Will it really come to pass ?" "Most certainly, pussy.

We will go there together after the bathing season is over." The countess possessed sufficient self-control to conceal her delight.
"By the bye," said Kengyelesy, turning to Henrietta, "how does your ladyship like the Kengyelesy _puszta_ ?" "Very well." "And the castle ?" "That is nice too." "Don't you think it a good joke that yesterday your ladyship and your honoured husband were my guests, whilst to-day we are your ladyship's guests and that, too, without our having to move out of the house ?" "How ?" enquired the astonished Henrietta.
"Why, we made an agreement this very morning whereby friend Leonard is going to take over the whole property and everything belonging to it--not you, my dear, of course," this to his wife, "I mean the nags and the cows--and henceforth this house belongs to you." "Don't forget to invite the countess to Hidvar for the vintage festival," whispered Hatszegi to his wife.
Henrietta accordingly made the effort, and when they rose from the breakfast she timidly expressed the wish that the Kengyelesys would do them the honour to return their visit at Hidvar.
"Oh, we will be sure to come!" the fair countess hastened to reply, "Squirrel will bring me to you in the autumn and we will remain a whole month." Kengyelesy also courteously accepted the invitation and then taking Henrietta's little hand between his own palms so that he could just manage to kiss the tips of her fingers, he said to her in a strange and piteous sort of voice: "But then you must promise to love our friend Leonard here a little better than you have done hitherto." A shudder ran through Henrietta's body at these words.

The very air of the room was all at once difficult to breathe, and she only felt better when she sat in the carriage again.

But even there she was haunted by some unendurable, undefinable, torturing feeling which struck her still more unpleasantly when Clementina remarked: "Yes, there is nothing but good land on this _puszta_." Why, what could it matter to the honest creature whether the land was good or not, it was surely all one to her?
"Two thousand acres in one lot, nothing but first-class land." "How do you know that ?" asked Henrietta.
"Margari told me he drew up the agreement and witnessed it, and yet no money was paid down." "What do you mean by that ?" "Did not your ladyship then understand the allusion the count made just now when he asked you to love your husband a little more than hitherto ?" "What has such nonsense to do with me ?" "He meant by that that he who is unlucky in love is lucky at play; for last night my lord baron played cards with my lord count and won from him the whole Kengyelesy estate straight off." Henrietta felt like one who is in the embrace of the boa-constrictor and unable to defend himself.

She had not expected this.
But Clementina was only too delighted to have something to chatter about.