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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Lonely House, by Adolph Streckfuss
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Lonely House
+
+Author: Adolph Streckfuss
+
+Illustrator: Charlotte Weber-Ditzler
+
+Translator: A. L. Wister
+
+Release Date: January 11, 2011 [EBook #34917]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LONELY HOUSE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Charles Bowen, from page scans provided by the Web Archive
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's Note:
+  1. page scan source:
+     http://www.archive.org/details/lonelyhousefrom00wistgoog
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                            The Lonely House
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: Franz and Anna]
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                                 _The_
+                              Lonely House
+
+
+                           From the German of
+                            ADOLF STRECKFUSS
+             Author of "Too Rich," "Castle Hohenwald," etc.
+
+
+                                  _By_
+                           MRS. A. L. WISTER
+     Translator of "The Old Mam'selle's Secret," "Gold Elsie," "The
+                Second Wife," "The Happy-Go-Lucky," etc.
+
+
+
+
+                    _WITH ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOR BY_
+                        CHARLOTTE WEBER-DITZLER
+
+
+
+
+                         PHILADELPHIA & LONDON
+                        J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
+                                  1907
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                            Copyright, 1907
+                      BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
+
+
+
+
+                        Published October, 1907
+
+
+
+
+         _Electrotyped and printed by J. B. Lippincott Company_
+         _The Washington Square Press, Philadelphia, U. S. A_.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+I TAKE PLEASURE IN INSCRIBING THIS TRANSLATION--THE LAST I SHALL EVER
+COMPLETE--TO THE CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN OF THOSE WHO SO KINDLY
+WELCOMED THE FIRST, PUBLISHED A LIFE-TIME AGO.
+
+                                           ANNIS LEE WISTER
+
+
+
+
+   "Lindenshade,"
+    Walungford, Pa.
+    September, 1907
+
+
+
+
+                                Contents
+
+  CHAP.
+     I. The Professor's Persistence
+
+    II. The Professor's First Excursion
+
+   III. The Professor's Return
+
+    IV. The Investigation
+
+     V. The Investigation Continued
+
+    VI. Two Wounded Hands
+
+   VII. The Two Requests
+
+  VIII. Quiet Weeks
+
+    IX. An Exploring Party
+
+     X. An Accident?
+
+    XI. Forced Seclusion
+
+   XII. An Arrest
+
+  XIII. An Old Chest
+
+   XIV. The End of the Professor's Holiday
+
+
+
+
+                             Illustrations
+
+      Franz and Anna _Frontispiece_
+
+      "You Must Help Me!"
+
+      Then Began a Struggle, a Fight for Life and Death
+
+
+
+
+
+                                  The
+                              Lonely House
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER I.
+                      THE PROFESSOR'S PERSISTENCE.
+
+
+Ukraine! Ukraine! For years I had longed to spend some weeks in
+Southern Ukraine. The descriptions I had read of its wonderful
+mountains had greatly attracted me; I was certain of adding there
+many valuable specimens to my collection; that section of country had
+been so rarely visited by entomologists that I might even hope to
+enrich our German fauna with a new species. Some years before a
+butterfly-collector from Vienna had discovered there the caterpillar of
+the beautiful _Saturnia cćcigena_, found previously only in Dalmatia.
+Why might I not hope for something equally interesting!
+
+The scenery of Southern Ukraine is not thought to be very fine: the
+mountains are much less imposing than in other Alpine districts, but
+the Carpathian range is said to have many very interesting caves, and
+strange formations of rock, while for the naturalist its fauna and
+flora offer a rich field for investigation in its mountain fastnesses
+and deep valleys.
+
+If travel in that section of the country were only not attended with
+such risk and inconvenience! Travellers who seemed thoroughly familiar
+with its political and social condition warned me seriously not to
+attempt going thither. The only tolerable accommodation for strangers,
+they said, is to be found in the larger towns--Laibach, Adelsberg,
+etc., and on the high road followed by tourists; as soon as the
+traveller attempts to penetrate the interior he finds only wretched
+inns, no comfort of any description, and a poverty-stricken peasantry,
+speaking the dialect of the country, and understanding not one word of
+German. All expeditions into the valleys are fraught with discomfort
+and even hardships. Nevertheless, little alluring as were the accounts
+given me of the country, the prospect of adding to my collections--I am
+a naturalist--an entomologist--was so tempting that when I had a longer
+vacation than usual I determined to fulfil a long cherished desire and
+to pass a spring in Southern Ukraine.
