sulman, had become the slave
of his slave.

The unfortunate husband was sent over to the frontier when he was
released from prison. His shameful traffic, however, flourishes still,
in spite of all the precautions of the police and of the consuls, and
every year he provides the harems of the East with those voluptuous
_Boxclanas_, especially from Bohemia and Hungary, who, in the eyes of
a Mussulman, vie for the prize of beauty, with the slender Circassian
women.

A GOOD MATCH

Strauss' band was playing in the saloons of the Horticultural Society,
which was so full that the young cadet Hussar-sergeant Max B., who had
nothing better to do on an afternoon when he was off duty than to drink a
glass of good beer and to listen to a new waltz tune, had already been
looking about for a seat for some time, when the head waiter, who knew
him, quickly took him to an unoccupied place, and without waiting for his
orders, brought him a glass of beer. A very gentlemanly-looking man, and
three elegantly dressed ladies were sitting at the table.

The cadet saluted them with military politeness, and sat down, but almost
before he could put the glass to his lips, he noticed that the two elder
ladies, who appeared to be married, turned up their noses very much at
his taking a seat at their table, and even said a few words which he
could not catch, but which no doubt referred unpleasantly to him. "I am
afraid I am in the way here," the cadet said; and he got up to leave,
when he felt a pull at his sabre-tasch beneath the table, and at the same
time the gentleman felt bound to say with some embarrassment: "Oh! not at
all; on the contrary, we are very pleased that you have chosen this
table."

Thereupon the cadet resumed his seat, not so much because he took the
gentleman's invitation as sincere, but because the silent request to
remain, which he had received under the table, and which was much more
sincerely meant, had raised in him one of those charming illusions, which
are so frequent in our youth, and which promised so much happiness, with
electrical rapidity. He could not doubt for a moment, that the daring
invitation came from the third, the youngest and prettiest of the ladies,
into whose company a fortunate accident had thrown him.

From the moment that he had sat down by her, however, she did not deign
to bestow even another look on him, much less a word, and to the young
hussar, who was still rather inexperienced in su