she would not listen to him to-day, she never would. In saying farewell,
the captain remarked that he would not meddle in the affair of the
Council. Wawerl alone must decide that.

"When I return home," he concluded, "you will have come to an agreement,
and, whatever the determination may be, I shall be satisfied. Perhaps
some bright idea may come to me, too, over the wine. I'll go to the
Black Bear, where I always meet fellow-soldiers."

Then he raised his hand with a gay farewell salute, and left the room.




CHAPTER XVII.

As soon as the captain's limping steps died away on the stairs, Wolf
summoned all his courage and moved nearer to Barbara.

His heart throbbed anxiously as he told himself that the next few minutes
would decide his future destiny.

As he saw her before him, fairer than ever, with downcast eves, silent
and timid, without a trace of the triumphant self-assurance which she had
gained during his absence, he firmly believed that he had made the right
choice, and that her consent would render him the most enviable of happy
mortals. If she refused him her hand--he felt this no less plainly--his
life would be forever robbed of light and joy.

True, he was no longer as blithe and full of hope as when he entered her