racter is too much for you to comprehend. The Count passed the whole
night in the room next to Marguerite's, as he said he should do. He was
the first person I told the news of the fresh campaign to. It would
scarcely be possible for him to go home now. This was very annoying to
him, and I gave him the option of going to our country-place and
staying there. He accepted my offer, after much hesitation, and gave me
his word of honour that he would do everything in his power to take
care of you, and make the time of our separation pass as quickly as
possible. You know what obligations I am under to him. My country-place
is, just now, a real asylum for him; could I refuse him that?"

Madame von G---- could say nothing further. The Colonel did as he had
said he would. In the course of the evening the trumpets sounded boot
and saddle, and every description of nameless pain and heart-breaking
sorrow came upon the loving ones.

A few days after, when Marguerite had recovered, the three ladies went
off to the country-house. The Count followed, with a number of
servants.

And at first, the Count, showing the utmost delicacy of feeling, was
careful never to enter the ladies' presence except when they sent for
him specially; at all other times he remained in his own rooms, or went
for solitary walks.

At first the campaign seemed to go rather in favour of the enemy, but
important successes were soon scored against him, and the Count was
always the very first to hear the news of those operations, and
particularly the most accurate and minute intelligence of what was
happening to the regiment which the Colonel commanded. In the bloodiest
engagements neither the Colonel nor Moritz had met with so much as a
scratch; and the despatches from headquarters confirmed this.

Thus the Count always appeared to the ladies in the character of a
heavenly messenger of victory and good-fortune; besides this, all his
behaviour betokened the most deep and sincere attachment to Angelica,
which he exhibited to her as the tenderest of fathers might have done,
occupied constantly about her happiness. Both she and her mother were
compelled to admit to themselves that the Colonel's opinion of this
tried friend of his was the correct one, and that all their--and other
people's--prejudices against him had been the most preposterous
fancies. At the same time Marguerite seemed to be quite cured of her
foolish passion, and to have become the same gay, talk