utsiders had gone home to their beds, society began to enjoy itself.
The young people danced, the old played whist or tarok, and they
stayed till daybreak. They would have done the same had the
scientists, the poets, the artists remained; they didn't want them to
leave, but, naturally, these people felt themselves out of it, and,
besides, they could not sit up all night like the others, so they went
home very properly; they knew their place.

The Abbe Samuel understood how to manage matters. Whenever the
countess was to have a particularly good evening he took care it
should get talked about, and the names of the performers, their
parentage and history, together with any interesting circumstance,
true or false, should be subjects of conversation for days before. In
this way he sent about Ivan Behrend's name with a great many details
as to his interesting life in the mines, his extraordinary cleverness,
and the wonderful lecture he was going to give at the countess's next
_soiree_.

The abbe knew his world, and how to whet its curiosity by exaggerated
reports.

"Is it true that, for one experiment only, he burned a brilliant
belonging to Countess Theudelinde which was worth eight hundred
gulden?"

"The stone weighed four carats, and was worth fifteen hundred pounds."

"We must give him a good reception. See, here he comes, escorted by
Abbe Samuel!"

The gentleman who had just spoken, and who was the Countess Angela's
cousin, was Count Edmund, a handsome young man of about twenty-two
years of age. He hastened to meet Ivan and the abbe as they entered
the door, and introduced himself as nephew to the lady of the house.
He took Ivan by the arm in the most friendly manner, and led him to
Count Stefan, uncle to the countess. The count was a man of
intelligence and reading; he assured Ivan there were those in the room
who were much interested to hear his lecture. After this he was
presented by his new friend to several distinguished-looking persons
with decorations, who all pressed his hand, and spoke in the most
friendly manner. The beginning of the evening was the most agreeable
portion. The abbe and Ivan finally made their way into the next room,
where the ladies were assembled, and here they found the Countess
Theudelinde, who received them, and especially Ivan, most graciously.
The young man, Count Edmund, again took possession of him, and,
laughing and talking, led him up to the Countess Angela, to whom he
was i