er letter which you cannot read, note the arms on the respective
seals. On the first is a fish-tailed mermaid, holding a half-moon in her
hand--those are the Aronffy arms:--on the second a stork, three ears of
corn in its talons--those are the High Sheriff's arms: on the third a
semi-circle, from which a unicorn is proceeding,--those are the Nyarady
arms; the fourth is a crown in a hand holding a sword--those are the
lawyer's arms. The fifth, which must be in the middle, bears Topandy's
arms,--a crowned snake."

The robber reckoned after him on his fingers:

"Mermaid with half moon--stork with ears of corn--a half circle with
unicorn--crown with sword-hand--snake with crown. I shall not forget.
And what do you want the letter for?"

"That too I shall explain to you, that you may see into the innermost
depths of my thoughts and may judge how seriously I long to see the
completion of that which I have entrusted to you. That letter is
Topandy's latest will. While my wife was living with him, Topandy,
believing she would wed his nephew, left his fortune to his niece and
her future husband, and handed it in to the county court to be guarded.
But when his niece became my wife, he wrote a new will, and had all
those, whose arms I have mentioned, sign it; then he sealed it but did
not send it to the court like the former one; he kept it here to make
the jest all the greater, thinking we stand by the former will. Then,
the latter will comes to light, making void the former--and excluding my
wife from all."

"Aha! I see now what a clever fellow you are!"

"Well, could that five-sealed letter come into my hands, and old Topandy
die by chance, without being able to write another will--well, you know
what that little paper might be worth in my hands?"

"Of course. Castle, property, everything. All that would fall to
you--the old will would give it you. I understand: I see--now I know
what a wise fellow you are!"

"Do you believe now that if you come to me with that letter...."

The robber bent nearer confidingly, and whispered in his ear:

"And with the news that your neighbors died suddenly and could not write
another."

"Then you need have no fear as to how much money you will get in place
of what they stole. You may go off with your daughter to Tartary, where
no one will prosecute you."

"Excellent--couldn't be better. Leave the rest to me. Two days later
Kandur will have no need to indulge in such work."

Then he