He could not have adopted the plebeian youth, at least to the extent
of giving him an old and haughty name, but this the latter nevertheless
expected, up to the time of the Baron's death. He had inherited a
little property from his benefactor, but soon ran through it. "He was
a light-headed fellow," said Johann Helm, "but he knew how to get
the confidence of the old Junkers. If he hadn't been so cowardly and
fidgety, he might have made himself a career."

The Polish episode differed so little from my interpretation that I need
not repeat Helm's version. He denied having stolen Otto's share of the
money, but could not help admitting his possession of the Von Herisau
papers, among which were the certificates of birth and baptism of
the old Baron's son, Otto. It seems that he had been fearful of
Lindenschmidt's return from America, for he managed to communicate with
his sister in Breslau, and in this way learned the former's death. Not
until then had he dared to assume his present disguise.

We let him go, after exacting a solemn pledge that he would betake
himself at once to Hamburg, and there ship for Australia. (I judged that
America was already amply supplied with individuals of his class.) The
sudden departure of the Baron von Herisau was a two days' wonder at
Liebenstein; but besides ourselves, only the Bremen banker knew
the secret. He also left, two days afterwards, with his wife and
daughter--their cases, it was reported, requiring Kissingen.

Otto Lindenschmidt's life, therefore, could not hide itself. Can any
life?

TWIN-LOVE.

When John Vincent, after waiting twelve years, married Phebe Etheridge,
the whole neighborhood experienced that sense of relief and satisfaction
which follows the triumph of the right. Not that the fact of a true love
is ever generally recognized and respected when it is first discovered;
for there is a perverse quality in American human nature which will not
accept the existence of any fine, unselfish passion, until it has been
tested and established beyond peradventure. There were two views of the
case when John Vincent's love for Phebe, and old Reuben Etheridge's hard
prohibition of the match, first became known to the community. The girls
and boys, and some of the matrons, ranged themselves at once on the side
of the lovers, but a large majority of the older men and a few of the
younger supported the tyrannical father.

Reuben Etheridge was rich, and, in addition to what