THE WEST SHORE.
179
"Still at Breslau, thank God!" was the countess' ex
clamation when Alexis' letters arrived, and with a tender,
caressing touch the countosa broke the seal. A moment
later there was a faint ory, a fall the gnadige Frau had
fainted. The count and Barmann, who were near by,
rushed to her assistance.
A glance at his son's letter, which had fallen from
her hand, and the count knew why. Alexis announced
that be was transferred into the Black Dragoons a regi
ment that had obtained the sobriquet of the Black Deaths,
because they neither gave quarter nor obtained any, a
regiment that was supplied and reinforced by volunteers,
because through its savage daring and cool desperation it
was chosen to lead forlorn hopes and all the most danger
ous attacks, therefore after a long campaign it was but
the skeleton of a company that was crowned with the
laurels whose roots were planted in many graves.
After Barmann had assisted to carry the countess to
her room, Ulrich came to him and said, " Come to Lise
I fear she is dead."' In a few curt linos Alexis had in
formed Lise that in a day or two he would be at the seat
of war, and as it was not at all likely that he should re
turn, he took this last opportunity to wish her joy of her
marriage. Lise had not fainted, like the countess, but
she had seemed to fall into a stupor. Ulrich had fotuhed
the Frau Pastorin, and when the two men reaohod the
cottage the doctor had arrived. lie shook his hoad
gravely, and declared it was the effect of a shock upon an
enfeebled system. She must have been ill for some time
past
While at the cottage Lise lay white and still on her
little bed, the count and Marie were restoring the faint
ing mother at the castle. As the countess ralliod and
her opening eyes fell upon the sorrow-strickon face of her
husband, she realized what had oome to pass. The trutli
roused and braced her failing strength, and seizing tho
count's arm, she cried, "The Black Deaths! Alexis!
Merciful God 1 Let us go now, at once, to save him ! "
They tried to soothe her. But she pushed thorn aside
and rang her belL "My cloak-Marie, do you hoar?
Am I to be obeyed or not?" and her voioe was shrill with
anger. " The carriage at once, with all haste," was her
order to the servant Then she turned to her husband
and said bitterly, "If it had not been for that wretched,
miserable girl, Lise Alexis would never lmve done this."
"Thekla!" cried the count "Take care what you
say at this moment perhaps, Lise is dead."
The countess was fastening her cloak; her fingers
stopped; she stared at her husband-Lise-dead? Iu an
instant she knew what this would moan. To go to Alexis
with such news would be to fix this resolution of his.
She knew her son welL Although she would not acknowl
edge it even to herself, she believed in the depth and
sincerity of this his first love. Lise's death would be the
worst thing that could happen to them all She must be
" Come," she said calmly to the oount tying her cloak,
her resolution taken. - Before anything can be done we
must go to Lise."
Ulrich was tenderly bathing Lino's forohoad, the g.xxl
little anxious pwtor'a wife tomiing her tho wLIo, U,
old Kfttchon came to him and whispered that tho oountees
begged him to go to her, at onoo. She was in the garden.
She was standing in the flood of sunlight which
poured upon tho grans plat looking at the peaceful,
home-like flowor beds, at the rustio seat under tho tree
knowing that till sho died this place would live in her
memory with these cruel hours of her first great grief.
When Ulrich, cool, collected, came up to her, she felt
a Buddon rush of hope and confidence, she buist into
tears, and holding out her hands to him, said almottt de
liriously, " You nre good -you' are strong-be morciful
and save him."
Ulrich half supports! her to tho seat Thou ho kindly
said a fow soothing words and asked what ho could do.
He supiKwed sho knew that Liso was dangerously ill?
"She is notdoad?"
" No, but sho may dio." Tho oountoHS stared at Ul
rich through her tears. Sho had felt from tho first that
thore was something strango alxmt this man; hIio oould
not understand him. Sho vaguely wonderod at his self,
possession. " It was tho bad news about Count Alexis
which gave her tho shock," oontinued Fran.
" Then you know all?" said the oountosH.
Ho gave a half-smile, and said ho bclinvod ho know
all. Then tho countess poured forth a passionate apjKvd,
mingled incoherent praises of himself, of Alexis, even of
Lise, urging him to save them both, to sacrifloo hlmaelf,
to prove himself a true hero.
"Enough," ho said, staying the tirade with a gesture
that was so suggestive of disgust that the half-frantio
mother bliwhod and shrank hack; "those matters requiro
but fnw words, in'tdam. Whatever has to bo done must
be done at onoe."
"Will you go to Alexis-toll him that Lise is dying,
and bring him to her?"
From the moment the counteiw summoned him ha had
guessed what she wanted of him. " I will go," ho said
"And at once," he added, glancing at his watch.
" But" he oontinued, with suppressed fierceness, " I
wish you, madam, to understand that it is not for your
sake I do this nor for your son's, although ho haa Im
haved well nor for Lino's" (he sjxike the name with a
tender reverence, raising hit cap); "it is for simple jus
tice. I do not dare to tike young live out of Ond'i
hands and xrt with them to pleaao my pride or my aeU
fishneHH. I have known that which you have known
that your son and Lise love each other with the true, pure
affection which is God-given. I taw them together, and
recognizing tho Almighty will, would have interfered but
to bring them to the happy union which is the eternal
intention in their regard It kt for this alono I act u I
do," and with a low bow ha was gone.
The astonishment of the oountoM wiu so intuiiM that
it did hor gixxL There wan another feeling mingled with
this, which shamed her and made her think of others
rather than of her own selnxh auxiotios sho saw iu Frau