At table they spoke of their visitor. Frau Hessling testified to the impression of reliability which he had made. Emma declared that such a person might at least be reliable. But he had no idea of how to talk to a lady. Magda indignantly asserted the contrary. As they all were waiting for Diederich's decision, he pronounced judgment. The gentleman was certainly not exactly good form. He was admittedly no substitute for a university education. "But I have learnt to know him as a first-rate man of business." Emma could no longer contain herself.

"If Magda intends to marry that man, I declare I will have nothing more to do with you. He ate stewed fruit with a knife!"

"You, marry your reigning duke and then leave us in peace."

Then Emma put down her knife and fork and went out. In the evening, before the office closed, Kienast appeared. He was wearing a frock-coat and his manner was more social than commercial. By tacit agreement they both refrained from speaking until old Sötbier had packed up his things. When he had retired, with a mistrustful glance, Diederich said: "I have placed the old man on the retired list. I attend to all the more important things alone."

"Well, have you thought over our little affair?" asked Kienast.

"Have you?" returned Diederich. Kienast's eyes twinkled confidentially.

"My powers do not really extend so far, but I will take the risk. For Heaven's sake, return the machine. I have no doubt some defect will be discovered in it."

Diederich understood. "You will find one," he promised. Kienast said in a matter of fact tone:

"In return for this concession you undertake to order all your machines from us whenever required. One moment!" he commanded, as Diederich started to protest. "And in addition you will defray our costs and my travelling expenses to the extent of five hundred marks, which we shall deduct from your first instalment."

"Oh, I say, this is sheer robbery!" Diederich's outraged sense of justice raised his voice. Kienast, too, began again to speak loudly. "Dr. Hessling! …" With an effort Diederich controlled himself. He laid his hand on the manager's Shoulder. "Let us go up to the house, the ladies are waiting." Somewhat mollified Kienast said: "So far we have understood one another perfectly." "This little difference will also be made up," Diederich assured him. There was a festive odour upstairs. Frau Hessling shone in her black satin dress. Through Magda's lace blouse more was visible than she usually displayed for the benefit of the family circle. Emma alone retained the drab demeanour and dress of ordinary weekdays. Magda showed the guest his place and seated herself on his right. They were hardly seated, and were still clearing their throats, when she began to speak, her eyes shining with feverish animation: "Now you gentle men have finished with your stupid business." Diederich explained that they had come to a very satisfactory agreement. Büschli & Co. were thoroughly fair people.

"With such an immense business as ours," declared the manager. "Twelve hundred workmen and clerks, a whole town, with a hotel of our own for customers." He invited Diederich. "You must come along, you will live in the best style and free of charge." As Magda, beside him, was hanging on his lips, he began to brag about his position, his power and privileges, the villa of which he shared one-half. "If I marry I get the other half."

Diederich laughed impressively. "Then the simplest thing would be for you to get married. Well, good health! " Magda dropped her eyes and Herr Kienast turned to other topics. Did Diederich know why he had met his wishes so easily? "The fact is, Dr. Hessling, as soon as I saw you I knew that there would be big things to be done with you later on—even though the circumstances here at present are rather narrow," he added condescendingly. Diederich would have liked to assure him of his grandiose ideas and of the possibilities of developing his business, but Kienast would not allow his train of thought to be interrupted. His specialty was sizing up men, he said. It was specially important to see in his home a man with whom one has to do business. "If everything there is so well ordered as here—"

At this point the fragrant goose was brought on, towards which Frau Hessling had several times glanced out surreptitiously. At once she assumed an air as if the goose were a very common occurrence. Herr Kienast, however, stopped a moment in silent admiration. Frau Hessling wondered if he was really gazing at the goose or, under cover of its delicious steam, at Magda's open-work blouse. Then he recalled himself and raised his glass. "And now to the Hessling family, to the respected mother and head of the household and her charming daughters." Magda's bosom swelled to make the charm more noticeable, and Emma looked all the more suppressed. It was Magda's glass which Mr. Kienast touched first.

Diederich answered the toast. "We are a German family. The guest we take into our home we also take to our hearts." He had tears in his eyes, while Magda blushed once more. "And even if our house is modest, our hearts are true." He wished the visitor long life, and the latter, in his turn, declared that he had always been in favour of modesty, "specially in families where there are young girls."

Frau Hessling intervened. "Isn't that so? How otherwise would a young man have the courage to—? My daughters make all their own clothes." Herr Kienast took this as his cue to bend over Magda's blouse on the pretext of making a detailed examination.

At dessert she peeled an orange for him and in his honour took a taste of Tokay. When they went into the sitting-room Diederich stopped in the doorway with his arms around his two sisters. "Yes, indeed, Herr Kienast," he said in a deep voice, "this is family happiness, Herr Kienast, look at it!" Magda nestled against his shoulder, all submission, but Emma tried to break away from him and received a blow from the rear. "We are always like this," continued Diederich. "All day long I work for my family, and the evening sees us united here beneath the shade of the lamp. The outside world and the cliques of our so-called Society we avoid as much as possible. We have enough in ourselves."

At this point Emma succeeded in breaking loose, and she was heard slamming a door outside. The picture of Diederich and Magda was all the more tender, as they sat down beside the softly lighted table. Herr Kienast thoughtfully contemplated the arrival of the punch in a large bowl, which Frau Hessling, smiling softly, carried in. While Magda was filling the guest's glass Diederich explained how, thanks to this devotion to quiet domesticity, he was in a position to do well by his sisters when they married. "The expansion of business is to the advantage of the girls, for they are part owners of the factory, quite apart from their mere dowries. And if one of my future brothers-in-law cares to put his capital into the concern, then…"

Sie wissen den Teufel, was Freiheit heisst.

Im tiefen Keller sitz' ich hier.

In the middle of the verse a chair fell and a loud noise followed, whose cause was not difficult to guess. In an instant Diederich had sprung into the sitting-room. "Hello," he said, with immense joviality, "you seem to have serious intentions." The couple separated, and Herr Kienast answered: "I do not say that I haven't." Whereupon Diederich was deeply moved, and, his eyes gazing earnestly into those of Kienast, he shook the latter's hand, while with his disengaged hand he drew Magda towards them. "This is a surprise! Herr Kienast, make my dear little sister happy. You will always find in me the best of all brothers, as I have been up to this, I may say."

