VI.J THE RED BARON. 299

 

 

(an additional reason for me to marry his daughter),
and dreadfully afraid that if he refused me anything,
I should come and take it. He wasn’t far wrong,
either, for when I had made up my mind to marry his
daughter, marry her I would, if I had had to carry
her off from her father’s castle. It didn’t come to
that though! ‘The old fellow pretended to be over-
joyed at my proposal—the girl made some show of
resistance at first, and appealed to my better feelings,
forsooth, saying that she loved another. That I
knew before, but to make matters more certain I
had the favoured lover dealt with after a summary
fashion. He was found dead at the foot of a high
cliff one fine morning, having got there from the top
in a manner incompatible with the preservation of
life. Then matters went more smoothly. Adeline
resisted no longer. She behaved like a lamb,
obeyed her father without demur, and became the
bride of the Red Baron.

‘I wish I could say that I can look back upon my
married life with any feelings of satisfaction. She
was too good for me, Poor Adeline! hers was a sad
existence. I don’t think she ever quite got over the
loss of that fellow, for she had really loved him.
However, she did her duty by me, only she irritated
me beyond measure by trying to persuade me to give
up some of what she called my wicked ways. Her
advice and tears had not, I regret to say, the slightest
effect upon me, and I went on just the same. We had
three children: Rudolf, Frederick, and Christina,
They were little things still when their mother died.
That was through me, too. I don’t mean to say I ever