same which side lost or won it, for the
seventy-three pounds of paper and the six lawyers had eaten up the whole
of the Gregorics and Panyoki fortunes. By degrees all the members of the
family died in poverty, and were forgotten; only Pal Gregorics lived in
the memories of the six lawyers, who remarked from time to time: "He was
a clever man!"

But in spite of all researches, the dead man's fortune was still
missing, not a trace of it was to be found, no one had inherited it
except rumor, which did as it liked with it, decreased it, increased it,
placed it here or there at pleasure.

Traces

PART III

CHAPTER I.

THE UMBRELLA AGAIN.

Many years passed, and things had changed very much in Besztercebanya,
but the thing that will interest us most is the door-plate on the house
formerly inhabited by old Gregorics, on which is to be read: "Gyoergy
Wibra, lawyer."

Yes, little Gyuri is now a well-known lawyer; people come to him from
all sides for advice, and young girls smile at him from their windows as
he passes. He is a very handsome young man, and clever. He has youth and
health, and his whole life before him, what more can he want? But the
narrow-minded inhabitants of the little town are at present only
occupied with one question, viz., whom will he marry? Why, Katka
Krikovszky would marry him any day, and she is the prettiest girl in the
town. Then there is Mathilda Hupka, who would receive him with open arms
if he came to her with a proposal, though she is very high and mighty.
And even Mariska Biky would not refuse him, and she belongs to the
nobility, and has 50,000 florins. Girls are very cheap nowadays! But
Gyuri Wibra paid no attention to any of them; he was a serious and
retiring young man, and his friends soon saw that he was infinitely
above them in every way. As a rule young men first take their diploma,
then start an office, look out for clients who do not come, and by their
absence make the place seem so large and empty, that the young lawyer
feels he must have company of some kind. So he brings home a wife to
cheer his solitude.

But it never occurred to Gyuri to marry. And once when Mrs. Krikovszky
broached the subject to him and asked when they would hear of his
engagement, he answered absently:

"I am not in the habit of marrying."

It certainly is a bad "habit," but one that does not seem inclined to go
out of fashion. For thousands of years people have been marrying,
repen