followed
her to the utmost confines of the realm; they were now quite close to
each other and yet he would not see her. He seeks her out and avoids her
at the same time. What a romantic dreamer!

And yet there was nothing romantic in it after all. Szilard had come to
Arad county on a visit to Mr. Sipos's relations; he had been elected a
magistrate there, and he did not approach Hidvar because he had no
desire to run after a former sweetheart who was now another man's wife.
As for Henrietta she had long ago earned from her husband's friends the
name of the "little nun," the "little eremite" because nothing could
entice her from her seclusion. If only they had known her thoughts!

One day, however, she surprised her husband by expressing a wish to go
to the Charity Ball at a neighbouring mining town; it was for raising
funds to build up again a burnt-down village.

Hatszegi, always courteous, bowed and consented.

Henrietta had made up her mind to go as simply dressed as possible. She
wanted to be modest and humble, as it befitted a woman who, rich
herself, envied everyone who was poor. While she was still in the midst
of her preparations, she received through the post (Margari went to the
nearest post-office once a week) a little sealed packet which, to judge
from the postmark, must have been posted at Lippa. Before breaking it
open, she locked herself in her room, like one about to commit a capital
offence, and three times examined the seals which guarded it before she
ventured to open it. The seal bore the impress not of a crest or an
initial letter as usual, but of a single star. There could be no doubt
whatever now as to who the sender was.

Then, very cautiously, she broke the seals and opened with a beating
heart the lid of the box. Inside was a little morocco casket.

With a tremulous hand she opened it, and found inside it a pair of
earrings and a brooch. Both earrings and brooch were of oxydized silver,
dark blue in colour passing insensibly into black. The pendants of the
earrings were in the shape of little fishes hanging upon little hooks
and with mobile little scales, which at the slightest movement made them
seem alive. Each of them had a pair of very tiny but very brilliant
diamond eyes. The brooch on the other hand represented a butterfly, also
with two sparkling diamond eyes; one of them was blue, a rare colour for
a diamond.

Henrietta was indeed pleasantly surprised.

There was not a line of