THE

INVISIBLE ENEMY.

CHAP. I..

COUNT Leopold Rosomaski, from his earliest infancy, gave evident tokens that. the bold, active, and impetuous blood of his ancestors, ennobled his veins; and yet he arrived at the age of manhood, before he knew that his education, and expectations in life, were by no means suitable to his birth. He was brought up as the son of one Byloff, a humble peasant, who cultivated an unfrequented spot in the midst.

of

of that immense forest, which bristles the greatest part of the country adjacent to the Carpathian mountains, and which was part of the estate of Count Petrowitz. It was at no great distance from the Castle of Vistulof, which justly belonged to Leopold, but had been usurped from him by his. uncle on his father's side, upon whose death his son, named Lanfranco, had taken possession of it. As Leopold knew no other than his reputed father, he did not repine at the humble and laborious line of life in which fortune had placed him, and he cheerfully contributed his efforts to those of Byloff and his son, who was his fosterbrother, for their mutual support. Byloff made no sort of distinction between his. adopted and his real son. He called them simply by their christian names, Leopold and Ludowico, and made them both share the same labours and the same fatigues. Their residence was in the very midst of the forest, and in the gloomiest and most impenetrable part of it. There, by un

ceasing.

ceasing perseverance, and felling the trees, they had cleared a spot of about twelve acres, at one end of which stood their cottage, which was in the rudest stile of the primitive ages; but, since Leopold and Ludowico had been capable of assisting Byloff, it had been enlarged, and rendered comfortable. At the back of the cottage, and excavated, as it were, from the forest, was a small kitchen-garden: Its only ornament was a large venerable tree, which had been reserved from the fury of the levelling: axe, for the pious purpose of sheltering and protecting a mound of earth, neatly covered with green sod.

nument of Byloff's wife,

This was the mo

over which con

jugal and filial piety often distilled their precious drops.

In this remote and dreary situation they never saw any person; and Leopold and Ludowico would have believed their own. little society to have been the sole human inhabitants of the universe, if Byloff had. not sometimes, on holidays, taken them

5.

to

to Dorbalec, which was the name of the castle of Count Petrowitz, to join in the festivity of the vassals. They could not conceive why Byloff had enjoined them never to mention the place of their abode, any more than they could guess what were the utility of those exercises which he never failed, except in bad weather, to make them practise after the labour of the day was finished-these were riding, and the use of arins. Byloff would sometimes make them engage on horseback, sometimes on foot; at others, he would cause. Leopold on foot to attack Ludowico on horse-. back, and the reverse. Oftentimes he would make them both attack himself, to shew them with what dexterity he could defend himself against such odds: he would also join Leopold in an attack upon Ludowico, and then take the part of Ludowico against Leopold. By these sham rencounters the two youths became so adroit, that they were in a condition, although on foot, and with no other weapon than a cudgel, of

avoiding

avoiding the cuts of a sabre or pole-axe, and dismounting any antagonist. At length the time came which was to put them to a trial.

Leopold and Ludowico were verging towards manhood, when, one very sultry afternoon, as they were resting from their labour of hewing wood for a provision of winter-fuel, and were taking some repast in the cool shade of a tree, they beheld two females approaching them. They rose up and saluted them with the utmost respect. Their salutation was returned with no less civility. The females, who were far different, both in dress and manners, from all whom the young peasants had ever before seen, struck them forcibly by their affable demeanour, and the easy condescension with which they asked them seyeral questions. After some few minutes. passed in conversation, they bade adieu, and continued their walk, leaving Leopold and Ludowico in a state of almost stupid admiration. They stood looking after

them