t to the sword. 'The blood of the massacred,' said my
informer, 'flowed down the valley like a brook; and for fifty years the
neighborhood was desolate, because the Swedes had destroyed every
thing.' Such masterpieces of Swedish blood-thirstiness are found in
many places in Germany; and as the people celebrate them in song and
story, it is certain that the pious hero has won for himself
imperishable fame in the art of slaughter."

"Do you not wish to have the 'murder-chamber' appear in Sybel's
periodical?"

"No; fable must be carefully separated from history; and in this case I
want the inclination for the subject."

"Fabulous! I find in the 'murder-chamber' nothing but the true Swedish
nature of that time."

The professor shrugged his shoulders.

"Gustavus Adolphus may wander for ever about Germany as the 'pious
hero,' if for no other purpose than to annoy the ultramontanes."

Frank thought of the Siegwart family.

"I believe we are unjust in our judgments of the ultramontanes," said
he. "I visit every day a family which my father declares not only to be
ultramontane, but even clerical, and on account of it will not
associate with them. But I saw there only the noble, good, and
beautiful." And he reported circumstantially what he knew of the
Siegwart family.

"You have observed carefully; and in particular no feature of Angela
has escaped you. This Angela," he continued jocosely, "must be an
incarnate ideal of the other world, since she has excited the interest
of my friend, even though she wears crinoline."

"But she does not wear crinoline," said Frank.

"Not!" returned the professor, smiling. "Then it is just right. The
Angel of Salingen belongs to the nine choirs of angels, and was sent to
the earth in woman's form to win my proud, woman-hating friend to the
fair sex."

"My conversion to the highest admiration of women is by no means
impossible; at least in one case," answered Richard, in the same
earnest tone.

"I am astonished!" said the professor. "My interest is boundless. Could
I not see this wonderful lady?"

"Why not? It is eight o'clock. At this hour I am accustomed to make my
visit."

"Let us go, by all means," urged Lutz.

On the way Frank spoke of Angela's charitable practices, of her love
for the poor, her pious customs, and of her deep religious sentiment,
which manifested itself in every thing; of her activity in household
matters, of her modesty and humility. All this he said in