Even in the house of the commandant there was agitation and restlessness, soldiers were hurrying to and fro, and the messages which they brought were evidently unfavorable, for there was much whispering going on in the great ante-chamber, and anxious suspense was visible on every face.
As soon as the young Pole entered he was surrounded by his friends and drawn into a corner.

After some hasty questions, he seized a musket, called off a few soldiers by name, and left the room, without troubling himself any further about the travelers.
The merchant and Anton were shown into the next room, where the young commander-in-chief received them.

He too looked pale and dejected, but it was with the bearing of a true nobleman that he addressed Mr.
Schroeter: "I have forwarded your wishes; here is a passport for you and your wagons.

I pray you to infer from this that we are anxious to treat the citizens of your state with consideration, possibly even more than the duty of self-preservation would dictate." The merchant received the important document with shining eyes.

"You have shown me a remarkable degree of kindness," said he; "I feel myself deeply indebted to you, and wish that I may one day be permitted to prove my gratitude." "Who knows ?" answered the young commandant, with a melancholy smile; "he who stakes all upon a cast may lose all." "He may lose much," replied the merchant, courteously, "but not all, if he has striven honorably." At that moment a hollow sound was heard, a sound like the sweep of a howling wind, or the roaring of a rushing flood.