"'I don't think so,' he murmured faintly. 'I was so frightened to see you go over this vile ditch.' "Poor man! I wanted to beg his pardon. "'Can I help you up?' I said, in some embarrassment. "'I should be glad if you would.' "But I tried in vain to get him on to his feet. It was then that I noticed how pale he was. "'You've broken your right leg,' I cried. "'Oh, I don't think so,' he said, in his gentle, disarming way. 'Nothing worse than a sprain.' "'I tell you you've broken your leg; I know what I'm saying.' "I pulled out my hunting-knife and slit up his boot. The leg appeared, all swollen. "'We're in a nice fix,' I thought, 'at least six versts from the field.' "Rudolph was silent, but looked at me out of his fine, gentle eyes. You'd have thought he was happy. "'Thank you,' he just murmured. "'What for?' I burst out. 'I have broken your leg and you thank me! You might at least wait until I've got you out of this mess.' "He looked very contrite and ventured: "'You'd better go back and send up some help.' "'What!' I exclaimed in scorn. 'Go back without the fox, and, when I'm asked where the Grand Duke Rudolph is, tell them that I left him at the bottom of a ditch with his leg in little pieces! No, thank you, sir!' "'As you please,' he replied faintly. 'But I don't know what you can do.' "'You shall see.' "His big horse was standing by, browsing placidly under Taras-Bulba's wicked little eye. "'Come here, you brute!' "When I got hold of him I realized I should never have the strength to get the Grand Duke into the saddle. "'What's the good of horses like haystacks?' I cried in exasperation. "The injured man looked at me, still wearing that perpetual air of apology which at last got on my nerves. "'Taras-Bulba!' I called. "The little beast came, though with a bad grace. He suspected what was going to happen. "Rudolph of Lautenburg could not restrain a movement of apprehension. "'You're not going to put me on that animal, are you?' he muttered. 'I'd rather stay here.' "'Never,' I said, stamping. 'Taras-Bulba is as quiet as a lamb. Now just do what I tell you.' "That German was a tremendous weight, but I managed to get him up and tie him firmly in the saddle with the reins. "Then I mounted his great beast. "You can imagine how I cursed myself for my folly as we went back. The man I wanted to hate had won my sympathy--and I'd done it myself! It only wanted Taras-Bulba's look of amazement to complete my discomfiture: "'What on earth have I done?' he seemed to say, 'for you to give me a German to carry, while you desert me for that ugly, hairless, brown brute with hoofs the size of frying-pans?' * * * * * * "You mustn't break a man's leg if you don't want to marry him. I need hardly tell you the sequel. Creatures like myself are bound by their actions only, and my wildness had committed me to something which the will of all the Kaisers in the world could not have brought about.