throws to them some glittering toy which lures them on until its
destroying power is directed against them. I myself once caused the
death of a woman, who perished at the very moment when I thought I was
going to take her to my heart with the most fervid affection; and this
paralysed my powers. Yet, dolt that I was, I still thought I should
find bliss here on earth. Farewell, Marguerite, farewell. Go back to
your own country. Go to S----. The Chevalier de T---- will charge
himself with your welfare and happiness. Farewell."

As Dagobert read this letter, all the auditors felt an inward shudder,
and Madame von G---- said, "I shall be compelled to believe in things
which my whole heart and soul refuse to credit. However, I certainly
never could understand now it was that Angelica forgot Moritz so
quickly and devoted herself to the Count. At the same time I cannot but
remember that she was all the time in an extraordinary, unnatural
condition of excitement, and that was a circumstance which filled me
with the most torturing anxiety. I remember that her inclination for
the Count showed itself at first in a very strange way. She told me she
used to have the most vivid and delightful dreams of him nearly every
night."

"Exactly," said Dagobert. "Marguerite told me that, by the Count's
directions, she used to sit whole nights by Angelica's bedside,
breathing the Count's name into her ear very, very softly. And the
Count would very often come into the room about midnight, fix a
steadfast gaze on Angelica for several minutes together, and then go
away again. But now that I have read you the Count's letter, is there
any need of commentary? His aim was to operate psychically upon the
Inner Principle by various mysterious processes and arts, and in this
he succeeded, by virtue of special qualifications of his nature. There
were most intimate relations between him and the Chevalier de T----,
both of them being members of that secret society or 'school' which has
a certain number of representatives in France and Italy, and is
supposed to be descended from, or a continuation of, the celebrated
P---- school. It was at the Count's instigation that the Chevalier kept
Moritz so long shut up in his chateau, and practised all sorts of
love-spells on him. I myself could go deeper into this subject, and say
more about the mysterious means by which the Count could influence the
Psychic Principle of others, as Marguerite divulged some of the