ne great puddle into which the whole road was transformed. Klaus
drove frantically; to this day I do not understand how we came, safe and
sound, in the pitch-dark night, before the Dambitz blacksmith's shop.
The little house lay there without a light. When Klaus pounded on the
door with his whip-handle the watch-dog gave the alarm, upon which a
man's voice soon asked what we wanted, and if anything had happened to
the carriage. It happened sometimes, doubtless, that the man was called
from his sleep because of an accident.

"'Is your lodger at home?' asked Klaus, in place of an answer.

"'Since this noon, your honor!' was the polite answer. The man knew the
master of the Hegewitz manor from his inquiry, for it was known all over
the village that the Buetze people had the foster-child of the old
actress with them.

"'Is she alone?'

"'Ah! has your honor come on account of the young mam'selle?' cried the
man. 'She came here an hour ago, wet as a rat, and is lying in bed
up-stairs there. I will open the door at once.'

"Klaus helped me out of the carriage. 'Will you go up to her?' he
asked, and pressed my hand so hard that I nearly screamed.

"'Certainly, certainly, my lad!' I made haste to say; 'we will soon have
the fugitive back at Buetze.' But sooner said than done. The blacksmith's
wife, who had also appeared on the scene, carefully lighted the way up
the creaking, dangerous flight of stairs, which I was scarcely able to
climb with my lame foot, and there, in the low, whitewashed back room of
the forge, stood Isabella Pfannenschmidt before me, like a roused
lioness. She stood with outstretched arms before the bed, which was in
an alcove-like recess, and was half covered with fantastic hangings of
yellow chintz. With theatrical pathos she called to me: 'What do you
want? You have no more right to this child!'

"Without further ado I pushed her aside and looked at the bed; from a
chaos of blue and red feather-beds emerged Susanna's brown head.

"She turned her face to the wall without looking at me, and remained
thus, motionless.

"'Susanna, was that right?' I asked.

"No answer.

"'Why did you run away so suddenly, my child? Do you know that you may
have made yourself ill and miserable for life by this recklessness?'

"Silence again, but the breathing grew heavy and loud.

"'You are an obstinate, naughty child!' I continued. You frighten the
people who love you half to death, and sin against yourself in