her homeward way he could
see her distribute alms among the beggars who were ranged along either
side of the road. This the count did not approve. He, too, gave
plenteously to the poor, but through the village pastor, and only to
those needy ones who were too modest to beg openly. The street beggars
he repulsed with great harshness--with one exception. This was a
one-legged man, who had lost his limb at Marengo, and who stationed
himself regularly beside the cross at the end of the village. Here he
would stand, leaning on his crutches, and the count, in driving past,
would always drop a coin into the maimed warrior's hat.

One day when the carriage drew near the cross, Count Vavel saw the old
soldier, as usual, but without his crutches. Instead, he leaned on a
walking-stick, and stood on two legs.

The count stopped the carriage, and asked: "Are not you the one-legged
soldier?"

"I am, your lordship," replied the man; "but that angel, the baroness,
has had a wooden leg made for me,--I could dance with it if I
wished,--so I don't need to beg any more, for I can cut wood now, and
thus earn my living. May God bless her who has done this for me!"

The count was dissatisfied with himself. This woman understood
everything better than he did. He felt that she was his rival, and from
this feeling sprang the desire to compete with her.

An opportunity very soon offered. One day the count received from the
reverend Herr Mercatoris a gracefully worded appeal for charity. The new
owner of Fertoeszeg had interested herself in the fate of the destitute
children whose fathers had gone to the war, and, in order to render
their condition more comfortable, had undertaken to found a home for
them. She had already given the necessary buildings, and had furnished
them. She now applied to the sympathies of the well-to-do residents of
the county for assistance to educate the children. In addition to food
and shelter, they required teachers. Such sums as were necessary for
this purpose must be raised by a general subscription from the
charitably inclined.

The count promptly responded to this request. He sent the pastor fifty
louis d'or. But in the letter which accompanied the gift he stipulated
that the boy whose mother was in prison should not be removed from Frau
Schmidt's care to the children's asylum.

It was quite in the order of things that the baroness should acknowledge
the munificent gift by a letter of thanks.

This missi