. With the
exception of the hours wasted in the useless pursuit of Marguerite,
he certainly had not in the present instance been wanting in exertion,
and he also had, like many other chief burghers in Dantzic, turned his
attention to mechanical pursuits; it was the first time, he now felt
convinced, that those exertions would be all thrown away. As he looked
down from the lofty gallery in which he was standing on the dense
circle of happy dancers, who were whirling round and round in the
center of the square; as he heard the joyous laugh from the numerous
groups who thronged the coffee-houses; as the plumes of the guards
waved in the moonlight, and the light flashed on the bright uniforms
and brighter checks which reposed upon them, he began to think how
idle was a life of ambition, how far happier he was when as a boy he
joined in the merry supper; when the clear, bright, sparkling wine
represented the free spirits of those who drank it; when maidens, with
gay hearts and light golden hair, sought his love. "Give me back these
joys," he exclaimed in agony; "give me that youth which graced the
pursuits of love, and which dignified every enjoyment: take from
me that ambition, which only leads to misery in its failure and to
disappointment in its fulfillment."

CHAPTER III.

Hoffman, the silversmith, whom the count desired to see, was one
of those men who have existed at all times and in all countries,
who trade on the exertions of those who possess more energy and
perseverance than themselves, and who really do seem essential to
the great mechanism of society. He had from time to time rendered
assistance to Dumiger, who, unfortunately at the present moment
owed him a large sum of money, which it would take a long time to
liquidate. The count also had dealings with the silversmith; for
in the _quartier Juif_ all classes meet and jostle each other. But
Hoffman was a superior man of his order, he knew the secret history
of most of the important burghers, was consulted on many very delicate
subjects, and could have published more scandal than any Sunday
Chronicle of these more modern days. The count was like all other
counts, incessantly in debt; so, when Hoffman was ordered to attend on
the Grand Master, he did not doubt that the mandate originated in the
ordinary necessity, and he prepared himself accordingly to evade or
concede. Some time previously the count had found it necessary to part
with a great portion of his