awaiting his trial, this young lady had been so touched by his
misfortunes that without knowing much of him, she had shown great
sympathy and interest in his case. Laube's sentence was
pronounced soon after I left Berlin; it was unexpectedly light,
consisting of only one year's imprisonment in the town gaol. He
was allowed to undergo this term in the prison at Muskau in
Silesia, where he had the advantage of being near his friend,
Prince Puckler, who in his official capacity, and on account of
his influence with the governor of the prison, was permitted to
afford the prisoner even the consolation of personal intercourse.

The young widow resolved to marry him at the beginning of his
term of imprisonment, so that she might be near him at Muskau
with her loving assistance. To see my old friend under such
favourable conditions was in itself a pleasure to me; I also
experienced the liveliest satisfaction at finding there was no
change in his former sympathetic attitude. We met frequently; our
wives also became friends, and Laube was the first to approve in
his kindly humorous way of our folly in moving to Paris.

In his house I made the acquaintance of Heinrich Heine, and both
of them joked good-humouredly over my extraordinary position,
making even me laugh. Laube felt himself compelled to talk
seriously to me about my expectations of succeeding in Paris, as
he saw that I treated my situation, based on such trivial hopes,
with a humour that charmed him even against his better judgment.
He tried to think how he could help me without prejudicing my
future. With this object he wanted me to make a more or less
plausible sketch of my future plans, so that on his approaching
visit to our native land he might procure some help for me. I