thou, O
noble foster-mother?"

He looked out at the landscape with a self-complacent smile, while, in
his day-dreams, various images appeared and vanished like the smoke
clouds of his cigar.

It was after dark when they drew near to a little watering-place in the
Highlands.

While they ascended the mountain, the lackey walked on beside the
postilion. Sixtus had entrusted him with the secret reason for their
journey. They had already, in distant lands, shared in adventures of
quite a different nature. Baum engaged the postilion in conversation
about the life and ways of the neighborhood and adroitly managed to
inquire about young lying-in women. He had found the right party. The
postilion was the son of a midwife, whose only fault was that she had
died some time ago.

Sixtus was much gratified by the hint which he had just received of how
his mission might be fulfilled. He would seek information from the
midwives of every village, and, in order to avoid being overrun, would
take good care not to let them know for whom the foster-mother was
wanted.

When Baum was about to return to his seat, Sixtus quietly called him
and said: "During the whole of this journey, you're to address me
simply as 'Herr Doctor.'"

The lackey did not ask why, for that was no part of his business; nor
did he conjecture as to the reason; he was a lackey and obeyed orders.
"He who does more than he's ordered to do is good for nothing," were
the words that Baroness Steigeneck's chamberlain had often impressed
upon him, and whatever the chamberlain said was as a sacred law to
Baum.

The little watering-place was full of life. The company had just left
the table. Some were talking of the day's excursion; others, about that
projected for the morrow. A young officer in civil dress, and a stout
gentleman, appeared to be the wags of the assembly. There were jokes
and laughter, and, in the background, a party were singing to the
accompaniment of a piano that was out of tune. All seemed more or less
excited. They had repaired to the Highlands to escape from _ennui_,
and, having arrived there, found themselves bored in earnest; for
there are but few to whom the beauties of nature afford constant and
all-sufficient entertainment.

Luckily for Sixtus, no one recognized him, and Baum, who was without
his livery, allowed no information to escape him. The doctor looked
upon the doings of the gentry about him with a certain aristocratic
sense of supe