Barlasch of the Guard

r les yeux pour reg

open. The verger, old Peter Koch-on week days a locksmith-had told them that nothing was going to

towering walls of the Marienkirche-a cathedral built o

hwife, stepping over the thres

he Frauengasse where Sebastian lived. There was a wealth of meaning in the nod. For Peter Koch lived round the corner in the Kleine Schmiedeg

an three floors within the pitch of the roof. She singled out No. 36, which has a carved stone balustrade to its b

dancing?"

ded again, t

e-the

r a locksmith is almost as confidential an adviser as a notary. The Dantzigers, moreover, are a thrifty race and kee

rawl of one voice. There had been no ringing of bells. The north countries, with the exception of Russia, require more than the ringing of bel

Austria, Spain; had penetrated so far north as Sweden; was now hanging sullen over Dantzig, the greatest of the Hanseatic towns, the Free City. For a Dantziger had never needed to

ed for a very obvious reason. Within the last fourteen months the garrison had been greatly augmented. The clouds seemed to be gathering over this

ide. He murmured a few conventional words of blessing, hard on the heels of stronger exhortations

the colouring of her face and hair was more pronounced than in the fairness of Anglo-Saxon youth. For her hair had a golden tinge in it, and her skin was of that startlingly milky whiteness which is only found in those w

concluded that the bride had assuredly attained her desire; that she had secu

these things. It was nea

quick sense of the humorous, for she looked into his changing face and gave a low, gir

unmistakably French-unmistakably a French gentleman, as rare in 1812 as he is to-day. To judge from his small head and clean-cut features, fine and mobile; f

uits; but that went for nothing in the days of the Empire

ard from its face, each seeking to gain a few inches on its neighbour. It runs from the M

ng until the end of time. She was always pleased to see children; was glad, it seemed, that they should have congregated on the steps to watch her pass. Ch

fingers, in a gesture indicative of fam

ns," he said with a mock gravi

iction, but of peppering, which made them all laugh. The bride and bridegroom passi

the Langenmarkt, the centre of the town. As the little bridal procession reached the corner of this street, it halted at the approach of some

s Charles Darragon threw up his head

d then turned to follow

rmured. For the uniforms

replied her husband, and as

els, three times the size of a Dantzig drosky, white with dust. It had small square windows. As Desiree drew back in obedience to a moveme

oked at you, Charl

as white. His eyes were dull, like the eyes of one

ned to thos

ng in her voice which none had ever heard bef

a like attitude, looking down the Pfaffengasse. His hand was raised before his face with outsprea

ked in a low voice whi

re clear as a cloudless sky, were suddenly

in the sunshine looking towards the Langenmarkt where the tower of the Rathhaus rose above the high ro

de a movement to continue their

gh, "he was not bidden to my weddi

ge on the bench, or a criminal on the scaffold-steps, need make but a very sm

ster, who looked angry, had frowned at the children, and seemed to find this simple wedding too bourgeois for her taste. She carried her head with an air that told

Koch the locksmith must have read

shot them. "But it is not the lightest he

uests had to wait in the street while the servant unlocked the front do

ted with flowers. These were the houses of friends. Others were silent and still behind their la

mall man, somewhat brusque in attitude, as became a soldier of Italy and Egypt. But he had a pleasant smile and that affability of manner which many

but it was so long ago that the human interest of it all was lost in a pottle of petty detail which was all she could recall. Before the story was half finished, Sebastian's attention had strayed elsewhere, thou

door was open and all the guests w

on his arm, "take the Grafin upstairs to the drawing-room

ed with a vague smile.

-in-law," replied Charles with his

ed again to the old lady, still recalling the details of that other wedding, he addressed her in German,

e pious Hanseatic merchant had inscribed his belief that if God be in the house there is no need of

w came only the murmur of quiet voices, the clink of glasses at the drinking of a toast, or a laugh in the clear voice of the bride herself. For Desiree persisted in her optimistic view of these proceedings, though he