knew nor had heard anything of the whole
affair, had exchanged hearts in a hurry with somebody. Whereupon
somebody else appears, and with sound of trumpet and drum offers her
his heart, and wishes for hers in return. But her heart is already
bestowed upon somebody, and somebody's heart is in her possession, and
that somebody will neither take back his heart nor give back hers. All
the world exclaims--but have you never read any romances?" I shook my
head. "Well, then, at all events you have taken part in one. In brief,
there was such a jumble with the hearts that somebody--that is, I--had
to take matters in hand. I sprang on my horse one warm summer night,
mounted Fraeulein Flora as the painter Guido on another, and rode
toward the south, to conceal her in one of my lonely castles in Italy
till all the fuss about the hearts should be over. But on the way we
were tracked, and from the balcony of the Italian inn before which you
kept, sound asleep, such admirable watch, Flora suddenly caught sight
of our pursuer." "The crooked Signor, then--" "Was a spy. Therefore we
secretly took to the woods, and left you to travel post alone over
our prearranged route. That misled our pursuer, and my people in the
mountain castle besides; they were hourly expecting the disguised
Flora, and with more zeal than penetration they took you for the
Fraeulein. Even here at the castle they thought Flora was among the
mountains; they inquired about her, they wrote to her--did you not
receive a note?" In an instant I produced the note from my pocket:
"This letter, then--?" "Is addressed to me," said Fraeulein Flora,
who up to this point had seemed to be paying no attention to our
conversation. She snatched the note from me, read it, and put it
into her bosom. "And now," said Herr Lionardo, "we must hasten to the
castle, where they are all waiting for us. In conclusion, as a matter
of course, and as is fitting for every well-bred romance--discovery,
repentance, reconciliation; but we are all happy together once more,
and the wedding takes place the day after tomorrow!"

Just as he had finished, a terrific racket of drums and trumpets,
horns and clarionets, was suddenly heard in the shrubbery; guns were
fired at intervals, loud cheers were given, the little girls began to
dance again, and heads appeared among the bushes as if they had grown
out of the earth. I ran and leaped about in all the hurry and scurry,
but as it began to grow dark I only gr