"I, indeed, go to Furstenstein this afternoon," he replied, in a strangely suppressed tone.
"Oh, I ask this one thing more. You must tell your betrothed everything--you hear?--everything. We owe it to her. I shall write her to-day about the occurrence, and you will confirm my letter with your words--yes?"
Willibald raised his eyes slowly and looked at the speaker. "You are right, Fraulein. Toni must hear everything the whole truth. I had already decided on that before I came here; but it will be a hard hour for me."
"Oh, surely not," said Marietta, encouragingly. "Toni is good and full of trust. She will believe your word and my word, that we are both innocent in this affair."
"But I am not without guilt--at least toward my bride-elect," declared Willibald, earnestly. "Do not look at me in such affright. You must hear it later, anyway, and it is perhaps better that I tell you myself. I am going to Furstenstein only to ask Toni"--he stopped short and drew a deep breath--"to give me back my troth."
"For heaven's sake, why?" cried the young girl, horrified at this explanation.
"Why? Because it would be wrong should I offer Toni my hand and stand with her at the altar, with my heart as it is now. Because only now do I see what the principal thing is for betrothal and marriage--because----" He did not finish, but his eyes spoke so plainly that Marietta fully understood the rest.
Her face suddenly colored crimson. She drew back and made a violently repellent gesture.
"Herr von Eschenhagen, be silent; do not speak another word."
"But it is not my fault," Willibald continued, in spite of the command. "I have struggled manfully and tried truly to keep my promise during the whole time I was at Burgsdorf. I believed it would be possible; but then I came here and saw you again in 'Arivana' on that evening, and knew that the struggle had been in vain. I had not forgotten you, Fraulein Marietta--not for an hour--as often as I had tried to make myself believe it, and I shall not forget you all my life long. I shall confess this to Toni openly, and shall also tell my mother when I return to her."