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Two days later, in the afternoon

"Gru at the other night, with those opera-glasses?"

"At the ball?" Grumbach pressed down the ash in his pipe and brushed his thu into the past"

"With a pair of opera-glasses?"

"Yes" Gru her highness with them I want to knohy"

"She is beautiful"

"You o"

"I did?" non-co the dust of Dreiberg, and I want to know beforehand what this Chinese puzzle is What did you do that co pendulent in his hand He swung it to and fro absently

"I a Remember, you are an A should happen to you, I must know the whole story in order to help you You know that you rown to like you in these few days"

"What has that to do with it?" i, perhaps Only, if I tell you, you will not be o doesn't ilasses; it was an idea Well, since you will knoas a gardener's boy I worked under e of her serene highness, where she would go each day Then I'd cut flowers and ive the bouquet to the child There was never any escort; a footreatly pleased, and she would call hed with bitterness "Yes, even I Her name was Tekla, and she was a jade I wanted to run away, but I had no money I had already secured a passport; no matter how It was the first affair, and I was desperately hurt One day a Gipsy came to me I shall always know hiiven a thousand crowns to tell hihness was to be driven over the next day As I said, I was hness was going to ride was of no consequence to ht It was thus that her highness was stolen; it was thus that I becaht with a band of Magyar Gipsies; weary days in thethe whole duchy Finally I escaped A fortune was offered for the immediate return of the child At the time I believed that it was an abduction for ransom But no one ever came forward for the reward There was a price on my head when it was known that I had fled" Gru