carriage door.

"Poor boy! I wish he had some one to take care of him." she sighed,
half aloud.

"Mademoiselle, the major waits;" and Karl came up, hat in hand, just
in time to hear her and glance after Casimer, with an odd expression.

V

LUDMILLA

"I wonder what that young man's name was. Did he mention it, Helen?"
said the major, pausing in his march up and down the room, as if the
question was suggested by the sight of the little baskets, which the
girls had kept.

"No, uncle; but you can easily ask Hoffman," replied Helen.

"By the way, Karl, who was the Polish gentleman who came on with
us?" asked the major a moment afterward, as the courier came in with
newspapers.

"Casimer Teblinski, sir."

"A baron?" asked Amy, who was decidedly a young lady of one idea just
then.

"No, mademoiselle, but of a noble family, as the 'ski' denotes, for
that is to Polish and Russian names what 'von' is to German and 'de'
to French."

"I was rather interested in him. Where did you pick him up, Hoffman?"
said the major.

"In Paris, where he was with fellow-exiles."

"He is what he seems, is he?--no impostor, or anything of that sort?
One is often deceived, you know."

"On my honor, sir, he is a gentleman, and as brave as he is
accomplished and excellent."

"Will he die?" asked Amy, pathetically.

"With care he would recover, I think; but there is no one to nurse
him, so the poor lad must take his chance and trust in heaven for
help."

"How sad! I wish we were going his way, so that we might do something
for him--at least give him the society of his friend."

Helen glanced at Hoffman, feeling that if he were not already engaged
by them, he would devote himself to the invalid without any thought of
payment.

"Perhaps we are. You want to see the Lake of Geneva, Chillon, and that
neighborhood. Why not go now, instead of later?"

"Will you, uncle? That's capital! We need say nothing, but go on and
help the poor boy, if we can."

Helen spoke like a matron of forty, and looked as full of maternal
kindness as if the Pole were not out of his teens.

The courier bowed, the major laughed behind his paper, and Amy gave a
sentimental sigh to the memory of the baron, in whom her interest was
failing.

They only caught a glimpse of the Pole that evening at the Kursaal,
but next morning they met, and he was invited to join their party for
a little expedition.

The major was in fine spirits, and Helen assumed h