"Finish, please, mother," the latter quickly urged. "Where did they all
get to? And where is the brother who disappeared?"

"All I still have to tell you is short and sad," said the mother.
"Leonore faithfully wrote to me. After spending the first winter in the
south it became apparent that the Baroness's health was shattered. She
refused to return to the castle and sent her instructions to Apollonie,
who had married the gardener of Wildenstein, and who now with her husband
became caretaker of the castle, Three years afterwards the Baroness died
without ever having returned. A short time after that Leonore became
Salo's wife, but they were not fated to remain together long. Not more
than three years later Salo died of a violent fever and Leonore followed
him in a few months, but they left a little boy and a little girl. After
Salo's death Leonore was left alone in life, so an aunt from Holstein
came to live with her in Nice. After Leonore's death this aunt took the
two children home with her. I heard this from Apollonie, who had been
sent Leonore's last instructions by this aunt. I never learned anything
further about the two children, and only once did I receive word from
Baron Bruno through Apollonie. Your late father, young Rector Bergmann,
had married me just about the time when we heard of the Baroness's death.
I followed him very gladly to Sils, because Philip had just bought an
estate there and was very anxious to have me close to him. One day
Apollonie came to me in great agitation. Baron Bruno, never once sending
word, had arrived in the castle after an absence of eight years and had
brought with him a companion by the name of Mr. Demetrius. The Baron
had naturally expected to find his mother, his brother and his erstwhile
playmates gathered there as before. When he heard from Apollonie
everything that had happened in his absence, he broke into a violent
passion, because he believed that the news had been purposely kept from