urn.

"This, your ladyship, is Herr Martin Doboka, county surveyor and expert
mathematician. He will measure for you land, water, or fog; and if your
watch stops going, he will repair it for you!"

"And who may this be?" smilingly inquired the lady, indicating the
vice-palatine's assistant, who had thrust his long neck inquisitively
forward.

"Oh, he is n't anybody!" replied the vice-palatine. "He is never called
by name. When you want him just say: '_Audiat!_' He is one of those
persons of whom Cziraky said: 'My lad, don't trouble yourself to inquire
where you shall seat yourself at table; for wherever you sit will always
be the lowest place!'"

This anecdote caused "Audiat" to draw back his head and seek to make
himself invisible.

"And now, I must present myself: I am the vice-palatine of this county,
and am called Bernat Goeroemboelyi von Dravakeresztur."

"My dear sir!" ejaculated the baroness, laughing heartily, "I could n't
commit all that to memory in three years!"

"That is exactly the way your ladyship's name affects me!"

"Then I will tell you what we will do. Instead of torturing each other
with our unpronounceable names, let us at once adopt the familiar
'thou,' and call each other by our Christian names."

"Yes; but when I enter into a 'brotherhood' of that sort, I always kiss
the person with whom I form a compact."

"Well, that can also be done in this instance!" promptly responded the
baroness, proffering, without affectation of maidenly coyness, the
ceremonial kiss, and cordially shaking hands with the vice-palatine.
Then she said:

"We are now Bernat _bacsi_, and Katinka; and as that is happily
arranged, I will ask the gentlemen to go into the agent's office and
conclude our official business. Meanwhile, I shall make my toilet for
dinner, where we will all meet again."

"What a perfectly charming woman!" exclaimed the justice, when their
hostess had vanished from the room.

"I wonder what would happen," observed the doctor, with a malicious
grin, "if the vice-palatine's wife should hear of that kiss? Would n't
there be a row, though!"

The heroic descendant of the Scythians at these words became seriously
alarmed.

"The Herr Doctor, I trust, will be honorable enough not to gossip about
it," he said meekly.

"Oh, you may rest without fear, so far as _I_ am concerned; but I
would n't say as much for the surveyor, here. If ever he should succeed
in getting beyond 'I say,' I won't ans