de myself?" said she in despair.
"Shame awaits me. The whole world will know that I am here!"

Outside the officers raged still louder, and demanded with more
violent cries the opening of the door. Feodor still looked around him
for a secret place. Nowhere was there a possibility of hiding her, or
letting her escape unnoticed. His infuriated companions threatened to
break the door in.

Feodor now with determination seized the large shawl which had
previously enveloped Elise's form, and threw it over her face. "Well
then," said he, "let them come; but woe to him who touches this
cloth!"

He pressed the veiled maiden down in a chair, and, hastening to the
door, drew back the bolt.

* * * * *

CHAPTER IX.

MISTRESS OR MAID.

As Feodor opened the door, his comrades rushed screaming and laughing
uproariously into the room, spying round eagerly for the poor woman,
the noble game which they had hunted down.

When they perceived Elise seated in a chair, veiled and motionless
just as they had left her, they gave vent to a cry of delight, and
began to explain to the colonel in a most confused jumble, often
interrupted by bursts of laughter and merry ejaculations, the cause
of their stormy interruption. A young man, they said, had just come
inquiring after a young lady who had been carried off by the Cossacks.
He had insisted upon seeing Colonel Feodor von Brenda, in order to
offer a ransom for the captive lady.

"We have come to inform you of this," said Lieutenant von Matusch,
"so that you may not let her go too cheap. This is the richest haul we
have made yet."

"The daughter of the rich Gotzkowsky!" cried another officer.

"She'll have to pay a tremendous ransom," shouted Major von Fritsch.

Feodor exclaimed, with assumed astonishment, "That woman there the
daughter of Gotzkowsky! Why, don't you know, my friends, that I lived
for a long time in Berlin, and am intimately acquainted with the
beautiful and brilliant daughter of the rich Gotzkowsky? I can assure
you that they do not resemble each other in a single feature."

The officers looked at one another with amazement and incredulity.
"She is not Gotzkowsky's daughter? But the young man told us that he
came from Mr. Gotzkowsky."

"And from that you draw the conclusion that this is his daughter whom
you have caught," cried Feodor, laughing. "Where is this man?"

Lieutenant von Matusch opened the door, and on the thres