hen we had come to the end of the letter, "tha

kes you

mous, without an atom of evidence against her, to take it for granted that she is guilty? False to her dead husband's confidence in her, a breaker of seals, a stealer of poisons-what an accusation against a defenseless woman! Oh, my poor dear Minna! how she must feel it; she doesn't possess her mother's strength of mind. I shall fly to Wurzburg to

, Fritz

r it. I assure you, on my honor, he has no better excuse for forbidding me to marry Minna than that. Is it just, is it reasonable, to condemn a woman without first hearing what she has to say in her own defense? Ah, now indeed I feel the loss of my own dear mother! If she h

of the second bottle. Fritz poured it out, with a

erman journals, kept at a foreign coffee-house. By way of strengthening the good influence of this suggestion, I informed Fritz that I expected to be shortly sent to Frankfort, as the bearer of a business communication addressed to

was claimed by the more serious and pressing subject of the liber

ble, with the head-clerk esta

uch services as were required of him. He was now engaged in drawing out the necessary memorials and statements, under the instructions of my aunt. Her object in sending for me was to inquire if I objected to making fair copies of the rough draft

e paid her promised

ance as offering a new encouragement to the design that she had in view. Mad Jack could not only understand a responsibility, but could pr

enterprise advanced towards completi

Jack Straw, and that she would willingly leave any further development of her husband's humane project to persons better qualified to encounter dangers and difficulties than herself. The only concession that she could obtain was an appointment for a second interview, in the p

al means of persuasion in the shape of her husband's diary, containing

knowledge it. But he, too, protested against any attempt on the part of a woman to carry out any part of the proposed reform, even on the smallest scale. Exasperated by these new remonstrances, my aunt's patience gave way. Refusing to submit herself to the physician's advice, she argued the

d. Passing the door on her way to the Palace-gardens, the Princess had heard the contending voices, and the name of Jack distinctly pronounced in a woma

bout?" inquired the Prince

, then converted to my aunt's view of the case. In the monotonous routine of Court life, here was a romantic adventure in which even the King's daughter could take some share.

to me to help you with all my heart. Come to my apartments tomorr

vernors could raise to the liberation of Jack Straw were set aside by an ingenious app

band's representative, complain of the violation of the rules, and insist on the discharge of Jack. He occupies a place which ought to be filled by an educated patient in a higher rank of life. Oh, never mind me! I shall express my regret for disregarding

tic" was free (as our friend the lawyer put it) to

as an eyewitness, owing to my absence at the time. This curious portion of the narrative will be found related by Jack himself, on a pag

rankfort branch of our business. Closely occupied as she then was, she found time to provide me with those instructions to her German partners, preparing them f

a change in the administration of the office, and to defer for the present the proposed enlargement of our staff of clerks. The rest you can yourself explain from your own knowledge of the plans that I have in c

ent he heard of my journey. I must own tha

ewspapers at the coffee-house, and had found news from

ry end. The moral effect of this division among the magistrates was unquestionably to cast a slur on the reputation of Widow Fontaine. She was not pronounced to be guilty-but she was also not declared to be innocent. Feeling, no doubt, that her

o begin the search for Minna and her mother, he consented to leave me to look for traces of them in Germany, while he

ing I started

ive; and I was almost equally proud to be Fritz's confidential friend. Never could any poor human creature have been a more innocent instrument of mischief in the hands of Destiny than I was, on that