at in the carriage again. But even there she was haunted by
some unendurable, undefinable, torturing feeling which struck her still
more unpleasantly when Clementina remarked: "Yes, there is nothing but
good land on this _puszta_."

Why, what could it matter to the honest creature whether the land was
good or not, it was surely all one to her?

"Two thousand acres in one lot, nothing but first-class land."

"How do you know that?" asked Henrietta.

"Margari told me he drew up the agreement and witnessed it, and yet no
money was paid down."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Did not your ladyship then understand the allusion the count made just
now when he asked you to love your husband a little more than hitherto?"

"What has such nonsense to do with me?"

"He meant by that that he who is unlucky in love is lucky at play; for
last night my lord baron played cards with my lord count and won from
him the whole Kengyelesy estate straight off."

Henrietta felt like one who is in the embrace of the boa-constrictor and
unable to defend himself. She had not expected this.

But Clementina was only too delighted to have something to chatter
about. "And do you know, your ladyship," she continued, "the baron and
the count have been rivals for a long time, and each has always been
trying his hardest to ruin the other--in a friendly way, of course. The
chambermaid told Margari, and Margari told me. 'I will not be content,
comrade,' my lord baron used to say to my lord count, 'till one of us is
reduced to his last jacket, and as soon as one of us is absolutely
beggared, the other will hold himself bound to maintain him, in a way
befitting a gentleman till the day of his death.' Strange men these,
madame, eh!"

Perceiving, however, from Henrietta's looks that there was something
depressing to her young mistress in her narration, she tried to soften
the effect of her words by intimating that the count had another
property besides, although not such a nice castle, and also that it was
open to him to buy back the former estate in thirty years' time if he
could find the money.

"That will do, Clementina, my head aches badly!" said Henrietta. She
wished to rid herself of this uncalled-for gabble, in order that she
might devote herself to her own thoughts.

And what thoughts! She had had no idea that such things could be. How
was it possible that two men who called themselves friends, could ruin
one another thus in cold blood? H