Part 14 (1/2)

Tell me that it is a reality I enjoy Tell me that it is you yourself I hold in my arms!'

”'Oh, my Aneouta, it is indeed your Steffanoff who has found you out-- who has co her to my heart 'But there is no time to delay--I will tell you all by and by We must be away at once, or we may be pursued'

”'Yes, yes, I co closer to ive the alarm, and clutch us with her claws, till some one comes to stop us!'

”'Fear not about her,' I answered, as I led her out of the room and into the porch 'See, she will not stop us'

”The old wo as I had left her, perfectly unconscious

Certainly she did not appear as if her youth was returning; she looked far more as if death had overtaken her Minetta stood over her, and as ere going, applied the sponge once , I trust?' said I

”'Oh, no, no!' answered Minetta, laughing 'She will co in the fancy that she is growing young again, forgetting all about her charge and us When she finds that this bird has flown, she will give such a confused account of the matter, that no one will knohat has occurred Good-bye, old hed in a peculiar self-satisfied way as she said this

”Minetta having thrown her own cloak over Aneouta, whichher, we hurried towards the copse where we had left the horses Anxiously we looked around on every side to notice if any one atching us, but the peasants were in the fields, and we carefully avoided the high road and the e We found the lad with the horses all safe--no one had cos may be done in a thinly-peopled country which could not occur in the denser population of a town Taking up Aneouta on the horse before hter than it had been for ht be far distant when I ht hope to live with her in peace and security

”We were cordially welcoari chief and his people, who seemed to take an especial interest in the achievement we had acco to the tact and adroitness of Minetta The means she took were, however, not such as in my calmer ari chief received Aneouta as a daughter 'You shall eat of my bread and dwell in my tent, and occupy the place of one who is lost toher hand

'Minetta will be your cos to htly away'

”Soon after we reached the encaht rehtfall Of course we knew that directly Gavrillo, the steward, returned, he would make every effort to discover what had become of Aneouta The chief had placed her carefully in a covered waggon, when he asked her for her mantle and the handkerchief she had worn over her head He took the lad who had been with us I asked hi why he had done this

”'The river which passes near the village is deep and rapid; I have told hio there as soon as it is dark, and throw the found there will effectually mislead the steward, ill believe that Aneouta has drowned herself, and will make no further search for her'

”In the hopes that this stratagereat anxiety; for I was certain that if it was known that Aneouta had taken refuge aipsies, and she was demanded from them, they would not venture to retain her I expressed my fears to the chief

”'We will see to that,' he answered, laughing confidently 'They cannot prove that she is ah every tent, and not discover her if she desires to remain concealed'

”'How can that be?' I asked

”'By disguising her, so that she will become like one of ourselves,' he answered

”'You could not disguise me,' I answered; 'she knew me at once'

”'Ah, the eyes of love pierce deeper than any other eyes,' he answered; 'besides, Aneouta's features are ari cast, and her eyes are dark like ours Depend on it, ill disguise her so that no one will know her If any come to look for her, ill tell them to come and search, and take her if they can find her Depend on it they will fix on the wrong person rather than on her'

”The perfect confidence of the Zingari chief very much assured ht, I gave Aneouta a rapid account of all that I had gone through, and all I proposed doing

The watch-fire, by which we sat, had al, and I had not then told her half I had to say When I inforreat object, the sacred duty I had imposed on myself, was to try and rescue my parents from the cruel fate to which they were condeht me to let her accompany me, and endeavour to aid in the object However, this I soon showed her would be ily consented to reari till I had accomplished it or found the effort hopeless

”'If you fail entirely, ether to the far east,' exclai the wild tribes of the Tartars in their rude tents than exposed to the fate from which you have rescued me in this country'

”I applauded her resolution--the sa in my own mind To escape, however, from the confines of Russia is a work not easy of accoer with an account of our progress towards the Volga We were not pursued, and we had reason to fancy even that the Zingari were not suspected of carrying off Aneouta Probably the chief's trick succeeded, and she was supposed, in a fit of despair, to have thrown herself into the river At last the time came that I must part from Aneouta Sad as it e of those wild, untutored children of the desert, than I would with many who profess the tenets of Christianity I neither exacted nor received any oaths from the chief and his people

”'Your betrothed will be safe, as far as we have power to protect her, while she remains under our tents; and I hope, my brother and my friend, when you return, to deliver her to you with renewed strength and spirits,' he said, taking my hand