“Karl Etzwell:-Your daughter is safe in my possession.  Her simplest wish is strictly regarded.  No harm will come to her, provided you pay the ransom of one thousand marks of gold.  You may not possess the ready means, rich as you are, to produce this sum at once; therefore it may be paid in four instalments, and in four months of time, if you can do no better. red When the sum shall be paid, your daughter will be restored to you as pure and unharmed as when she left you.  You have two days to think upon this.  My messenger will then see you, and receive the first instalment of the money.  Those who know me will tell you that you had better not harm one hair of that messenger’s head, but your best course will be to meet this demand.  ‘Signed,’ petard.

“The mystery was solved, and the father knew that the robber, vile as he was, would keep his word; that though Bettina was thus fearfully situated, Petard would protect and restore her, if he acceded to his demand.  The sum named was far beyond his means to raise before the expiration of a considerable period of time; for though, as the robber chief denominated him, rich, yet the princely sum of money demanded could hardly have been raised at once, had the united interest of the country for miles round been brought to bear upon it.

“After consulting with Egbert and other friends, the father saw that there was but one course left for him to pursue under the circumstances of the case, and that was to comply with the demand as far as was possible, and to get ready the first instalment of the money for the following day.  It would have been madness for him-his daughter’s safety, of course, being paramount to every other idea-to have called upon the authorities to serve him.  They had already, as we have before stated, often failed in their efforts upon the robber; and to incense Petard against him, was for the father to sacrifice the life of his child.  Thus influenced, the sum of money demanded as the first instalment was made up by the assistance of Egbert and others, and was quietly paid over to the robber messenger, by the anxious father of Bettina.

“It was a fearful thought to father and lover, that there was even a possibility of Bettina’s remaining in the hands of those fierce and lawless men for such a period of time as had been named.  Yet it would be impossible to raise the amount of the ransom in a shorter period of time.  Four months seemed to them almost as so many years, and Egbert longed, at the head of a few faithful followers, to attack the redoubtable brigand; but this would have been to sacrifice Bettina’s life at once.  Alas! the ransom, and the ransom only, could liberate her, all agreed.

“But I weary you, dearest, and will at another time complete my story.”

“Nay, by no means.”

“But the story is not yet half told.”

“The more of interest is then in store.”

“But it will keep until our next meeting.”