The next morning he called for him at his hotel to come and have an early glass of beer. "Please restrain your longing for the little girl until midday. Now we must have a few words as one man to another." In Klappsch's Bierstube he explained the situation in detail: Twenty-five thousand marks in cash on the day of the wedding—the documents could be inspected at any time—and one-fourth of the business in common with Emma. "So it's only one-eighth," Kienast observed. To which Diederich retorted: "Am I to slave for you people for nothing?" And an uneasy silence ensued.

Diederich restored the proper mood. "Your health, Friederich!" "Here's to you, Diederich!" replied Kienast. Then something seemed to occur to Diederich. "Of course you have an easy means of increasing your share in the business by putting your money into it. How about your savings? With a huge salary like yours!" Kienast declared that he did not object to the idea on principle, but his contract with Büschli & Co. was still valid. He also expected a considerable increase of salary in the course of the year, and it would be a crime against himself to give notice now. "But if I do produce the money I must have an active hand in the business myself. Although I have every confidence in you, my dear Diederich…"

Diederich admitted his point, and Kienast in his turn made a suggestion. "If you were simply to fix the dowry at fifty thousand, then Magda would renounce her share in the business." To this Diederich returned an unconditional refusal. "That would be contrary to the last wishes of my late lamented father, and they are sacred to me. And I work on such a large scale that in a few years Magda's share may be ten times as much as you now demand. I will never consent to injure my poor sister." At this the brother-in-law grinned a little. Diederich's devotion to the family did him credit, but large ideas alone were not enough. With noticeable heat Diederich retorted that, thank Heaven, he was answerable to nobody but God for the conduct of his business. "Twenty-five thousand cash and one-eighth of the net profits—that is all." Kienast drummed on the table. "I am not sure that I can accept your sister on those terms," he declared. "I will reserve my final decision for the moment." Diederich shrugged his shoulders and they finished their beer. Kienast returned with him to lunch. Diederich had begun to fear that he would refuse. Fortunately, Magda was even more seductively attired than the day before—"as if she knew that the whole game was at stake," thought Diederich as he admired her. By the time the sweets came on she had so inflamed Kienast's ardour that he was demanding the wedding in four weeks. "Is this your final decision?" asked Diederich teasingly. Kienast's reply was to take the ring out of his pocket.

After lunch Frau Hessling went on tiptoe out of the room where the engaged couple were sitting, and Diederich also decided to retire. But they fetched him to join them in a walk. "Where would you like to go, and where are mother and Emma?" Emma had refused to come and therefore Frau Hessling stayed at home. "Otherwise, it would look queer, you know," said Magda, and Diederich agreed with her. He even brushed away a little dust which had clung to her fur coat when she came into the factory. He treated Magda with respect, because she had achieved success.

They went off in the direction of the Rathaus, It was no harm, you know, to let people see you. The first person, it is true, whom they met right in Meisestrasse was only Napoleon Fischer. He bared his teeth at the fiance and gave Diederich a nod with a look which said that he knew a thing or two. Diederich blushed deeply, and he would have stopped the man, and had a row with him in the public street. But did he dare to? "It was a bad mistake to have indulged in confidences with that shifty proletarian. Everything would have gone all right without him. Now he creeps about the place to remind me that he has me in his power. He will try to blackmail me yet." But, thank God, everything which had passed between himself and the machinist had been en tête-à-tête . Whatever Napoleon Fischer might say about him was a libel. Diederich would simply have him locked up. All the same, he hated him because he shared his secret, and made him perspire with fear when the thermometer showed twenty degrees of cold. He looked back. Why did a tile not fall on Napoleon's Fischer's head?

In Gerichtstrasse Magda realised that the whole thing was worth while, for Meta Harnisch and Inge Tietz were looking out from behind the shutters at Landgerichtsrat Harnisch's, and Magda knew for certain that their faces had betrayed great disturbance when they got a glimpse of Kienast. In Kaiser Wilhelmstrasse, unfortunately, there were very few people about that day; the only thing was the fact that Major Kunze and Dr. Heuteufel, who were going into the Harmony Club, stared from a distance with great curiosity. But at the corner of Schweinichenstrasse something occurred, which Diederich had not anticipated; right in front of them walked Frau Daimchen and Guste. At once Magda hastened her steps and talked with greater animation. Sure enough, Guste looked around and Magda had a chance to say: "My dear Frau Daimchen, allow me to introduce my fiance, Herr Kienast." The prospective bridegroom was looked over and seemed to come up to expectations, for Guste, who remained a few steps behind with Diederich, asked with a certain respect: "Where did you discover him?" Diederich joked. "You know, every woman cannot find hers as near at hand as you did, but he is all the more sound." "Are you beginning that again?" cried Guste, but without resentment. She even gave Diederich a tender glance and said with a gentle sigh: "Mine is still off, goodness knows where. It makes one feel like a widow." She looked thoughtfully at Magda, who was hanging on Kienast's arm. Diederich gave food for reflection: "Out of sight, out of mind. There are as good fish in the sea as ever came out of it." As he said this he pushed Guste close to the wall and gazed pleadingly into her face. And for a whole minute there was really a responsive smile on her dear, chubby face.

By this time, unfortunately, they had reached 77 Schweinichenstrasse, and had to say good-bye. As there was nothing to be seen beyond the Saxon Gate, they turned homewards again with Herr Kienast. Magda, who had taken her fiance's arm, said to Diederich encouragingly: "Well, what do you think?" At which he turned red and began to breathe hard. "What is there to think about?" he managed to say, and Magda laughed.

In the empty street it was rapidly growing dusk when they saw some one coming towards them. "Isn't that …?" said Diederich uncertainly. The figure approached, stout, evidently still young, with a large, soft hat, fashionably dressed, and walking with the feet turned inwards. "'Pon my word, Wolfgang Buck!" He reflected disappointedly: "And Guste tried to make out that he is at the other end of the world. I must cure her of lying."

"Is that you?"—Young Buck shook Diederich's hand—"Delighted to see you."—"So am I," replied Diederich, in spite of his disappointment with Guste, and he introduced his future brother-in-law to his school-friend. Buck congratulated the happy pair and then walked behind them with Diederich. "I am sure you were on your way to your fiancée's," Diederich remarked, "she is at home, for we have just accompanied her there."—"Is that so?" said Buck, shrugging his shoulders. "Well, there is always plenty of time to see her," he added indifferently. "For the present I am delighted to meet you again. Our talk in Berlin, the only one, I think was so … stimulating."

