He could not make out the reason for her silence.

One despatch might certainly have been lost in transmission through the field post; but for three or four--as would have been the case if she had responded in due course to his effusions, which were written off to Darmstadt each week without fail--to miss on the journey, was simply impossible! Some treachery must be at work; or else, Madaleine was ill; or, she had changed her mind towards him.
Which of these reasons caused her silence?
It was probably, he thought, the former which he had to thank for his anxiety; and the cause, he was certain, was the baroness.

What blessings he heaped on her devoted head! It was in this frame of mind that Fritz awaited the end of the war..