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"I shall kill you for this!"

"Bah! I have fought ood Yankee spirit "But if you think I'll wastetree"

"Go to the devil!"

"Not just at present; there's too much for me to do But this is my advice to you: apply for a leave of absence and take the waters of Wiesbaden They are good for choleric dispositions Now, I return the coo to the devil yourself, only choose a route that will not cross mine That's all!"

Gretchen and the vintner had vanished Car for them to do The vintner was no coward, but he was discreet Soht ask questions So Carmichael returned to the consulate, equally indifferent what the colonel did or where he went Of the vintner he thought: "The hot-headed young fool, to risk his life like that!" He would see later what he irl! They would find that there was one h in her welfare to stand by her His hands yet stung froainst steel, and his hair was daes This was a bit of old war-times

"Are you hurt, Excellency?" asked the clerk solicitously

"Hurt?"

"Yes I heard a woht But that fellow-ach! To run away and leave you, an outsider, to fight his battle!"

"He would have been sliced in two if I hadn't come to the front A hop-pole isn't half bad I'll bet that lady's man has a bad arood reasons for taking to his heels"

"Good reasons?" But there was a sly look in the clerk's eyes

"No questions, if you please And tell no one, mind, what has taken place"

"Very well, Excellency" And quietly the clerk returned to his table of figures But later he intended to write a letter, unsigned, to his serene highness

Car, undertook to answer his mail, but not with any remarkable brilliancy or coherency

And in this condition of mind Grumbach found him; Grumbach, accompanied by the old clock-mender from across the way, and a Gipsy Carmichael had never seen before

"What's up, Hans?"

"Tell your clerk to leave us," said Grumbach, his face as barren of expression as a rock

"So him to return after the noon hour "Now, then," he said, "what is the trouble?"