Diederich now confessed to a similar recollection, though at the time it had merely annoyed him. This meeting had quite cheered him up. "Indeed, I still owe you a return visit, but you know how in Berlin so many things turn up to prevent one. Here, at all events, one has leisure. Dull, though, isn't it? And to think that we must waste our lives here"—and Diederich pointed up to the row of bleak houses. Wolfgang Buck sniffed the air with his gently retrousse nose, he seemed to taste it on his full lips and he assumed a thought ful expression. "A lifetime in Netzig," he began slowly, "well, it all depends. People like us are not in a position to live only for excitement. In every case, there is some here." He smiled suspiciously. "That sentry created some excitement which reached the most exalted circles."

"Oh, I see"—Diederich protruded his paunch—"you want to tease me again. I insist that I am absolutely on the side of His Majesty in that affair."

Buck swept this aside with a gesture. "Don't try that on me. I know all about him."

"I know him even better," Diederich declared. "Any one who has stood alone with him, face to face, as I did in the Tiergarten last February, after the big riot, and has seen those eyes flashing, that truly imperial glance—can have no doubts as to our future."

"In the end I may indulge in some such luxury. Why not? Just as well as he. … Even if I am less favoured by external circumstances." His voice became more animated and assured. "What matters personally to each of us is not that we should really change the world very much, but that we should create in ourselves a sense of life, as if we were doing so. That only requires talent, and he has plenty."

Diederich was looking about him uneasily. "Here we are alone, more or less,. for the company in front of us has more important matters to discuss, yet I do not think—"

"How you keep on believing that I have something against him. I really do not dislike him any more than I dislike myself. In his place I would have taken Lance-Corporal Lück and our Netzig sentry just as seriously. Would that represent a Force if it were not threatened? Power can be realised only when there is a revolt. What would become of him if he had to admit to himself that the Social Democrats do not aim at him, but, at most, at a more practical distribution of profit?"

"Oh, oh!" cried Diederich.

"You won't have to wait so long for that," cried Diederich. "And then you will see how all loyal patriots will rally faithfully and steadfastly to their Emperor!"

"No doubt." Buck was shrugging his shoulders more frequently. "That is the traditional sequence, as he himself has prescribed it. You people allow him to prescribe phrases for you, and never was opinion so well drilled as now. But deeds? My excellent contemporary, our age is not prepared for deeds. In order to exercise one's capacity for adventure it is necessary, first of all, to live, and deeds are dangerous to life."

Diederich drew himself up. "Are you trying to associate the accusation of cowardice with—?"

"I have expressed no moral judgment. I have mentioned a fact of the inner history of these times which concerns us all. For the rest, we are not responsible. All action is settled for the mummer on the stage, for it is he who has carried out his part. What more can reality demand of him? I suppose you do not know whom history will designate as the representative type of this era?"

"The Emperor," said Diederich.

"No," Buck replied. "The actor."

At this Diederich burst into such a roar of laughter that the engaged couple in front started away from each other and turned around. But they had reached the Theaterplatz, an icy wind was blowing across it, and they went on.

"Why, of course," Diederich ejaculated, "I might have guessed how you came by such notions. You are connected with the theatre." He slapped Buck on the shoulder. "Have you finally gone on the stage yourself?"

Buck's eyes were troubled. He shook off the hand that slapped him with a movement which Diederich found unfriendly. "I? Not at all," said Buck, and after they had reached Gerichtstrasse in uneasy silence: "So you don't know why I am in Netzig?"

"That is not the real reason. It is chiefly because I have undertaken the defence of my brother-in-law, Lauer."

"You are …? In the Lauer case …?" It took Diederich's breath away and he came to a standstill.

"Well, why not?" said Buck, shrugging his shoulders. "Does that surprise you? I have recently been admitted to practice at the Netzig County Court. Did my father not tell you about it?"

"I rarely see your father. … I don't go out much. Business cares. … My sister's engagement. …" Diederich began to stammer incoherently. "Then you must often. Perhaps you are settled here altogether?"

"Only temporarily—I fancy."

Diederich pulled himself together. "I must say, I have often failed to understand you properly, but never so little as now when we have been walking half way through Netzig together." Buck blinked at him. "Because in the trial to-morrow I am counsel for the accused and you are the chief witness for the prosecution? That is just chance. The situation might just as well have been reversed."

"I beg your pardon!" cried Diederich, indignantly. "Every man in his right place. If you have no respect for your profession—"

"Respect? What do you mean? I am delighted to act for the defence. I do not deny it. I shall let myself go and give the people something for their money. I shall have unpleasant things to say to you, Dr. Hessling. I trust you will take everything in good part. It is part of my profession."

Diederich grew frightened. "Pardon me, do you know my sworn statement? It is by no means unfavourable to Lauer."

"Leave all that to me." There was a threatening touch of irony in Buck's attitude.

By this time they had reached Meisestrasse. "The trial!" thought Diederich breathlessly. He had completely forgotten it in the excitement of the last few days. Now he felt as if he were going to have both legs amputated within the next twenty-four hours. So Guste, the treacherous creature, had purposely said nothing to him about her fiance. He was to get the shock at the last moment! … Diederich took leave of Buck before they got to the house. Provided Kienast did not notice anything! Buck proposed that they should adjourn somewhere. "Apparently your future wife does not draw you irresistibly," said Diederich. "At this moment I'd much sooner have a cognac." Diederich laughed mockingly. "You always seem to be anxious for that." So that Kienast should not learn anything, he turned back again with Buck. "You see," he began abruptly, "my fiancee is another of the questions which I put to Fate." And as Diederich asked, "How do you mean?" he continued: "If I really become a lawyer in Netzig, then Guste Daimchen will be in her right place in my home. But is that certain? In view of other … circumstances which may come into my life, I have some one else in Berlin…"

"I heard something about an actress." Diederich blushed for Buck, who so cynically admitted this. "That is to say," he stammered, "I may have been mistaken."

"So you know," Buck concluded. "Now the situation is this. For the present I am tied up there and cannot look after Guste as I should. Would you not like to take charge of the poor girl a bit?" he asked with cool innocence.

