POPULAR WORKS AFTER THE GERMAN,

AFTER THE GERMAN,

BY MRS. A. L. WISTER.

A FAMILY FEUD. After the German of Ludwig Harder. 12mo. Fine cloth. $1.25.

AT THE COUNCILLOR'S; or, A Nameless History. After the German of E. Marlitt. 12mo. Fine cloth. $1.75.

THE SECOND WIFE. After the German of E. Marlitt. 12mo. Fine cloth. $1.75.

THE OLD MAM'SELLE'S SECRET. After the German of E. Marlitt. 12mo. Fine cloth. $1.50.

GOLD ELSIE. After the German of E. Marlitt. 12mo. Fine cloth. $1.50.

COUNTESS GISELA. After the German of E. Marlitt. 12mo. Fine cloth. $1.50.

THE LITTLE MOORLAND PRINCESS. After the German of E. Marlitt. 12mo. Fine cloth. $1.50.

THE GREEN GATE. After the German of Ernst Wichert. 12mo. Fine cloth. $1.75.

ONLY A GIRL. After the German of Wilhelmine von Hillern. 12mo. Fine cloth. $1.75.

ENCHANTING AND ENCHANTED; or, Fairy Spells. From the German of Hackländer. Illustrated. 12mo. Fine cloth. $1.50.

WHY DID HE NOT DIE? After the German of Ad. von Volckhausen. 12mo. Fine cloth. $1.75.

HULDA; or, The Deliverer. After the German of F. Lewald. 12mo. Fine cloth. $1.75.

*_** For sale by all Booksellers, or will be sent by mail, postage paid, upon receipt of price by

J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO., Publishers, Philadelphia.

TOO RICH

A ROMANCE

AFTER THE GERMAN

OF

ADOLPH STRECKFUSS

BY MRS. A. L WISTER

TRANSLATOR OF "THE SECOND WIFE," "ONLY A GIRL," "THE OLD
MAM'SELLE'S SECRET," "HULDA," "A FAMILY FEUD," ETC.

PHILADELPHIA
J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO.
1878

Copyright, 1878, by J. B. Lippincott & Co.

TOO RICH.

CHAPTER I.

It was a very warm day in summer. The lindens on either side the broad promenade drooped their thirsty dusty leaves above the pedestrians sauntering beneath their shade. These loitered along as slowly as possible, but the heat was really too oppressive, and many of them soon turned into narrower and cooler side streets, resigning all attempts to meet the various acquaintances who usually at noon thronged the gay promenade of K----. Others indeed took refuge beneath the tempting awning of some one of the various fashionable restaurants on the promenade, where, secluded from the burning rays of the midday sun, they refreshed themselves with ices, and were at leisure to recognize and criticise all who drove, rode, or walked past.

On a day like the present "Büchner's restaurant," famous for its sherbet, and a favourite lounging-place with young sprigs of fashion, was sure to be thronged. Here might be seen the officers of the various regiments in garrison at K---- and numerous civilians whose rank entitled them to such distinguished companionship, and here the choice of amusements for the evening was discussed,--whether, in spite of the intense heat, the charms of the lovely S---- were sufficiently great to make the theatre endurable, or whether preference should be given to an open-air entertainment at some favourite concert-garden.

In the world of fashion it was eminently 'the thing' to pass half an hour every afternoon on the veranda beneath the awning at "Büchner's," and consequently in the afternoon the place was so thronged that scarcely a seat was to be had at any of the numerous tables there, while on warm days it was quite full at noon, for there could hardly be a more commodious and pleasant point of observation on the entire promenade.

The guests at Büchner's were of the most select,--to see that they were so was a chief care with the attentive head of the establishment, who thought no pains lost which secured to him the custom of the officers. He still recalled with vivid melancholy the war-time, and the deserted aspect of his veranda while it lasted; he knew that he owed his brilliant success in business to the officers and to please them he displayed the greatest zeal. Was he not always on the watch to keep away from the veranda any persons supposed to be obnoxious to these distinguished guests? All such, even although there was still room beneath the awning, were shown to seats far back in the inmost recesses of the place. Only to the young officers and their intimates of the first rank in society was it permitted to lounge indolently upon the veranda, their cigars in their mouths, their chairs tipped back, and their legs resting either upon other chairs or upon the wrought-iron balustrade, in which graceful and easy attitude they could observe the passers-by at their leisure.

Thus elegantly posed on this same sunny noon, two young cavalry officers were scanning, eye-glass in eye, the passers-by, negligently returning the greetings of acquaintances, and, careless as to whether their remarks were overheard or not, ruthlessly criticising in a loud voice the occupants of the various equipages rolling by.

In their immediate neighbourhood two infantry officers were seated near the balustrade, scorning however the negligent attitude of the two dragoons; one of them was reading a newspaper, while the other was gazing out at the passers-by.

"I believe you mean to learn that paper by heart, Leo," one of them, a young fellow of about three-and-twenty, remarked to his comrade, his senior by two or three years, and also in rank as the star upon his shoulder indicated.

The man thus addressed looked up with a smile, disclosing a handsome, expressive countenance of a forcible manly type. His thick, fair moustache became him well, concealing somewhat as it did the rather hard outline of the mouth and thus softening a certain sternness of expression which had characterized his face while absorbed in his newspaper, but which vanished entirely as he smiled. The mild lustre of large dark eyes made the handsome face still more attractive.

"You're an awful bore to-day, Leo," the younger man continued; "we've been sitting here full half an hour, and you have hardly opened your lips. I cannot imagine what you find to read in that wretched 'Daily Post;' it makes me yawn only to look at it; nothing would induce me to read a line of it; 'tis full of such stupid stuff in these tiresome times of peace."

"You're mistaken; the proceedings in Chambers are extremely interesting to-day."

"The proceedings in Chambers!" the other cried, with comical dismay. "Good heavens, the fellow is reading politics! Leo, Leo, as your true friend, I must warn you: you are in perilous paths; read everything else that you choose,--the trashiest novels, and even poems if you insist upon it, but no politics; you will lose caste. Already you are looked upon askance as a genius, more than half an artist; if it