tion to the
debate--

"But I may tell you, Bonker, I do not eggspect to like Miss Maddison.
Ah, my instinct he is vonderful! It vas my instinct vich said. 'Chose
Miss Gallosh for Tollyvoddle!'"

CHAPTER XIX

While the Baron was thus loyally doing his duty, his Baroness, being
ignorant of the excellence of his purpose, and knowing only that he had
deceived her in one matter, and that the descent to Avernus is easy,
passed a number of very miserable days. That heart-breaking "us both"
kept her awake at nights and distraught throughout the day, and when for
a little she managed to explain the phrase away, and tried to anchor
her trust in Rudolph once more, the vision of the St. Petersburg window
overlooking the crops would come to shatter her confidence. She wrote
a number of passionate replies, but as the Baron in making his
arrangements with his Russian friend had forgotten to provide him with
his Scotch address, these letters only reached him after the events
of this chronicle had passed into history. Strange to say, her only
consolation was that neither her mother nor Sir Justin was able to
supply any further evidence of any kind whatsoever. One would naturally
suppose that the assistance they had gratuitously given would have
made her feel eternally indebted to them; but, on the contrary, she was
actually inconsistent enough to resent their head-shakings nearly as
much as her Rudolph's presumptive infidelity. So that her lot was indeed
to be deplored.

At last a second letter came, and with trembling fingers, locked in her
room, the forsaken lady tore the curiously bulky envelope apart. Then,
at the sight of the enclosure that had given it this shape, her heart
lightened once more.

"A sprig of white heather!" she cried. "Ah, he loves me still!"

With eager eyes she next devoured the writing accompanying this token;
and as the Baron's head happened to be clearer when he composed this
second epistle, and his friend's hints peculiarly judicious, it conveyed
so plausible an account of his proceedings, and contained so many
expressions of his unaltered esteem, that his character was completely
reinstated in her regard.

Having read every affectionate sentence thrice over, and given his
exceedingly interesting statements of fact the attention they deserved,
she once more took up the little bouquet and examined it more curiously
and intently. She even untied the ribbon, when, lo and behold! there
fell a tiny a