"I am to—"

"Keep the pot stirred, so to speak, in which I have left things simmering … while I am busy elsewhere. We hit it off very well together.…"

"Thanks," said Diederich coldly. "Not quite so well as all that. Give somebody else the job. I take a more serious view of life." He turned and left him.

Besides Buck's immorality, his undignified familiarity was outrageous, after they had just proved themselves opponents once more both in theory and practice. An insufferable person, from whom nothing could be learned! "What has he up his sleeve for me to-morrow?"

At home he relieved his feelings. "A fellow as spineless as a jellyfish, and intellectually benighted! God preserve our home from an all-consuming lack of principle, the sure sign of decadence in any family!" He made sure that Kienast had to leave that night. "Magda will have nothing alarming to write to you," he said, à propos of nothing, and laughed. "So far as I am concerned, there may be fire and slaughter in the town, I stick to my office and my family."

Kienast had hardly left when he confronted Frau Hessling. "Well, where is the summons for me to appear in court to-morrow?" She had to admit that she had intercepted the ominous letter. "I would not let it spoil your share in the family happiness, my dear son." But Diederich would hear of no excuses. "Dear son, be damned! I suppose it is for love of me that the food gets worse and worse, except when we have strangers, and the housekeeping money goes on your fiddle-faddle. Do you think you can fool me that Magda made that lace blouse herself? Tell that to the marines!" Magda raised a protest against the insult to her fiancé, but it was no good. "Shut up, you! Your fur coat is half stolen. You women are in league with the servant. When I send her for wine, she brings cheap stuff, and you pocket the difference.…"

The three women were horrified, and Diederich shouted all the louder. Emma declared he was mad just because he was going to make a fool of himself the next day before the whole town. All Diederich could do in reply was to hurl a plate onto the ground. Magda stood up, went out, shouting over her shoulder: "Thank the Lord, I don't need you any more!" At once Diederich ran after her. "Please, mind what you are saying. If you have got a husband at last, you have only me to thank and the sacrifices I am making. Your intended haggled over your dowry in a way that was positively shameful. Anyway, you are nothing but a makeweight!"

At this juncture he received a resounding smack in the face and before he could recover his breath Magda was in her room and had locked the door. In rueful silence Diederich rubbed his cheek. Then his indignation boiled up again, but a kind of satisfaction ensued. The crisis was over.

During the night he had quite made up his mind to appear in court rather late, and to show by his whole demeanour how little the whole thing affected him. But he could not contain himself. When he entered the particular court which had been specified an entirely different case was still being heard. Jadassohn, who presented an uncommonly sinister appearance in his black gown, was just engaged in demanding two years in the reformatory for a poor young lad who was scarcely more than a child. The judge granted only one, it is true, but the youthful criminal broke out into such screams that Diederich, himself in a state of great anxiety, felt ill out of sheer compassion. He went outside and entered a lavatory, although a notice on the door read: "For members of the Bar only." Immediately after him Jadassohn appeared. When he saw Diederich he wanted to retire, but the latter at once asked what sort of a place a reformatory was, and what a pimp like that would do there. "As if we could be bothered with those details!" was Jadassohn's only reply, as he disappeared. Diederich's qualms increased still more, as if a ghastly abyss yawned between Jadassohn, representing the authorities, and himself, and he had ventured too near the edge. It had happened with the most pious intentions in an excess of zeal for authority. However, now he would have to take himself in hand, lest he be seized and ground to powder. He would have to kneel and cringe in the hope of escaping. Lucky the man who lived in the obscurity of private life! Diederich vowed to pursue in the future only his own inconsiderable but well-understood advantage.

People were now standing outside the corridor: some of the common herd and some of the élite . The five Buck girls, dressed up as if the trial of their brother-in-law, Lauer, was the greatest honour for the family, were chattering in a group with Käthchen Zillich, her mother and the wife of Mayor Scheffelweis. The Mayor, however, could not get rid of his mother-in-law, and from the glances which she darted at Herr Buck's brother and his friends, Cohn and Heuteufel, it was evident that she had set him against the Bucks' cause. Major Kunze, in uniform, was standing by with a gloomy air, and declined to talk. Just then Pastor Zillich and Professor Kühnchen appeared, but when they saw the big group they remained in the shelter of a pillar. The grey figure of Rothgroschen, the editor, moved unnoticed from one group to another. Diederich looked in vain for some one to whom he could attach himself. Now he regretted that he had forbidden his own people to come. He stood in the shadow, behind a turn in the corridor, and cautiously looked out! Suddenly he drew back. Guste Daimchen and her mother! She was immediately surrounded by Buck's daughters, as a valuable reinforcement to their party. At the same moment a door opened in the background, and Wolfgang Buck emerged, in cap and gown, and wearing patent-leather shoes which he turned noticeably inwards. He smiled festively, as if at a reception, shook hands with every one and kissed his fiancee. Everything would go beautifully, he assured them. The Public Prosecutor was well disposed and so was he. Then he went up to the witnesses whom he had called and whispered to them. At that instant everybody stopped talking, for at the head of the stairs the accused, Herr Lauer, appeared and with him his wife. The Mayoress fell upon her neck. How brave she was! "Not at all," she answered in a deep musical voice, "we have nothing to reproach ourselves with, have we, Karl?" Lauer said: "Certainly not, Judith." Just then Judge Fritzscfie passed, and there was silence. When he and old Back's daughters exchanged bows, people winked at each other, and the Mayor's mother-in-law muttered something half aloud, which could be more easily read in her eyes.

Diederich had been discovered in his sheltered post by Wolfgang Buck, who dragged him forward and led him up to his sister. "My dear Judith, I wonder if you know our honourable enemy, Dr. Hessling? To-day he will destroy us." But Frau Lauer neither laughed nor returned Diederich's bow. She simply stared at him with ruthless curiosity. It was hard to meet those sombre eyes, and still harder because she was so beautiful. Diederich felt the blood rushing to his face, his glance wandered and he stammered. "Your brother likes his joke. As a matter of fact, there must be some mistake. …" The eyebrows met in that pale face, the corners of the mouth drooped expressively, and Judith Lauer turned her back on Diederich.

