"Your Honor will graciously excuse the undersigned for venturing to call your Honor's attention to an affair which threatens most seriously to imperil the welfare of your worthy family. The matter concerns a relationship which your son, Lieutenant von Werben, has had for some time with the daughter of your neighbor, Mr. Schmidt, the proprietor of the marble works. Your Honor will excuse the undersigned from going into details, which might better be kept in that silence in which the participants--to be sure, in vain--strive to preserve them, although he is in a position to do so; and if the undersigned requests you to ask your son where he was this evening between eight and nine o'clock, and with whom he had a rendezvous, it is only to indicate to your Honor how far the aforementioned relationship has already progressed. "It would be as foolish as impermissible to assume that your Honor is informed of all this and has winked at it, so to speak, when your son is on the point of engaging himself to the daughter of an ultraradical Democrat; on the contrary the undersigned can picture to himself in advance the painful surprise which your Honor must feel on reading these lines; but, your Honor, the undersigned has also been a soldier and knows what a soldier's honor is--as he for his part has respected honor his whole life long--and he could no longer look on and see this mischievous machination carried on behind the back of such a brave and deserving officer by him, who more than any other, appears to be called to be the guardian of this honor. "The undersigned believes that, after the above, there is no need of a special assurance of the high esteem with which he is to your Honor and your Honor's entire family "A most faithful devotee." The General allowed his son some minutes; now that Ottomar still stared motionless before him--only his teeth bit nervously against his pale lower lip--he remained standing, separated by the width of the room, and asked: "Have you an idea who wrote this letter?" "No." "Have you the least suspicion who is the lady in question----?" "For Heaven's sake!" exclaimed Ottomar in anguish. "I beg pardon; but I am in the painful situation of having to ask, since you seem inclined not to give the information which I expected." "What shall I explain in the matter?" asked Ottomar with bitter scorn. "It is as it is." "Brief and to the point," replied the General, "only not just so clear. There still remain some points which are obscure--to me, at least. Have you anything to object to the lady--I may so express myself?" "I should have to request you to do so otherwise." "Then have you anything, even the slightest thing--excepting external circumstances, and of that later--which would prevent you from bringing her into Else's company? On your honor!"