for the province, and what a delicious
excitement for Stralsund! He could only hope that Klutz was not the
culprit, he could only hope it fervently with all his heart; for if he
was, the child peeping out at him so cheerfully from behind the door had
managed to make an amount of mischief and bring an amount of trouble on
Anna that staggered him. Such a little nonsense, and such far-reaching
consequences! He could not speak when he thought of it, and strode past
her indignantly, and left the room without a word.

"Now what's the row with _him_?" Letty asked herself, her finger in her
mouth; for Axel had looked at her as he passed with very grave and angry
eyes.

The men waiting in the hall were slightly disconcerted, on being taken
into the dining-room, to find the Kleinwalde ladies there. None of them,
except Manske, liked ladies; and ladies in the small hours of the
morning were a special weariness to the flesh. Dellwig, having made his
two deep bows to them, loo