nfession to be made by the son. The count was divided
between his anxiety for his son and indignation at that son's conduct.

"You exposed more than your own life by the escapade, sir!" said the
elder Volaski, "You abducted a minor, sir; for doing which you might have
been prosecuted for felony, and sent to the gaol!--a fate so much worse
than your death in the duel would have been for the honor of your family,
that, had you been consigned to it, I should have cursed the hour you
were born and blown my own brains out, in expiation of my share in your
existence!"

The yet nervous invalid shuddered, and covered his face with his hands.

"But even that was not the greatest calamity your rashness provoked! You
presumed to carry off the French minister's daughter while they were yet
in the dominions of the Czar! by doing which you might have caused a war
between two great nations, and the sacrifice of a million of lives!"

"Sir, forbear! I have not yet recovered from the severe illness
consequent upon my wound. Surely, I have suffered enough at the hands
of the ruthless Baron de la Motte!" said Waldemar de Volaski.

"The Baron de la Motte, being your enemy, is mine also; yet I cannot but
admit that he has dealt very leniently with the abductor of his daughter
by merely shooting him through the lungs, and laying him on a bed of
repentance, when he might have prosecuted him as a felon, and sent him to
penal servitude!" said the count, severely. "But there," he exclaimed, "I
will say no more on that subject. As you say, you have suffered enough
already to expiate your fault. You have nearly lost your life, and you
have quite lost your love; for, of course, you know that your fooling
marriage with a minor was no marriage at all, unless her father had
chosen to make it so by his recognition. And if you ever had a chance of
winning the girl, you have lost it by your imprudence. You must try to
get up your strength now, so as to go with me back to Warsaw."

So saying, the count left the bedside of his son, and went into the
refectory of the monastery, where a substantial repast had been prepared
to regale the traveler.

The young man wrote yet another letter to his love, enclosing it on this
occasion in an envelope directed to the lady's maid, who had once
assisted the lovers in carrying on their correspondence; but as the maid
had been long discharged from the service of her mistress, it was
impossible that the letter should