The soldier-courier now fancied it was high time that the urgent letters, of which he was the bearer, should be read, and accordingly asked his master about it.
"Well, where are your two letters?" asked the Count very languidly.
"There are not two, sir, but three."
"Miss Flora gave me the third half an hour before she took coach to go home."
"Then she has gone on before, eh? Well, let us see what they write about."
Teleki's was the first letter which Emeric perused; he glanced through it rapidly, as if it had no very great claim upon his attention. When he came to that part of it where he was told to look after Flora, he paused for a little. "Well, I can easily overtake her," he thought, and he took the second letter, which was subscribed with the name of Helen. Twice he perused it, and then he returned to it a third time, and his face grew visibly redder. Involuntarily he sighed as he thrust the letter into his breast pocket just above his heart, and looked sadly in front of him, as if he were listening to the beating of his own heart.
Then he broke open the third letter.
It contained an engagement ring, nothing else. That was all—not a single accompanying word or letter.
For an instant Emeric held it in his hand in blank amazement; his steed stopped also. For some minutes his face was pale and his head hung down.