he "Morgen-Blad,"
containing the discouraging telegram from the commander of the
"Telegraph."

"Hulda has not seen it, I hope?" inquired the professor, hastily.

"No, I thought it better to conceal from her as long as possible what
she will learn only too soon."

"You did quite right, my boy. Let us go to breakfast."

A moment afterward all three were seated at a table in a private
dining-room, and Sylvius Hogg began eating with great zest.

An excellent breakfast it was, equal in fact to any dinner, as you
can judge from the _menu_. Cold beer soup, salmon with egg sauce,
delicious veal cutlets, rare roast beef, a delicate salad, vanilla
ice, raspberry and cherry preserver--the whole moistened with some
very fine claret.

"Excellent, excellent!" exclaimed Sylvius Hogg. "Why, we can almost
imagine ourselves in Dame Hansen's inn at Dal."

And as his mouth was otherwise occupied his eyes smiled as much as it
is possible for eyes to smile.

Joel and Hulda endeavored to reply in the same strain, but they could
not, and the poor girl tasted scarcely anything. When the repast was
concluded:

"My children," said Sylvius Hogg, "you certainly failed to do justice
to a very excellent breakfast. Still, I can not compel you to eat, and
if you go without breakfast you are likely to enjoy your dinner all
the more, while I very much doubt if I shall be able to compete with
you to-night. Now, it is quite time for us to leave the table."

The professor was already upon his feet, and he was about to take the
hat Joel handed him, when Hulda checked him by saying:

"Monsieur Sylvius, do you still insist that I shall accompany you?"

"To witness the drawing? Certainly I do, my dear girl."

"But it will be a very painful ordeal for me."

"I admit it, but Ole wished you to be present at the drawing, Hulda,
and Ole's wishes must be obeyed."

This phrase was certainly becoming a sort of refrain in Sylvius Hogg's
mouth.

CHAPTER XIX.

What a crowd filled the large hall of the University of Christiana in
which the drawing of the great lottery was to take place--a crowd that
overflowed into the very court-yards, as even the immense building
was not large enough to accommodate such a throng, and even into the
adjoining streets, as the court-yards, too, proved inadequate toward
the last.

On that Sunday, the 15th of July, it certainly was not by their
calmness and phlegm that one would have recognized these madly excit