was evidently in great trouble. Though he had no liking for
her, he was anxious to know what had disturbed her so terribly and
genuinely intended to be of use to her. He had no doubt that the
trouble had something to do with Leopold Hirsch. Everyone knew the
latter's jealous disposition, and Andor had not been home half a day
before he had heard plenty of gossip on the subject.

"Well, Klara?" he asked quietly after awhile, when he saw that she
appeared to be more calm and more able to speak coherently. "You don't
deny that you are in trouble. . . . You have half made up your mind to
tell me. . . . Well, then, out with it. . . . What is it?"

"Only that Leopold is a swine," she blurted out roughly.

"Why? What has he done?"

"Jealous," she said; "like a madman."

"Oh?"

"And I'm at my wits' end, Andor," she moaned appealingly. "I don't know
what to do."

"Hadn't you better tell me, then?"

She threw back her head and looked him squarely in the face with a
sudden determination to end the present agonizing suspense at all costs.

"It is about young Count Feri."

"My lord?" he exclaimed--for, indeed, up to this last moment he had been
quite sure in his mind that her trouble had to do with Eros Bela and
with her impudent flirtation of this afternoon.

"Yes," she said sullenly, "he's a little sweet on me, you know--he
admires me and thinks me amusing--he likes to come here sometimes, when
he gets tired of starchy Countesses and Baronesses over at his castle.
He means no harm," she added fiercely, "and if Leo wasn't such a beast
. . ."

"He has found you out, has he?" commented Andor dryly.

"Not exactly. There was nothing to find out. But Count Feri wanted to
come and see me this evening to say 'good-bye,' as he is off to-morrow
for some weeks to shoot bears. He couldn't come till about ten o'clock,
and didn't want to be seen walking into the tap-room at that hour of the
night. There is the back door, you know," she continued, talking a
little excitedly and volubly, "which my father always keeps locked and
the key in his pocket, and Count Feri wanted me to give him the
duplicate key, so that he could slip in that way unobserved."

"Hm!" mused Andor. "What would your father have said to that?"

"Father is going to Kecskemet presently by the nine o'clock train."

"And Leopold?"

"Leopold was going with him. He was to have gone to Fiume with the
express to-morrow to meet his brother, who is coming home fro