"You will be done out of the horse-racing, all through me," remarked Henrietta sadly.
"Oh, it does not interest me much. I don't care much about it."
This was not true, but it was all the nicer of the old man to say so.
"Then you really mean to escort my wife to Pest?" said Hátszegi, at last.
"With the greatest of pleasure."
"Very well. At any rate, I will see to all the travelling arrangements that there may be no delay at any of the stages. Which way do you prefer to go via Csongrad or via Szeged?
"By way of Csongrad."
"Well, 'tis the shorter of the two certainly, but at this season of the year the road is as hard as steel. It will be as well to provide my horses with fresh shoes."
"It is now ten o'clock. By midnight your coachman will have managed to do all that. The baroness would do well if she had a little sleep now. Meanwhile I will go home for my luggage and my weapons; at two o'clock in the morning I shall be here again, and at three we can start."
"I will be awake and watching for you, and I thank you with all my heart."