CHAPTER PAGE TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE vii I. SIXTY MINUTES 1 II. THE PRAYER AT THE GRAVE 15 III. TWO GOOD FRIENDS 21 IV. THE TWO OTHERS 41 V. ALL SORTS OF PEOPLE 59 VI. THE _BACKFISCH_ 69 VII. THE OLD CURIOSITY SHOP 79 VIII. A WOMAN'S REVENGE 95 IX. THE UNDERSCORED LINES 105 X. THE BETROTHAL 109 XI. THE FIRST STEP 115 XII. SPRING DAYS 123 XIII. THE REVERSE OF THE MEDAL 129 XIV. TRUE LOVE 142 XV. MOTHER AND SON 165 XVI. THROUGH FIRE AND WATER 189 XVII. TIMELY AID 220 XVIII. GREGORY BOKSA 227 XIX. IN THE ROYAL FOREST 242 XX. THE DYING SOLDIER'S BEQUEST 246 XXI. SUNLIGHT AND MOONLIGHT 253 XXII. A WOMAN'S HATRED 258 XXIII. A DUEL BETWEEN BROTHERS 263 XXIV. ZEBULON'S BRIGHT IDEA 278 XXV. GOOD OLD FRIENDS 284 XXVI. AT HOME 291 XXVII. THE MYSTERIOUS LETTER 298 XXVIII. THE SUMMONS ANSWERED 304 XXIX. A POSTHUMOUS MESSAGE 309 XXX. THE PRISON TELEGRAPH 315 XXXI. A HEADACHE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES 317 XXXII. THE SUITOR 327 XXXIII. ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL 334 THE BARON'S SONS. CHAPTER I. SIXTY MINUTES. The post-prandial orator was in the midst of his toast, the champagne-foam ran over the edge of his glass and trickled down his fat fingers, his lungs were expanded and his vocal chords strained to the utmost in the delivery of the well-rounded period upon which he was launched, and the blood was rushing to his head in the generous enthusiasm of the moment. In that brilliant circle of guests every man held his hand in readiness on the slender stem of his glass and waited, all attention, for the toast to come to an end in a final dazzling display of oratorical pyrotechnics. The attendants hastened to fill the half-empty glasses, and the leader of the gypsy orchestra, which was stationed at the farther end of the hall, held his violin-bow in the air, ready to fall in at the right moment with a burst of melody that should drown the clinking of glasses at the close of the toast.