and I pondered in
a vain endeavour to ascertain to what it could allude. My conjectures
were fruitless: I could only recall that in the course of the evening
I had been much excited by the beauty of a young countess, for whom,
on account of her marriage, the ball had been given. The count, her
husband, was a noble and elegant young man, and their mutual attachment
had been a theme of admiration from their childhood in their respective
families.--'STOP!' I repeated to myself, as I entered my
lodgings, 'what can that have to do with aught that I have undertaken?'
But in the course of a few days I became myself again, the admonisher
was forgotten, and I could think only of the beautiful countess. I have
just told my confessor that in less than a month her husband shot
himself, and she fled from my arms to a nunnery.

"This affair obliged me to quit Vienna more abruptly than I intended;
but instead of going to Venice, I went to Paris, taking Frankfort in my
way. Being entirely unknown at Frankfort, I hastily visited alone every
thing remarkable in the city, resolving to leave it in the morning; but
the day was sultry, and in the evening, partly owing to fatigue, I felt
myself tired and indisposed, and remained there next day. In the
afternoon I found myself better; and as a public pleasure-garden was
near the hotel where I stopped, I went to amuse myself for a few minutes
there. Whether custom or any festival had that evening assembled an
unusual concourse of people I never inquired, but the garden was crowded
with a gay multitude, and music with great hilarity enlivened the
entertainment. I walked about delighted with the scene.

"In the course of my sauntering amidst the arbours, I came to an alcove
a little remote from the more stirring cloud, and in it were several
gentlemen playing cards: two were at chess, and by their side a little
boy, seemingly one of their sons, amusing himself with throwing dice.
After looking for a minute or two, I went to the child, and in sheer
playfulness challenged the boy for a throw. At the same instant that
I took the box in my hand, some one touched my elbow; I looked round,
and the old man was there--'PAUSE!' said he. In that instant
a rope-dancer at some distance fell, a shriek rose, my attention was
roused, and I missed again the stranger; but when tranquillity was
restored, my desire to play at dice returned, and I again challenged the
child to whom I lost several pieces of money,