Philip replied: “Count or countess, it does not matter, so long as the castle is saved! But it is a pity they did not let that tower stand one day longer; it could have lasted a thousand years to come. Prophecies never are fulfilled to the letter, or people would all be superstitious. With regard to the humiliated men--well, what about the steward and the Prince himself? Only one must not even think of that, far less say so. After all, we can see in all this again how a just power guides the fate of men as well as of castles. Neideck has always been a good, true stronghold: in its first youth it was the cradle of our ruling family; in the prime of its existence it was a place of refuge for all around; now it has grown old and has retired into private life. But even so it has given to our Princess an excellent husband, and to a poor schoolmaster the prospect of a happy old age. May it prosper for many years to come.” FOOTNOTES: [1] About eighty cents. THE YOUNG GIRL OF TREPPI BY PAUL JOHANN LUDWIG HEYSE [Illustration] _Heyse, creator in the art of poetry, fiction, and the drama, is opposed to the new materialism._ _First known as one of Germany’s most original writers of narrative poetry, he gradually worked his way into the short story. Brandes, most influential of living critics, once said of these “Novellen” of Heyse’s: “The Novelle, as he has made it, is an entirely original and independent creation, his actual property.”_ _Heyse was born in Berlin in 1830. After devoting himself to the study of languages, he settled in Munich, and with a collection of “Märchen” began that remarkable series of tales which he has brought, as Robert König says, to such genuine artistic perfection. Popular as they all are, the two best are thought to be “L’Arrabiata” and “The Young Girl of Treppi,” in which his peculiar talent, the portrayal of strong, passionate feminine nature, is signally displayed._ _Heyse’s style has been called the most perfect of modern Germany._ [Illustration] THE YOUNG GIRL OF TREPPI BY PAUL HEYSE Translated by R. W. Howes, 3d. Copyright, 1907, by P. F. Collier & Son.