Hardly had Herr Lionardo finished his speech when the other young lady who had sung the song approached me, crowned me with a wreath of fresh myrtle, and as she was arranging it, with her face close to my own, archly sang—­

  “And therefore do I crown thee,
  And therefore love thee so,
  Because thou oft hast moved me
  With the music of thy bow.”

As she retreated a step or two, “Do you remember the robbers who shook you down from the tree at night?” said she, courtesying, and giving me so arch a glance that my heart danced within me.  Thereupon, without waiting for an answer, she walked around me.  “Actually just the same, without any Italian affectations!  But no! look, look at his fat pockets!” she exclaimed suddenly to the lovely Lady fair.  “Violin, linen, razor, portmanteau, everything stuffed together!” She turned me all round as she spoke, and could scarcely say anything more for laughing.  Meanwhile, the lovely Lady fair was quite silent, and could hardly raise her eyes for shame and confusion.  It seemed to me that at heart she was provoked at all this jesting talk.  At last her eyes filled with tears, and she hid her face on the breast of the other lady, who first looked at her in surprise and then clasped her affectionately in her arms.

I stood there as in a dream.  The longer I looked at the strange lady the more clearly I recognized her; she was in truth no other than—­the young painter, Herr Guido!

I did not know what to say, and was just about to question her, when Herr Lionardo approached her and spoke in an undertone.  “Does he not know yet?” I heard him ask.  She shook her head.  He reflected for a moment, and then said aloud, “No, no, he must be told all immediately, or there will be all kinds of fresh gossip and confusion.”

“Herr Receiver,” he said, turning to me, “we have not much time at present, but do me the favor to exhaust your stock of surprise and wonder as quickly as possible, that you may not hereafter, by questions, and wonderings, and head-shakings among the people about here, revive old tales and give rise to new rumors and suspicions.”  So saying, he drew me aside into the shrubbery, while Fraeulein Guido made passes in the air with the Lady fair’s riding-whip, and shook all her curls down over her eyes, which did not prevent my seeing that she was blushing violently.

“Well, then,” said Herr Lionardo, “Fraeulein Flora, who is trying to look as if she neither knew nor had heard anything of the whole affair, had exchanged hearts in a hurry with somebody.  Whereupon somebody else appears, and with sound of trumpet and drum offers her his heart, and wishes for hers in return.  But her heart is already bestowed upon somebody, and somebody’s heart is in her possession, and that somebody will neither take back his heart nor give back hers.  All the world exclaims—­but have you never read any romances?” I shook my head.  “Well, then, at all events you have