midst of a beautiful park; and thus did he deprive Hlohov of its last distinction. Since his last visit to Hlohov nothing had been repaired or changed at the Palace, and when any of the servants died or became incapable of doing their work they were no longer replaced by their children, as was the custom in other castles. The places remained vacant, and the children of the deceased were placed elsewhere. The porter, who was a cripple, was the only exception. His son became his successor, but not on account of the father’s decrepitude, as many believed. Behind the apparent kindness there was concealed real injustice.
The porter’s son. Andrew, had shown in his earliest childhood great strength of mind and desire for learning, which the Hlohov chaplain, an old philanthropist, soon noticed during his monthly visits at the Palace. He liked the boy so much that he often took him to the parsonage, and for many weeks taught him there. He was surprised at the boy’s progress, brightness and industry, and when he
