The idea that two disgraced persons might come back from
exile, instead of one, was extremely disquieting to Greifenstein's
peace of mind. He knew well enough what to do with Riese-
neck if he appeared. He would shut the gates and let him
shift for himself. But the other man would be in search of
Clara. He wondered who he might be, and what their relations
could have been, whether he would turn out to be a brother, an
uncle, or merely some man who had loved her in former days,
a mere rejected suitor. Even should he prove to be her brother,
he could not reproach her for her silence, since he found him-
self in exactly the same situation. That contingency, however,
w§s remote. It was extremely unlikely that each should have
a brother who had been convicted of evil deeds in the revolu-
tion, considering how short a time the disturbance had lasted.
The theory that the man was a disappointed pretender to her



56 GKEIPENSTEIN.
hand was infinitely more probable. In any case, Greifenstein
made up his mind that a person existed whose return Clara
feared, and the prospect of whose appeara,nce was so painful as
to affect her health.
For some time he hesitated as to the course he should pursue.
He was certainly free to tell her his suspicions, on condition
that he told her of his own apprehensions at the same time.
