watching her young mistress. The night was falling gray and
chill, when suddenly the clear notes of a bugle rang from
without the castle walls. The young Baroness started, and the
rosy light flashed up into her pale cheeks.

"Yes, good," said old Ursela; "the red fox has come back to his
den again, and I warrant he brings a fat town goose in his
mouth; now we'll have fine clothes to wear, and thou another
gold chain to hang about thy pretty neck."

The young Baroness laughed merrily at the old woman's speech.
"This time," said she, "I will choose a string of pearls like
that one my aunt used to wear, and which I had about my neck
when Conrad first saw me."

Minute after minute passed; the Baroness sat nervously playing
with a bracelet of golden beads about her wrist. "How long he
stays," said she.

"Yes," said Ursela; "but it is not cousin wish that holds him by
the coat."

As she spoke, a door banged in the passageway without, and the
ring of iron footsteps sounded upon the stone floor. Clank!
Clank! Clank!

The Baroness rose to her feet, her face all alight. The door
opened; then the flush of joy faded away and the face grew
white, white, white. One hand clutched the back of the bench
whereon she had been sitting, the other hand pressed tightly