gns of his emotion.

"Does your guest live here?" he asked. "You have been visiting him so
early?"

"We were going to take a ride. But I found a note from him, in which he
informed me that I might take a holiday. His party has been invited by
one of its noble relatives to take an excursion of several days, at
which I, thank Heaven, should be quite superfluous."

"His party? Then the baron is--"

"Married? No; but almost worse than that. He has a young niece with him
who is really the cause of his having come here at all. A bad story--a
broken engagement, great surmising and gossiping about it in the little
capital--in short, the health of the Fraeulein demanded a change of air,
and she insisted upon going off to Italy for a year. My old comrade,
who remained a bachelor because he feared the claws of a lioness less
than the slipper of a pretty wife--well, he simply jumped from the
frying-pan into the fire. This young niece of his rules him with her
little finger. The consequence was that the trunks immediately had to
be packed for Italy. But, while here, their noble relatives succeeded
in frightening them so about the Italian summers and the cholera, that
they have decided to wait until the worst of the season is over,
spending part of the time here in the city and part in the mountains.
You will perceive, my dear friend, what a charming prospect this is for
me."

"Is the young Fraeulein so unamiable that your 'service' is such a hard
task?" Felix remarked, with an attempt at lightness. At the same time
he looked abstractedly away from the lieutenant, as if he merely
continued the topic from politeness.

"Look here!" continued Schnetz, with his peculiar, dry chuckle. "If you
like, I'll introduce you to the young lady, and resign all my rights.
You will then have an opportunity to become acquainted with the
sweetness of such service, and will perhaps make out better than I, who
certainly have not succeeded in winning my way to favor. This proud
little person--provided, by-the-way, with a pair of eyes that are
equally well fitted to rule, to be gracious, and to condemn one
forever--has unfortunately never felt a strong hand over her. The
consequence is, she has a way of always setting up her own wishes on
every subject, among others in regard to this unfortunate engagement.
She appears to have made it so hot for the good youth who had the
courage to take up with her, that at last he couldn't stand it any
longer. It