'Bonte divine! Graevenitz, what foolishness!' said Madame de Ruth sharply. 'If you could manage to forget your own important existence for a time----' She was interrupted by the entry of a personage of clerical appearance. Madame de Ruth rose to greet the new arrival. 'Hochwuerden,' she said in German, 'you received my letter? and you are ready to do as I require--ask no questions and marry a couple, you may know who, but on that head silence until your testimony is necessary; and then you are prepared to swear you have married them in all legal and religious form? In return a hundred gulden, and I undertake also to have the Pfarrhaus repaired. Is that well? yes?--well, let me present you: Monseigneur de Zollern you have the honour to know already; M. le Comte de Graevenitz, Madame la Comtesse, M. de Stafforth, may I present to you Herr Pfahler, Pastor of the Lutheran Church at Aalendorf?' The man bowed deeply to each in turn. Marie Graevenitz scarcely acknowledged his salute for fear of endangering her Catholic soul by intercourse with a Protestant pastor. 'Now, Herr Pastor, are those arrangements complete? See here, I have draped you an altar. Oh! unnecessary, you say, for a Lutheran marriage? I regret, enfin--so much prettier, hein? Well, you can stand before it to marry our friends, it will not affect you! Then, here are two cushions for them to kneel on; a Bible, pen, and paper for the legal documents. Yes, is that all? Well, I may now call our friends,' and she rustled out of the room. A constrained silence fell on the four occupants of the apartment. The Pastor who had followed after Madame de Ruth to don his black 'talar,' the clerical gown of the Lutheran divine, returned and took up his position before the altar table. He busied himself turning over the leaves of the Bible, and the faded flower fluttered out and fell on to one of the cushions prepared for the bride and bridegroom. The door opened and Eberhard Ludwig, Duke of Wirtemberg, entered the room. He bowed gravely to the assembled company, then moved forward and stood facing Pfahler before the improvised altar. The guests had risen at his Highness's entry. The silence was intense. Of a sudden a huge black form bounded through the window. Marie Graevenitz screamed shrilly, and the Herr Pastor started violently. 'It is only my dog, Madame,' said his Highness. 'He has found me after all. I left him locked up in my sleeping-room. Here, Melac, lie down! quiet! good dog!' he called, and the wolf-hound obediently stretched himself beside the Duke. 'I thought it was the devil,' Marie Graevenitz whimpered. 'The devil, Madame, come to attend these espousals,' remarked Stafforth with a sneer.