A court-crier came along and Wolfgang Buck went into the courtroom beside his brother-in-law, Lauer. As the door did not open easily, the whole crowd pushed through in haste, and the better class people got the best of the nobodies. The petticoats of the five sisters Buck rustled mightily in the struggle. Diederich was the last to get in, and had to sit down on the bench provided for witnesses beside Major Kunze, who at once moved away a bit. The president of the court, Herr Sprezius, who looked like a worm-eaten vulture, from his lofty eminence declared the session open, called upon the witnesses to stand up and warned them of the sacredness of their oath—whereat Diederich at once assumed the expression he used to wear in Sunday-school. Judge Harnisch was putting papers in order and looked in the audience for his daughter. More attention was paid to old Judge Kiihlemann, who had left his sick room to take his place on the bench to the left of the president. People thought he did not look well. The Mayor's mother-in-law professed to know that he intended to resign his seat in the Reichstag—and where would all his money go if he died? To the other witnesses Pastor Zillich expressed the hope that he would leave his millions for the erection of a church, but Professor Kühnchen doubted this in a penetrating whisper. "He'll not separate himself from the money even when he's dead. He has always believed in getting what was his, and if possible what belonged to others, as well. …" Then the judge ordered the witnesses to leave the courtroom.

As there was no room for them to wait in, they found themselves again in the corridor. Messrs. Heuteufel, Cohn and Buck, junior, annexed a window-sill. Beneath the ferocious gaze of the Major, Diederich reflected painfully: "Now the defendant is being heard. If I only knew what he is saying! I would like him to be free just as much as his friends." He tried in vain to convince Pastor Zillich of his softened mood, that he had always said the whole affair was trumped up. Zillich turned away in his embarrassment, and Kühnchen went off, whistling through his teeth: "Just you wait, my boy-o, we'll cook your goose." The silent oppression of general dislike weighed upon Diederich. At length, the usher appeared. "Dr. Hessling!"

Diederich pulled himself together so as to pass through the audience in a manner worthy of a gentleman. He stared fixedly in front of him, but he felt just then that Frau Lauer was looking at him. He breathed hard and swerved a little to one side. To the left, beside the junior counsel who was admiring his nails, stood Jadassohn, standing erect and menacing. The light from the window behind him shone through his prominent ears, which glowed bloodily, and his expression postulated such selfless submission on Diederich's part that the latter began to look around for a way of escape. On the right of the accused and below him he saw Wolfgang Buck sitting carelessly, his fists resting on his plump thighs, from which his gown had fallen. He looked as smart and as cheerful as if he represented the spirit of Light. Justice Sprezius administered the oath to Diederich, saying only two words at a time, with great condescension. Diederich swore dutifully; then he had to describe the sequence of events that evening in the Ratskeller. He began: "We were a lively party. There at the table sat also Messrs.…"

As he had already come to a full stop, there was laughter in court. Sprezius jumped up, snapped his vulture's beak and threatened to have the room cleared. "Is that all you remember?" he asked testily. Diederich begged him to take into consideration that, in consequence of business and other cares, the facts had meanwhile become a little obscured in his memory. "Then, to refresh your memory, I will read out your sworn statement before the examining magistrate"—and the judge had the affidavit handed up to him. From this document Diederich learned to his disagreeable surprise that he had made the definite charge, in the presence of the examining judge, Justice Fritzsche, of the County Court, that the accused was guilty of uttering a serious libel upon His Majesty the Emperor. What had he to say to this? "That may be," he stammered, "but there were a number of gentlemen there. Whether it was exactly the accused who said it. …" Sprezius leaned forward over his desk. "Think back. Remember you are on your oath. Other witnesses will testify that you went up quite alone to the accused and had with him the conversation in question." "Was it I?" asked Diederich, blushing crimson, and the whole court rocked with laughter. Even Jadassohn's face was distorted by a grin of contempt. Sprezius had opened his mouth to let himself go, but Wolfgang Buck stood up. His soft features, by a visible effort, assumed an energetic look, and he asked Diederich: "I suppose you were distinctly under the influence of liquor that evening?" Immediately the presiding judge and the Public Prosecutor fell upon him. "I appeal that the question be disallowed?" cried Jadassohn shrilly. "Counsel for the defence will submit the question to me," croaked Sprezius. "Whether I put it to the witness or not is for me to decide." But Diederich observed with astonishment that both had found a determined adversary. Wolfgang remained on his feet. In the ringing tones of an orator he demurred to the stand taken by the presiding judge, which was prejudicial to the rights of the defence. He moved that the court make a ruling as to whether the right of cross-examining witnesses directly was not conferred upon him by the rules of criminal procedure. Sprezius snapped his beak in vain. He had no alternative but to withdraw into the consulting room with the four judges. Buck looked around in triumph. His cousins moved their hands as if applauding. But in the meantime his father had also come in, and people noticed how old Buck made a sign of disapproval to his son. The accused, for his part, shook his counsel's hand, his apoplectic face expressing angry excitement. Diederich, who was exposed to the gaze of all, struck an attitude and surveyed the scene. But, alas, Guste Daimchen avoided his glance! Old Buck was the only one who gave a friendly nod. He was pleased with Diederich's evidence. He even forced his way out of the crowded auditorium in order to proffer his soft, white hand to Diederich. "Many thanks, dear friend," he said. "You have treated the matter as it deserved." In his loneliness Diederich felt the tears coming to his eyes in the presence of such kindness from the great man. Only after Herr Buck had gone back to his seat again did it dawn on Diederich that here he was promoting the other's interests. And the son, Wolfgang, too was by no means the weakling Diederich had imagined. Probably he had indulged in those political debates just in order to use them against him here. Loyalty, true German loyalty, did not exist any more. Nobody could be trusted. "How long am I to stand here and be gaped at from all sides?"

Fortunately the judges were returning. Old Kühlemann exchanged a glance of regret with old Buck, and Sprezius, with remarkable self-control, read out the decision. Whether counsel for the defence had the right of cross-examining witnesses remained undecided, for the question itself: was the witness intoxicated on that occasion? was ruled out as irrelevant. Then the judge asked whether the prosecution had any question to put to the witness. "Not just now," said Jadassohn indifferently, "but I demand that the witness shall not be dismissed for the present," and Diederich was allowed to sit down. "I further demand that Dr. Fritzsche, the examining judge, be called upon immediately to give evidence as to the nature of the witness, Hessling's earlier allegations against the defendant." Diederich cowered. The public all turned towards Judith Lauer. Even the junior members of the bar present looked in her direction. … Jadassohn's request was granted.