+
+And then the question arose as to what place I should make my
+headquarters. A naturalist cannot travel hither and thither like an
+ordinary tourist; he must establish himself somewhere, and make
+excursions into the surrounding country, which he must investigate
+thoroughly or he can hope for no results from his labours; moreover,
+the paraphernalia of his profession are too bulky to be moved easily
+from place to place.
+
+Unfortunately all the guide books were too incomplete to give me the
+least assistance; I had recourse to the admirable maps of the Austrian
+Government, and in them I found a small town--Luttach--which seemed
+well fitted for my purpose. It is situated in a deep valley in the
+midst of the Carpathians, at the foot of a long spur of Mt. Nanos on
+the road from Adelsberg to Görz--a road once much travelled, but fallen
+into disrepair since the intrusion of the railroad. From Luttach the
+topmost peak of Mt. Nanos could be reached in a few hours, and in the
+valley itself there was sure to be a mingling of the southern fauna and
+flora with those of the Alps proper. I might promise myself rich
+additions to my collections. Moreover the many German names of the
+surrounding villages, and indeed the German name of the town itself,
+were very attractive for me, giving me hopes that there might be German
+elements mingling with the Slavonic civilization.
+
+Luttach it should be then. My two huge travelling trunks were duly
+packed and I was provided with every requisite for collecting. The last
+of April I left Berlin full of pleasant anticipations.
+
+In Vienna, where I stopped for a day as I passed through, I called on a
+friend; he gravely shook his head when he heard that I had chosen
+Luttach for a stay of some weeks. "I never heard before of this
+God-forsaken hole," said he; "I should not risk going there, but since
+you are determined to go, provide yourself at least with a good
+revolver, for without it you never ought to venture among the dreary
+deserts of the Carpathians, or to wander in those primeval woods and
+forests. It is dangerous for an elderly man like yourself. You know
+besides that there are still bears and wildcats in the forest on Mt.
+Nanos, not to mention those two venomous reptiles native to the rocky
+retreats of the Karst range--the cross-adder and the sand-viper. More
+to be feared than all these, moreover, is the human beast of prey whom
+you will surely meet in your wanderings there. You had really best
+relinquish your plan of visiting so inhospitable a region. But if you
+insist upon it, pray be cautious. Go well armed, and do not venture too
+far among those desert fastnesses."
+
+I cannot say that I was agreeably impressed by my friend's warning. I
+was not formed in an heroic mould and I do not willingly court danger.
+At sixty, after a life spent principally in study, there is small
+desire for perilous adventure. Although I am not deficient in personal
+bravery, as I had opportunity to prove in my student-days, and
+afterwards in political embroglios, it is not my nature to seek for
+perils. Bears and wildcats, and even venomous serpents, caused me no
+alarm--the beasts are rarely dangerous in summer, and I knew well how
+to manage the reptiles; I had frequently encountered them in my
+excursions in the Swiss Alps and even in Northern Germany. The danger
+from human beasts of prey appeared to me far more serious, but even
+this could not deter me from carrying out the plan I had contemplated
+for so long. In Vienna I purchased an excellent revolver with the
+necessary ammunition and started the next morning for Görz, where I
+wished to visit an old friend and fellow-student, who, dwelling so near
+the frontier, would, I hoped, give me a less alarming account of the
+country I wished to explore. But my hope was vain; he was even more
+emphatic than my Vienna friend had been, although he laughed at the
+story of bears, wildcats, and snakes. He shook his head and said: "I
+know nothing of Luttach and the surrounding country, except that on
+Nanos the _Saturnia cćcigena_ was formerly to be found. You will
+probably make some good additions to your collections, although I doubt
+your making as many as you hope, since in the rocky parts of the
+mountains insect life is sparse, and where the mountain sides are
+clothed with trees, they form an impenetrable primeval forest. I doubt
+also whether the richest harvest you can reap will compensate you for
+the hardships, the discomforts--yes, the dangers to which you will
+expose yourself. The greatest of these lies in the fact of your being a
+German. The unhappy strife between nationalities in Ukraine has so
+embittered the inhabitants there that all kindly feeling is extinct.
