she was struck with her own
inattention in not having sooner arrived at the discovery that it was their old
quarters of Waldenhausen, the very place in which the robbery had been effected,
where they had again the prospect of spending the night, and of recovering in
part the loss she had sustained.
    Midnight came, and the Lady Paulina prepared to avail herself of her
opportunities. She drew out the parcel of papers, which was large and
miscellaneous in its contents. By far the greater part, as she was happy to
observe, were mere copies of originals in the chancery at Vienna; those related
to the civic affairs of Klosterheim, and were probably of a nature not to have
been acted upon during the predominance of the Swedish interest in the counsels
and administration of that city. With the revival of the Imperial cause, no
doubt these orders would be repeated, and with the modifications which new
circumstances, and the progress of events, would then have rendered expedient.
This portion of the papers, therefore, Paulina willingly restored to their
situation in the closet. No evil would arise to any party from their present
detention in a place where they were little likely to attract notice from
anybody but the old lady in her ministries upon the fire. Suspicion would be
also turned aside from herself in appropriating the few papers which remained.
These contained too frequent mention of a name dear to herself not to have a
considerable value in her eyes; she was resolved, if possible, to carry them off
by concealing them within her bosom; but at all events, in preparation for any
misfortune that might ultimately compel her to resign them, she determined
without loss of time to make herself mistress of their contents.
    One, and the most important of these documents, was a long and confidential
letter from the Emperor to the Town-Council and the chief heads of conventual
houses in Klosterheim. It contained a rapid summary of the principal events in
her lover's life, from his infancy, when some dreadful domestic tragedy had
thrown him upon the Emperor's protection, to his present period of early
manhood, when his own sword and distinguished talents had raised him to a
brilliant name and a high military rank in the Imperial service. What were the
circumstances of that tragedy, as a case sufficiently well known to those whom
he addressed, or to be collected from accompanying papers, the Emperor did not
say. But he lavished every variety of praise upon Maximilian, with a liberality
that won tears of delight from the solitary young lady, as she now sat at
midnight looking over these gracious testimonies to her lover