quite forgotten that
Pranken was there, and the latter finally said to him,--

"Reverend sir, do you wish me to withdraw?"

The Priest turned round quickly and said, motioning with his left
hand,--

"Sit down--sit down."

Pranken obeyed.

"Now I will tell you something. What you have done to the nobility, for
you have done it, and not simply allowed it to happen, is your concern
and that of the nobility; for us, your grades of honor are matters of
no moment. Whether a man is a commoner or a noble, it is all the same
to us. But I tell you this"--the Priest hesitated, and resting his
elbow in the hollow of his right hand took hold of his chin with his
left; he seemed to be arranging his words with quiet deliberation--"I
tell you this: you must be true now, you must not forsake this man and
his daughter. You must share everything with them, whatever the worldly
honors may bring; you must consider yourself as linked to them, and
thank God in humbleness of heart that you have an opportunity of
devoting yourself, and leading your new family to the pure and noble
sacrifice of self."

Pranken started up, kissed the Priest's hand, and exclaimed,--

"I will, I promise you. Keep your eye on me; you shall see that I will
go through with whatever you enjoin upon me."

"Go then, and God be with you; you have a heavier burden to carry than
you now think for. Go, and God be with you."

He laid his hand on the Baron's head; Pranken turned away, and full of
humility descended the staircase; at the bottom he gave the soldier a
brotherly shake of the hand.

After Pranken had gone, the soldier kept looking at his hand, and then,
searching on the floor; he could not imagine that the free and easy
Pranken had not given him a gold piece. No, that would have made a
ringing; he must surely have given him paper money; but he could not
find it on the clean stone-floor.

As if he had anticipated the soldier's thoughts, Pranken returned, and
departed after putting a gold piece into his hand.

He came by Nelly's house, where yesterday--it seemed to him a
dream--no, it cannot be!--he had waited an hour. He glanced up, and
thought he saw some one leaning at the open window, whose eyes followed
him; he fixed his look upon the ground, and passed on.

He came to the parade-ground, listened to the music, saw the officers
standing in a group, and--who can calculate the sinuous course of
thought?--he thought that the watchword was now being