, 1889-01-09

tender interest the elegant brass plate
with the name engraved: lyon Cords
hof." Nowi CourageI The bell Is
pulled l am in for It'll
An old servant dressed in livery an
swered my ring, and on my asking if
the master was at home, took my card
and left me with the conventional 81
will inquire" but soon returned and
opened for me the lofty folding door
to the left of the entrance. His as
surance that the master would be
pleased to see me sounded very con-
selling to me.
Within the elegantly furnished salon
found the general, an old, digniied
gentleman, with erect, military bear
ing, martial but not unfriendly coun-
which, however, was carefully shaved
from the broad chin. After 1 had ex-
pressed to him my pleasure at being
able to help his daughter in her di-
lemma, and he had thanked me for the
slight service-he seemed to be in
formed of everything, and to have ex-
pected me somewhat-we passed from
the usual forms of politeness to a
lively conversation that extended over
every possible topic. The time passed
as if on wings; almost an hour thus
passed in chatting with the amiable old
gentleman, and yet Fraulein Eveline
had not appeared But when It part
ing the general said he hoped to see
me often at his house during my stay
in the city, 1 could not refrain from
pressing his hand in deep, heartfelt
gratitude. Not long afterwards l re-
ceived a ~delicately written CARBIDE
cidedly a lady's handwriting-in
I which ITA., Co. -1l-n Is
himself the honor to invite Herr Baron
Won 7. to dine. must confess / never
received an invitation with similar ioy.
What was the excitement and expeo-
tation of the first court ball, as com
pared with the impatient throbbing of
my heart with which /, on the APP
pointed day, betook myself to the din
ner. a numerous company had
already assembled; many of the per-
sons present were known to me, were
indeed friends, so that 1 soon found
myself most delightfully."- situated.
And the daughter of the housed
There stood Eveline with her friends,
her graceful figure moving with be-
witching grace among the guests; for
she was obliged to assist that aged,
somewhat conventional looking lady
in doing the honors of the house-tho
generals wife had been dead many
years-and l could not help admiring
the tact and self possession with which
she, in spite of her youth, SO charm
ingly filled the position of hostess.
Here she asked an old gentleman after
the health of his sick spouse; there
she whispered some pleasant remark
to young lady about her tasteful
toilet, or repealed n too gallant cavalier
with 81 Cnnrnfu1 n1anan ~, N eo,,ox- ~,
swer. With each and all she knew
just the right tone to take. She was
surrounded by all. Every one hocked
about her, who, like an apparition out
of a story book, moved around among
those nodded fashion plates. And yet
there lay in her violet eyes, when she
believed herself to be unobserved, a
sad expression which did not accord
with tho conventional smile of the
sweet, small mouth.
AT length the signal for dinner was
given. Eveline laid the tips of her
dainty fingers OF the arm Of a tall,
blonde cavalier, acousin of the family.
To my great annoyance, my portion
was Countess Soundso, no longer in
the first bloom of youth. 1 must add
that l had secretly hoped to see Eve
lines angelic head at my side. With
q mien which was certainly not very
amiable, / offered the countess my
arm and led her to the places desig-
mated for US. Though otherwise a
most estimable lady, she almost drove
mi to despair with her ~loquacity, and
while she even before soup inquired
about my recent journey in the East,
and expressed desire to hear some,
thing about my last new work, my
glance strayed impatiently past the
questioner in a vain search for Eveline.
l had not had the opportunity to ex-
change word with her. She had
only nodded to me from across the
room, pleasantly and confidingly, us
to an old acquaintance.
Pretty oon 1 felt a gentle touch on
my arm, and a voice I only too well
remembered asked, shyly, and at the
same time saucily:
docs mein Herr no longer recog-
nize his protege2"
1 turned quickly, and, yes, there in
deed IA Eveline, who had been sit
ting next to me for full five minutes
without my having observed her. My
neighbor, the countess, and Eveline's
escort, the cousin in the Guards, very
soon understood how much they might
expect to be entertained by Eveline or
myself during the four or five hours
passed at the table. How the time sped
and what were the general topics of
conversation we never knew. But I
was entirely happy during the whole
time. Not once did 1 discover in her
eyes that melancholy dropping which
had before made me anxious. Oh, If
| could only succeed in making her
forget Paumwolfi To this fond, proud
thought l concentrated all my mind
and efforts. With rapture I noticed
how her eyes hung so earnestly on my
lips as l told her of my travels, and
my restless wandering about from ono
distant land to another. And when I
spoke of my dear solitary Barwalde,
with its somber fir trees and its rush
grown ponds, of my immense library
and the beautiful grand piano which I
often trusted to the hands of my over
seer, just to have some accompanying
instrument to my beloved v~ioloncelo;
when | said, Surely B~raulein Eveline