+The Slav considers hatred of the German his first duty; it is his
+greatest delight to annoy--even to maltreat--a German. Whether you can
+defend yourself with your revolver from such maltreatment is more than
+doubtful. You could not use it against any single peasant who should
+meet you in the forest, and insult you, or even against three or four,
+who might amuse themselves by annoying you in countless ways. There
+certainly is danger of encountering robbers in those wilds; your
+revolver might serve you there--to me danger from the determined
+hostility towards Germans seems far greater."
+
+This was encouraging! I almost wonder now that I was not deterred from
+my undertaking. If my respected colleague had not expressly stated that
+I should find _Saturnia cćcigena_ on Mt. Nanos, I should probably have
+followed his advice not to go to Luttach, but my passion for collecting
+outweighed every other consideration. I refused to be intimidated, and
+started upon my journey the very next day, arriving at four o 'clock in
+the afternoon at Adelsberg, whence I could reach Luttach in four hours
+by a carriage road. So desirous was I to attain this goal of my wishes
+that I resisted the temptation to visit the world-renowned Grotto at
+Adelsberg, postponing this pleasure until my return. I hired a vehicle,
+large enough to accommodate myself and my two huge travelling trunks,
+and in half an hour I was on my way to Luttach.
+
+The road was excellent, leading through an attractive mountain region
+among low hills, although loftier eminences bounded the horizon. I
+should have liked to know the names of those giant mountains, but my
+driver was a genuine Slav, who could not understand a word of German,
+and who was too stupid to comprehend signs, so all intercourse with
+him was impossible. We drove swiftly, almost as swiftly up-hill as
+down-hill, through a charmingly varied landscape, through forests, past
+meadows and cornfields, with only a glimpse of the desolate Karst range
+now and then in the distance, until we rapidly approached the bare gray
+rocks of Mt. Nanos--which, as we descended by a winding road to the
+valley of Luttach, stood out boldly against the sky.
+
+Time passed rapidly during the long drive; there was so much to see,
+and everything that I saw was distinctly in contrast with what I had
+been led to expect in Southern Ukraine. The numerous villages through
+which the road ran were entirely different from the ruinous Polish
+hamlets with which I was familiar in Upper Silesia; they consisted
+mostly of flourishing farms, with very few straw-thatched cottages. The
+peasants whom we met greeted me as we passed along with friendly
+courtesy--they could not recognize me as a hated German--and the inns
+as we drove by them, so far from presenting pictures of dirt and decay,
+were most attractive, and invitingly clean.
+
+And when in the valley we drove among meadows bright with the luxuriant
+growth of spring--past vineyards where each vine showed careful culture
+and was just putting forth its tender leaves--along a road bordered on
+the left by hillsides under full cultivation, where countless white
+cottages in the midst of blossoming orchards betokened a numerous
+population, I could hardly fancy that I was in the midst of the
+ill-reputed desolate Karst range, in a corner of the world of which
+scarce a hint was to be found in the guide books. The bald rocky mass
+of Mt. Nanos alone, clothed at its feet only with a forest of oaks, and
+the bare peaks of the high range that seemed to close in the valley in
+the distant west, showed that vegetation was not as luxuriant
+everywhere in the Karst range as I found it on the hills to the left
+and in the valley itself.
+
+"Luttava!" my driver called out, nodding to me and pointing with his
+whip towards a little town near at hand, nestling at the very foot of
+Nanos, its white houses seeming to cling to the rocks. In a few minutes
+we had reached it, and after driving along a street too narrow for more
+than one vehicle, turned into the gateway of a large building, before
+which a tall pole supported a sign whereon a golden grape vine declared
+it to be the inn recommended to me before I left Adelsberg.
+
+The carriage stopped beneath the dim gateway before a door opening
+directly into a spacious kitchen, where in the huge chimney-piece a
+bright fire was blazing. Through the door I could see several men, some
+standing, some seated upon low benches, about the fire, all of whom
+regarded the newcomer with curiosity. A plainly clad but spotlessly
+clean dame busied herself on the hearth, moved a steaming pot to one
+side, and hurried out to receive me, opening the carriage door to help
+me to alight.
+
+"Can I have a room!"
+
+"Certainly! If the gentleman will kindly go upstairs," was the reply,
+delivered in excellent German, although with a strong accent. "Mizka,
+show the gentleman up to Number Two."
