Sperver and I watched their slowly retreating figures. There
was a calm grandeur in the step of the young countess which seemed to
express a consciousness of duty fulfilled.

When she had disappeared down the long corridor Gideon turned towards me.

"Well, Fritz," he said gravely, "what is your opinion?"

I bent my head down without answering. This girl's incredible firmness
astonished and bewildered me.

CHAPTER VI.

Sperver's indignation was mounting.

"There's the happiness and felicity of the rich! What is the good of
being master of Nideck, with castles, forests, lakes, and all the best
parts of the Black Forest, when an innocent looking damsel comes and
says to you in her sweet soft voice, 'Is that your will? Well, it is not
mine. Do you say I must? Well, I say no, I won't.' Is it not awful? Would
it not be better to be a woodcutter's son and live quietly upon the wages
of your day's work? Come on, Fritz; let us be off. I am suffocating here;
I want to get into the open air."

And the good fellow, seizing my arm, dragged me down the corridor.

It was now about nine. The sky had been fair when we got up, but now the
clouds had again covered the dreary earth, the north wind was raising the
snow in ghostly eddies against the window-panes, and I could scarcely
distinguish the summits of the neighbouring mountains.

We were going down the stairs which led into the hall, when, at a turn in
the corridor, we found ourselves face to face with Tobias Offenloch, the
worthy major-domo, in a great state of palpitation.

"Halloo!" he cried, closing our way with his stick right across the
passage; "where are you off to in such a hurry? What about our
breakfast?"

"Breakfast! which breakfast do you mean?" asked Sperver.

"What do you mean by pretending to forget what breakfast? Are not you and
I to breakfast this very morning with Doctor Fritz?"

"Aha! so we are! I had forgotten all about it."

And Offenloch burst into a great laugh which divided his jolly face from
ear to ear.

"Ha, ha! this is rather beyond a joke. And I was afraid of being too
late! Come, let us be moving. Kasper is upstairs waiting. I ordered
him to lay the breakfast in your room; I thought we should be more
comfortable there. Good-bye for the present, doctor."

"Are you not coming up with us?" asked Sperver.

"No, I am going to tell the countess that the Baron de Zimmer-Bluderich
begs the honour to thank her in person before he l