Then Pastor Zillich was called, took the oath, and proceeded to give his account of the fateful evening. He declared that it had been a time of crowded impressions, and his conscience as a Christian had been sorely troubled, for just that afternoon blood had been spilled in the streets of Netzig, even though it was for patriotic reasons. "That has nothing to do with the case," said Sprezius decisively—and at that very moment Governor von Wulckow entered the courtroom, dressed in hunting clothes, with great, muddy boots. Every one turned around, the presiding judge bowed from the bench, and Pastor Zillich trembled. The judge and the Public Prosecutor harassed him alternately. Jadassohn even said in tones of dreadful insinuation: "Reverend Sir I need hardly remind you, as a minister of God's word, of the sanctity of the oath you have taken." Then Zillich collapsed and admitted that he had certainly heard the expression alleged to have been employed by the defendant. The latter jumped up and struck his fist on the seat. "I never mentioned the name of the Emperor at all! I took care not to!" His counsel made a sign to him to be quiet and said: "We shall produce evidence to prove that only the provocative intention of the witness, Dr. Hessling, caused the accused to make the statements which have here been misrepresented." For the present he would ask the president to put the question to the witness as to whether he had not preached a sermon which was specifically directed against the persecution instigated by the witness Hessling. Pastor Zillich stammered that he had only counselled peace in general and done his duty as a servant of the church. Then Buck asked another question. "Has the witness Zillich not a particular interest in maintaining good relations with the chief witness for the prosecution, Dr. Hessling, for the reason that his daughter—" Jadassohn at once intervened: he protested against that question. Sprezius ruled it out and in the audience there was a disapproving murmur of women's voices. The Governor leant over the seat to old Buck and said in an audible voice:

"That's a nice way your son is putting his foot in it!"

Meanwhile Kühnchen was called into the witness-box. The little old man rushed into the room, his glasses gleaming, and he was hardly across the threshold when he began to shout out his name, address and profession. He rattled off the form of the oath before it was read to him, but after that he could not be induced to say anything, except that the tide of national enthusiasm was running high on that evening. First, the sentry's glorious deed! Then His Majesty's magnificent letter with its confession of positive Christianity! "What of the row with the defendant? Well, gentlemen, I know nothin' about it. I just happened to doze off at that moment."—"But, afterwards the matter was discussed," the judge insisted. "Not by me," cried Kühnchen. "All the same, I spoke about our glorious deeds in 1870. The frank tiroors! says I. There was a crowd, for you! My stiff finger is where a frank tiroor bit me, just because I wanted to give him a little jab in the throat with my sword. A low trick for the fellow to play!" Kühnchen tried to submit his finger to the bench inspection. "That will do!" croaked Sprezius and he threatened again to have the court cleared.

Major Kunze stepped up stiffly, as if he were walking on stilts, and he repeated the oath in a tone as if it were the deadliest insult directed against Sprezius. Then he declared briefly that he had nothing to do with the whole spree; that he had arrived at the Ratskeller afterwards. "All I can say is that Dr. Hessling's conduct savours to me of the informer."

But for some time the atmosphere of the room had savoured of something else. Nobody knew where the smell came from, and the members of the public suspected one another. With their handkerchiefs to their mouths they moved discreetly a little bit away from each other. The presiding judge sniffed the air, and old Kühlemann, whose chin had long since sunk on his breast, stirred uneasily in his sleep.

When Sprezius argued that the gentlemen who had reported the circumstances to him at the time were all loyal patriots, the major simply replied that he did not care, that Dr. Hessling was a person quite unknown to him. Then, however, Jadassohn intervened. His ears twitched and in a voice which cut like a knife he said: "Witness, I ask you if the defendant is not much better known to you. Will you deny that you borrowed a hundred marks from him a week ago?" The whole courtroom became still with horror, and every one stared at the major in uniform, who stood there fumbling for an answer. Jadassohn's boldness was making an impression. He lost no time in pressing his advantage and succeeded in dragging out of Kunze that the indignation of the loyal citizens at Lauer's statements was genuine, and that he himself shared it. With out a doubt, the defendant had meant His Majesty— Here Wolfgang Buck could not resist an opportunity. "Since the president holds it unnecessary to censure the Public Prosecutor when he insults his own witnesses, my client and I can hardly complain, I suppose." Sprezius snapped at him at once. "Counsel for the defence will permit me to censure or not, as I think fit." Unruffled, Buck retorted: "That is just the point I wish to establish. So far as the charge itself is concerned, we assert, and we have witnesses to prove, that there was no reference to the Emperor."—"I took care not to!" interjected the defendant. Buck continued. "Should the imputation, however, be proven, then I will move that the publisher of the Almanach de Gotha be called as an expert witness to testify as to what German princes are of Jewish blood." Whereupon he sat down again, pleased at the sensational murmur which swept the court. "Monstrous!" said a formidable bass voice. Sprezius was on the point of breaking forth, but looked just in time to see who it was. Wulckow! It even aroused Kühlemann. The judges consulted together and the presiding judge announced that the motion of the counsel for the defence could not be admitted, as the truth of the libel was not the question before the court. The mere expression of disrespect was sufficient to establish the fact of guilt. Buckwas beaten, and his plump cheeks puckered like those of a sad child. People tittered and the Mayor's mother-in-law laughed outright. In his seat among the witnesses Diederich was grateful to her. Listening anxiously he felt that public opinion was veering round quietly to the side of those who were more clever and powerful. He exchanged glances with Jadassohn.

It was the turn of the editor, Rothgroschen. He suddenly appeared, a grey, inconspicuous figure, and began to function like a machine, like a commissioner for oaths. Every one who knew him was surprised. He had never seemed so sure of himself. He knew everything, made the gravest allegations against the accused, and spoke fluently, as if he were reciting a leading article. The only difference was that the judge gave him his cue at the end of every paragraph, with a word of encouragement, as if to a model pupil. Buck, who had recovered, raised the point against him that the "Netzig Journal" had championed Lauer. "Ours is a liberal and impartial paper," declared the editor. "We reflect public opinion. Since here and now opinion is unfavourable to the defendant—" He must have informed himself as to this outside in the corridor! Buck began in ironical tones: "I beg to draw attention to the curious conception of his oath which this witness betrays." But Rothgroschen could not be browbeaten. "I am a journalist," he explained. "I appeal to the presiding judge to protect me from the insults of counsel on the opposite side." Sprezius did not hesitate and he allowed the editor to retire with flying colours.

