eg the socialism OF TO-DAY. 
On the 3rd of August, Helena returned to her father’s 
house at Geneva. Lassalle intended to go and see him, but 
the Bavarian diplomatist absolutely refused to receive him, 
and when his wife informed him that there was a marriage in 
view, his anger knew no bounds. He cursed his daugh^r, and 
swore that he would never consent to such a union. Helena, 
in despair, escaped from her father’s house and threw herself 
upon the protection of Lassalle, telling him to take her where 
he would ; but he, not caring to enter the Dœnniges family, as 
it were, by the back door, brought her back to her mother. 
With her ardour somewhat cooled by this deed of discretion, 
and overcome by the entreaties of her whole family, the young 
girl allowed herself to be taken away from Geneva, “ despairing, 
but resigned.” , , •, 
At this unexpected event Lassalle became utterly beside 
himself. He was wounded in his vanity, always excessively 
strong. That he, the idol of women of rank, should be for 
gotten by a girl of twenty, who but yesterday swore eternal 
feith to him, and who had given herself up to him utterly! 
Impossible ! It was her cruel father who had carried her off 
and shut her up in spite of herself. The question was how to 
free her by any and every means. He called to his aid the 
Countess of Hatzfeld and his friend Colonel Rüstow, and they 
did everything they could to move Herr von Dcenniges. 
Lassalle hastened to Munich in order to get the minister for 
foreign affairs to act on his behalf, and he promised to do so. 
The countess herself went to Ketteler, the Archbishop of 
Mayence, to beg him to interfere. The account of the inter 
view is amusing. The archbishop highly praised the Socialist 
agitator ; he took the deepest interest both in his scientific 
labours and in his propagandist efforts, although he doubted 
the possibility of applying his theories to practice. But how 
could he, archbishop as he was, encourage the marriage of a 
Catholic with a Jew ? If even Lassalle would be converted, 
there might perhaps be some hope of success. 
After all, it was too late. Overcome, as she says in her 
memoirs, by the entreaties of her family, and in obedience to a 
veritable moral compulsion, Helena suddenly decided to marry.