tion your honour!" said he.

"Mine is an official pursuit."

"And mine pure pastime. Had I known you would have taken this road, I
should certainly not have engaged in such a mal-apropos diversion. But
it is over now, we are all going back. My bear may run--how about
yours?"

"No sign of him yet."

"Well, I could regale you with no end of interesting anecdotes
concerning the hunted adventurer, for I have had more than one famous
_rencontre_ with him myself. If it were only worth your while to pay us
a visit at Hidvar I could promise you the heartiest reception--not only
on my own part but also on the part of my wife."

"I am much obliged to your lordship," replied Vamhidy cooly, "but I am
bound by instructions from which I cannot depart. It is not pleasure
that brings me hither. Besides I have got a sure clue at last which I
must follow up and I know not whither it may lead me."

"Bravo! So you are on his track at last, eh! Take care my friend it is
not a false clue. These rascals are very crafty."

"It is a real clue that I have discovered. You must know that before the
confiscated gold captured in the Lucsia Cavern was sent to Vienna, every
coin of it was marked with a little cross, a very simple official
precaution, but it has proved very useful to us. Now I have come upon
these marked ducats among the people here. They themselves, I believe,
are innocent and can give the name of the persons from whom they
received them; and so, by tracing the various intermediaries, we shall
come at last, upon the original dispensers of these ducats. I can
imagine how Fatia Negra will laugh when he hears that the soldiers of
six counties are hunting for him in the depths of the forests and
tapping every rotten tree-stump in search of him while he is sitting
comfortably in some large theatre and eyeing the ballet-dancers through
his opera glass; but he will be very much surprised when, one fine day,
without any preliminary siege-operations we shall tap at his own door
and enquire: 'Is Fatia Negra at home?'"

Hatszegi laughed heartily.

"Not a bad idea, upon my honour! I myself am inclined to think that the
worthy highwayman will be sooner found in a coffee house than in a
forest. I only regret that I did not mark my own coins so that I might
recognize them again."

And so laughing and whistling, he returned to his party which appeared
to consist of mere dependents and gave them his orders.

"Unpack the horses and get lu