It struck twelve, and Jadassohn drew the president's attention to the fact that Dr. Fritzsche, the examining judge, was at the disposal of the court. He was called, and scarcely had he appeared at the door when all eyes glanced back and forth from him to Judith Lauer. She had become even paler and the sombre glance, which accompanied him to his place on the bench, became intensified. It had an insistent, silent appeal, but Fritzsche avoided it. He also looked unwell, but he walked with an air of determination. Diederich decided that of his two habitual expressions he had chosen the most matter-of-fact for this occasion.

What impressions of the witness Hessling had he received during the preliminary inquiry? The witness had made his statement absolutely freely and independently, in the form of a narrative still coloured by his recent experiences. The reliability of the witness, which Fritzsche had an opportunity of testing by means of his further inquiries, was beyond all question. That the witness to-day should no longer have distinct recollections could be explained by the excitement of the moment. … And the accused? At this question a pin might have been heard falling in court. Fritzsche swallowed a lump in his throat. The defendant also had made a rather favourable impression upon him, in spite of the many damaging circumstances. "In a conflict of evidence would you hold that the defendant was capable of the crime with which he is charged?" asked Sprezius.

Fritzsche replied: "The defendant is an educated gentleman. He would have taken care not to use specifically insulting words." "That is what the defendant says himself," remarked the judge severely. Fritzsche began to talk more rapidly. By reason of his civil activities the accused was accustomed to associate authority with liberal leanings. He obviously regarded himself as more enlightened and more entitled to criticise than most other people. It was, therefore, conceivable that, in a state of exasperation—and he felt exasperated by the shooting of the workman by the sentry—he may have given such expression to his political opinions as would suggest an offensive intention, although outwardly free from reproach.

The presiding judge and the Public Prosecutor gave a visible sigh of relief. Justices Harnisch and Kühlemann glanced at the public, amongst which there was a lively sensation. The junior counsel sitting to the left again examined his nails, his colleague on the right hand, however, a thoughtful looking young man, observed the accused, who was just in front of him. The hands of the defendant clutched the rail of the seat, and his prominent brown eyes were turned towards his wife. She was looking steadily at Fritzsche, with parted lips, as if in a dream, and her expression was one of suffering, weakness and shame. The Mayor's mother-in-law said distinctly: "And she has two children at home!" Suddenly Lauer seemed to notice the whispering all round him, all these glances which turned away when they met his own. He crumpled up, and his face became so pale that the young barrister moved anxiously in his chair.

Diederich who was feeling better and better, was probably the only person who still followed the dialogue between the presiding and examining judges. Poor Fritzsche! At first the affair could not have been more painful to any one than to Diederich, for good reasons. Had he not exercised an influence over Diederich as witness which was almost a violation of professional etiquette? And yet in affidavit form, Diederich's testimony was very damaging, and Fritzsche's own evidence even more so. He had not been any less ruthless than Jadassohn. His close and peculiar relations with the Lauer household had not made him falter in the task before him, the defence of authority—what a lesson for Diederich! Even Wolfgang Buck admitted it after his own fashion. He looked up at Fritzsche with an expression of nausea on his face.

As the examining judge made his way towards the exit by shoving vigorously, the whispering grew louder. The Mayor's mother-in-law pointed her lorgnon at Frau Lauer and said: "A nice crowd!" Nobody contradicted her, for people had be gun to abandon the Lauers to their fate. Guste Daimchen bit her lip and Käthchen Zillich gave Diederich a quick look from under her eyelashes. Dr. Scheffelweis bent over to the head of the Buck family, pressed his hand and said sweetly: "I hope, my dear friend and supporter, that all may yet be well."

The judge gave an order to the usher. "Bring in the witness Cohn!" The witnesses for the defence were to have their turn. The judge sniffed: "There is a most unpleasant smell here," he remarked. "Krecke, open that window behind there!" He gazed searchingly at the poorer public, which was sitting closely packed. On the other hand, there was plenty of room in the lower seats, and most of all in the vicinity of Governor von Wulckow, whose hunting jacket reeked of stale perspiration. … The icy draught through the open window caused complaints amongst the out of town journalists, who were sitting stowed away in the rear. But Sprezius merely snapped his beak at them, and they huddled up in their overcoat collars.

Jadassohn looked at the witness with an air of conscious victory. Sprezius allowed him to speak for a while, then Jadassohn cleared his throat and he held up a deed in his hand. "You have been the tenant since 1889 of the shop bearing your name?" Then, without warning: "Do you admit that just at that time one of the people who supplied you with goods, a certain Lehmann, committed suicide by shooting himself in your neighbourhood?" With fiendish satisfaction he looked at Cohn, for the effect of his words was extraordinary. Cohn began to fidget and to gasp for air. "The old libel!" he screamed. "He didn't do it on my account! He was unhappily married! People broke me once before with that story and now they are beginning again! Counsel for the defence also protested. Sprezius snapped at Cohn. The Public Prosecutor was not an ordinary individual, and the witness would be fined fifty marks for contempt of court because of the expression "libel." That settled Cohn. Herr Buck's brother was called. He was asked point blank by Jadassohn: "Your business is notoriously failing; what is your means of livelihood?" At this there was such a murmur of protest that Sprezius quickly intervened. "Does counsel for the prosecution really think this question pertinent?" But Jadassohn was worthy of the occasion. "The prosecution is interested in establishing the fact that the witness is financially dependent upon his relations, and particularly upon his brother-in-law, the accused. The reliability of his evidence can be measured by that." Tall and elegant, Herr Buck stood there with bowed head. "That is all," said Jadassohn and Sprezius dismissed this witness. Under the glances of the crowd his five daughters huddled together on their seat like a herd of lambs in a storm. The poorer section of the audience laughed in a hostile way. Sprezius amiably called for silence and ordered Heuteufel to come into the witness-box.

When Heuteufel raised his hand to swear Jadassohn thrust forward his own with a dramatic effort.

