"I insist upon nothing, Sir," replied Giraldi; "I simply follow the wishes of my mistress, which, on this point, are identical with those of von Wallbach." "Good Lord," exclaimed the Privy Councilor impatiently, "I quite understand that, to keep up appearances, one would rather sell to an equal in rank than to a committee, even though the man concerned be a member of this very committee; but you ought not to forget, too, that we should have to pay direct to you just as much, or about as much, as we shall hereafter have to pay the Count." "The Count will not get off so cheaply as you say, either----" "He will sell to us so much the higher," said the Privy Councilor. "Matters will only be worse for us thereby." "And yet I must, to my great regret, hereby refuse my support," replied Giraldi decidedly. The Privy Councilor made a very wry face. "It will be best," he said grumblingly, "if he can't find the money--not even the hundred thousand, to say nothing of the million, or whatever sum we may agree upon in family council as the price of the estates. For he has to yield to us; I do not know any one else in the world who would advance him so much, at once or in instalments. I can say in advance, of course, without being Merlin the Wise, that he will not get the money from us cheaply, and so it will be evened up again at the end.--But now, my honored patron, I must give place to the Count, and take leave of you. My regards to Madame, whom I have not had the pleasure, unfortunately, of meeting, but for whom I have felt the profoundest respect and have gallantly shattered many a lance, after the manner of a knight. Not in vain, for this family visit--I met Miss Sidonie down in the hall; Miss Else had already gone on ahead--is a concession which I, without immodesty, may consider the fruits of my persuasive art. _Apropos_, my dear old friend Sidonie--she wanted to know yesterday what had really been the deciding element in the matter of the engagement, which had broken Ottomar's stubborn resistance." "Well?" asked Giraldi with unfeigned curiosity. "I do not know," said the Privy Councilor, laying his finger on his long nose--"that is to say, my dear friend knows nothing, or she would have told me. From what the servant says--that was all she could tell me--an interview took place the night before between father and son. I have every reason to think the subject was by no means a romantic one--on the contrary, one as prosaic as it is inexhaustible, that of Ottomar's debts.--Farewell, my dear, honored patron; you will keep me informed, will you not?" "Be assured of that!" The Privy Councilor had gone; Giraldi kept his dark eyes fixed on the door, a smile of profoundest contempt played about his lips. "_Buffone!_" he muttered. * * * * *