"I heard it, but I have forgotten it." "You lie. You know it now. Come, out with it!" "I'll say it then--Oh! my throat!--the Countess Kamienszka." "Did you hear it from him?" "No, it is my own idea, for he wrote her a letter while about to fly and sent me to the post with it, that is what put them on his track, I should think." "That is none of your business, where is the man now? Don't lie! I shall know if you do, and in that case I will make an end of you at once." "He is safe enough now, Mr. Officer, I assure you. He escaped before daybreak, but I denounced him, and he was arrested at the house of his own father." The stranger dashed the fellow's head furiously against the wall, then flung him on the floor and kicked him. "You denounced him, eh? Oh! you detestable dog!" "But what is the matter, sir? Why do you strike me again? Surely I did right? I had him arrested, and they locked him up. He is in the pillory already, I daresay. What harm have I done?" The stranger made an effort to master his passion, and, controlling his rage, answered coldly, "What harm have you done, you fool! Haven't you made me take all my trouble in vain, and done me out of the promised reward to those who ferret out and hand over deserters. You dare to meddle with my affairs again, that's all!" Gnashing his teeth, he kept his pistol grasped firmly in his hand; he would very much have liked to have beaten the fellow's shaggy poll about with the butt end of it. "Go and saddle my horse this instant!" Ivan was only too delighted to get clear of the narrow little room where he was so close to this dangerous visitor's muscular fists, and went to saddle the horse. While so employed, he could not help reflecting that the nag was just a trifle too good to be bestridden by a secret police-agent. The stranger did not wait till he was ready, but hurried after him. Then he quickly mounted his horse, and presented something to Ivan. "Here, take that!" The fellow dodged his head, thinking he was about to get another buffet. Then the stranger flung a thaler at his feet. "Take that, you dog, for your trouble. And now open the gate!" The horse splashed the 'prentice's eyes and mouth full of mud as the stranger galloped away. At the sound of the rapidly retreating hoofs the headsman thought to himself: "That was Heaven's own gracious messenger." The headsman's young wife, however, sighed: "Ah! that _was_ a gay gentleman." But the 'prentice growled furiously: "It was old Nick himself." And with that he picked up the thaler, wiped the mud off it, put it in his pocket, and then turned furiously upon the watch-dog and kicked out one of its teeth. "Take that for not barking!" cried he. * * * * *