Helene gave a frightened cry, and, throwing up her hands, sobbed out-- "Now they have shot him for certain, because you, inhuman monster, have commanded it! Oh dear! have you _no_ mercy?" Listening in the direction from which the gunshot had come, he did his best to soothe her. That the shot had anything to do with Felix Merckel was, of course, out of the question. It had undoubtedly been fired in the wood, on the farther side of the Castle, probably by a poacher on the track of a wild red deer. But she sobbed more violently than ever-- "It's all very well ... but you ... you ... intend dragging him out to his death--you know you do." Her increasing agitation began to bewilder Boleslav. He assured her he would do everything in his power to ameliorate Felix's sentence. He himself would testify to his being hopelessly intoxicated at the time. His old rancour against himself, his wounded vanity, all should be cited in extenuation of his offence, and might influence his judges to mildness. But she was not satisfied, and at last dropped on her knees in the clay soil, and cried aloud-- "Be merciful! be noble! Save him!" "For God's sake, stand up!" "No, I shall not. In the dust I'll kneel to you and implore your mercy." "But don't you see that I shall be imputing to myself a murderous design if I represent him as innocent?" "Never mind," she sobbed. "If you really love me, you won't object to making this little sacrifice for my sake." Then it began to dawn on him that it was not for the pleasure of seeing him she had summoned him to her side, but, in accordance with a preconceived plan, to make use of his love for her on behalf of another. And of such stuff as this the woman was made, of whom for long years he had considered himself unworthy! This was the radiant angel who had represented his ideal of purity and goodness, whose name he had held too sacred to mention in the same breath as Regina's! And Regina, the dishonoured, the outcast! What worlds she seemed now above this sly virtue! A wild laugh burst from him. "Why did you not tell me at once that you were in love with some one else?" She started. "That is a slander!" she cried. "I am an honest, innocent girl!" "Well, I presume you are betrothed?" She began to cry again, though even in her grief she did not forget to carefully brush the mud from her skirts. "Oh, Boleslav," she wailed, "it's all your fault. Why did you keep me waiting for you so long? And why have you given people so much cause to gossip about you? And then you know, there was papa! His consent could never have been won! What was I, poor girl, to do?" "Please, say no more. It really doesn't matter!" he broke in cheerily. "You aren't angry with me, then?" "Oh no! not in the least!" In silence he accompanied Helene back to the village, took a friendly farewell of her, and promised to do all he could to save her _fiancé_. She thanked him, made a formal little curtsey, and they parted.