"First I must ask the witness one question. Does he admit that he approved of the expressions which constitute the crime of lèse-majesté , and even improved upon them?" Heuteufel replied: "I admit nothing." Whereupon, Jadassohn confronted him with his statement at the preliminary hearing, and said in a loud voice: "I appeal for a ruling that this witness be not allowed to take the oath, because he is suspected of complicity in the crime." Still more sharply: "The opinions of the witness cannot be ignored by tHis court. He is one of those people whom His Majesty the Emperor has rightly called men with out a country. Further, at regular meetings, which he calls Sunday festivals for free men, he is actively engaged in spreading the crassest atheism, which is sufficient to define his attitude towards a Christian monarch." Jadassohn's ears glowed with an ardour which was in itself a confession of faith. Wolfgang Buck stood up, smiled sceptically and said they all knew that the religious convictions of counsel for the prosecution were monastic in their severity, and that nobody could expect him to give any credence to a non-Christian. His Lordship, however, would think differently and refuse the appeal of the prosecution. Then Jadassohn rose in his wrath. For contempt of his person he demanded that counsel for the defence be fined one hundred marks. The judges withdrew for consultation. Immediately an animated exchange of opinion broke out in the courtroom. Dr. Heuteufel put his hands in his pockets and looked Jadassohn up and down with deliberate contempt. Deprived of the protection of the bench, the latter was panic-stricken and cowered against the wall. It was Diederich who came to his rescue, for he had an important communication to make to him. … Soon the judges returned. First the oath was administered to Heuteufel. For contempt of the Public Prosecutor counsel for the defence was fined eighty marks.

When the hearing was resumed counsel for the defence intervened to ask the witness what was his opinion, as an intimate friend of the defendant, of his domestic life. Heuteufel made a move, there was a rustle of excitement among the public, who understood. Would Sprezius allow the question? He had already opened his mouth to refuse, but understood just in time that a sensation should be encouraged. Thereupon Heuteufel sang the praises of the model conditions which prevailed in Lauer's household. Jadassohn absorbed the witness's words, trembling with impatience. Finally he had an opportunity of asking his question in tones of unspeakable triumph. "Will the witness state with what kind of women he has had the personal intercourse from which he derives his knowledge of family life. Does he not frequent a certain establishment known in the vernacular as Tittle Berlin'?" As he was speaking he made sure that the ladies in the audience and the judges also, were giving looks of disgust. The chief witness for the defence was ruined! Heuteufel tried to answer. "You probably know that better than any one else. We must have met there many a time." But that only resulted in a fine of fifty marks being imposed by Sprezius. Finally the judge decided: "The witness must remain in court. He is required for further elucidation of the facts of the case." Heuteufel declared: "As far as I am concerned, this business here is sufficiently elucidated, and I would prefer to leave." At once his fine of fifty marks was raised to one hundred.

"As for the social virtues of the defendant, all his employes will vouch for them."

Buck was gasping as he sat down. Jadassohn remarked icily: "My learned friend for the defence is asking for a plebiscite." The judges consulted in whispers, and Sprezius announced that the court could only allow counsel's motion in so far as it related to the summoning of Mayor Scheffelweis. As the latter was present he was called at once. He worked his way out of his seat. His wife and mother-in-law held him firmly on both sides and gave him hurried recommendations which must have been contradictory, for the Mayor reached the witness-box visibly perturbed. What attitude did the defendant display in the civic life of the community? Dr. Scheffelweis was able to report favourably. For example, the defendant had voted at the board meetings of the City Council for the restoration of the famous old presbytery where was preserved the hair which Dr. Martin Luther, as well known, had pulled from the Devil's tail. It was true, he had supported the building of "secular Sunday-schools," and had undoubtedly created offence in so doing. Then, he was universally esteemed in business circles; the social reforms which he had introduced into his own factory were generally admired—although it must be confessed there had also been objections to them, on the ground that they increased the demands of the workers to an unlimited degree and thus hastened perhaps the day of revolution. "Would you consider the defendant capable of the crime with which he is charged?" asked counsel for the defence. "In one sense," Scheffelweis replied, "certainly not. "But in another sense?" queried counsel for the prosecution. The witness replied: "In another sense, yes, certainly."

After this answer the Mayor was allowed to retire. His two ladies received him, each equally dissatisfied. The presiding judge was preparing to adjourn the session when Jadassohn cleared his throat. He moved that the witness, Dr. Hessling, be heard again, as he wished to amplify his testimony. Sprezius blinked his eyelids peevishly and the public, who were just scrambling out of their seats, complained aloud. But Diederich had already stepped forward confidently, and had begun to speak in a clear voice. After mature consideration he had come to the conclusion, he said, that he could strengthen the substance of his evidence at the preliminary hearing. He repeated it, but in stronger and more detailed form. He began with the shooting of the workman and retailed the critical comments of Lauer and Heuteufel. The audience, oblivious of their desire to leave, followed the clash of opinions along the blood-stained Kaiser Wilhelmstrasse as far as the Ratskeller, watched the hostile ranks lining up for the decisive battle, and saw Diederich spring forward under the gothic chandelier with drawn sword, so to speak, and challenge the accused to mortal combat.

"Then, gentlemen, I will not deny it, I challenged him! Would he say the word with which I could convict him? He did, gentlemen, and I convicted him. In so doing I only fulfilled my duty, and I would do so again to-day, even though I should suffer greater social and financial losses than I have had to bear of late. Disinterested idealism, gentlemen, is the privilege of a German, and he will follow it unswervingly, even though his courage falter at times in the face of the multitude of his enemies. When I previously hesitated in my statement, it was not, as the examining judge so charitably assumed, because my memory was confused. I am not afraid to confess that it was because of a perhaps pardonable dread of the weight of the combat which I would have to undertake. But I am undertaking it, for none less than His Majesty our noble Emperor demands it of me. … Diederich went on fluently, with a swing to his phrases which took the breath away. Jadassohn discovered that the witness was beginning to anticipate the effect of his own peroration, and looked anxiously at the presiding judge. Sprezius, however, had no intention of interrupting Diederich. His vulture-like features were unmoved, he did not bat an eyelid, as he watched Diederich's grim face in which the eyes flashed threateningly. Even old Kühlemann listened with gaping mouth. Wolfgang Buck leant forward in his chair and gazed up at Diederich, with the excited interest of an expert, his glance betraying a fearful joy. That was a mob oration! A sure hit! A winner! "Let our citizens," cried Diederich, "awake from the sleep in which they have so long been lulled, and not abandon to the State and its instruments the task of fighting the revolutionary elements, but do their own part! That is His Majesty's command, gentlemen, can I hesitate? Revolution is raising its head; a gang of people unworthy of the name of Germans dares to drag in the dust the sacred person of the King. …"