w proprietress intends to take up a
permanent residence here. Is not that the report, Herr Justice? You
ought to know."

The justice had an odd habit, while speaking, of rubbing together the
palms of his hands, as if he were rolling little dumplings between them.

"Yes--yes," he replied, beginning his dumpling-rolling; "that is quite
true. The baroness sent some beautiful furniture from Vienna; also a
piano, and a tuner to tune it. All the rooms at the manor have been hung
with new tapestry, and the conservatory has been completely renovated."

"I wonder how the baroness came to take such a fancy to this quiet
neighborhood? It is very strange, too, that none of the neighboring
nobles have been invited here to meet her. It is as if she intended to
let them know in advance that she did n't want their acquaintance. At
any other celebration of this sort half the county would have been
invited, and here are only ourselves--and we are here because we are
obliged, _ex officio_, to be present."

This speech was delivered over the mouthpiece of the vice-palatine's
meerschaum.

"I fancy I can enlighten you," responded the doctor.

"I thought it likely that the 'county clock' could tell us something
about it," laughingly interpolated the vice-palatine.

"You may laugh as much as you like, but I always tell what is true,"
retorted the "county clock." "They say that the baroness was betrothed
to a gentleman from Bavaria, that the wedding-day was set, when the
bridegroom heard that the lady he was about to marry was--"

"Hush!" hastily whispered the justice; "the servants might hear you."

"Oh, it is n't anything scandalous. All that the bridegroom heard was
that the baroness was a Lutheran; and as the _matrimonia mixta_ are
forbidden in Vienna and in Bavaria, the bridegroom withdrew from the
engagement. In her grief over the affair, the _sposa repudiata_ said
farewell to the world, and determined to wear the_parta_[2] for the
remainder of her days. That is why she chose this remote region as a
residence."

[Footnote 2: A head-covering worn only by Hungarian maidens.]

Here the bell in the church tower began to ring. It was followed by a
roar from the mortars on the hilltop.

The gypsy band began to play Biharis's "Vierzigmann Marsch"; a cloud of
dust rose from the highway; and soon afterward there appeared an
outrider with three ostrich-plumes in his hat. He was followed by a
four-horse coach, with coachman and footman