+
+Mizka, a pretty slender girl, tripped lightly before me up the stairs
+leading up two flights directly from the kitchen to a wide entry, where
+she threw open the door of Number Two, and courteously held it open for
+me to precede her.
+
+The room was large, low, and square, with two small windows, looking
+out upon the street. It probably looked larger than it really was from
+the absence of much furniture along its walls. Between the two windows
+there was an old-fashioned sofa covered with gay chintz, and above its
+high back hung an oval mirror in a black varnished frame, while before
+it stood an extension table, which if pulled out to its fullest
+capacity would have accommodated twenty-four persons. A tall cedar
+clothes press, a washstand, six chintz-covered cushioned chairs, and a
+huge bed which had to be clambered into by the help of a chair,
+completed the furniture of the room. The walls, painted light green,
+were adorned with four gaily colored prints, each portraying a quarter
+of the earth in the guise of a very ugly and scantily clothed dame,
+whose distorted limbs reclined upon a fantastically shaped couch.
+
+This was Number Two, my room. It certainly did not look inviting for a
+long stay; it was too bare, but it as certainly possessed the
+unexpected attraction of perfect cleanliness. Not a speck of dust lay
+upon the few articles of furniture, the bare floor was spotless, and
+the creases in the white bed linen bore testimony to its freshness.
+
+"Will the gentleman take his supper here, or below in the dining-room?"
+Mizka asked me in very good German.
+
+"I will come down as soon as I have washed," was my reply.
+
+"I will bring fresh water immediately;" and she hurried away, returning
+presently with a can of crystal-clear water, and a supply of fresh
+towels, and followed closely by two gigantic porters, each of whom bore
+upon his shoulders one of my heavy trunks. Assuredly thus far I could
+not complain of lack of promptitude in the service of a Slav inn.
+
+When I had freed myself from the dust of travel, and had changed my
+coat, I went down to the dining-room; the way led through the kitchen,
+where several men were sitting or standing around the hearth, talking
+familiarly with the hostess, who was busy meanwhile with her cooking.
+All greeted me politely as I passed through the room.
+
+When Mizka showed me into the spacious dining-room, I took it all in
+with a rapid glance. Its arrangement could not be called elegant, but
+the cleanliness of the scoured tables atoned for its simplicity. There
+were but a few persons present. At a table near a window a young man
+sat alone, apparently absorbed in a newspaper. He looked up for a
+moment as I entered, disclosing a singularly handsome face, which was
+immediately hidden behind his paper. The face was thoroughly German.
+Such deep blue eyes, such fair, close curls are to be found nowhere
+save in Germany. He was certainly handsome, but his expression was too
+grave, perhaps even too stern and hard to allow of his being thoroughly
+attractive.
+
+As far from this young man as the size of the room would permit, at a
+large round table near the tall stove, sat six or eight men, smoking
+long cigars, with glasses of wine before them. They evidently saw me
+enter and look about for a seat, and one of them instantly rose and
+motioned courteously with his hand, placing a chair at the table, while
+the others moved aside to give it room.
+
+I was amazed at so polite a reception in this notoriously hostile Slav
+country, and I was not quite pleased. I should have liked to observe
+the magnates of Luttach, who were apparently here assembled, from a
+distance, at my leisure, before making their acquaintance, whereas now,
+when I accepted their invitation, and introduced myself as a German, a
+Prussian, and worse than all, from Berlin, whose citizens are never
+popular, their amiability might decrease. "Permit me to present myself
+to you, gentlemen," I said, "as Professor Dollnitz from Berlin, who
+hopes to spend some weeks with you here in your beautiful country,
+collecting plants and butterflies, beetles and chrysalids. I am an old
+naturalist who looks forward to much gratification here in your richly
+endowed Southern Ukraine."
+
+I observed a fleeting smile pass around the circle upon hearing that I,
+so old a man, was running after butterflies and beetles, but I am used
+to that; all sensible men regard us old entomologists as cranks, and
+sometimes jest rather rudely at our expense; but this was not the case
+here; the gentlemen, as I could see, suppressed their smiles at my
+butterfly mania; they rose very politely and formally introduced
+themselves as the District Judge Foligno, his Assistant Herr Einern,
+Burgomaster Pollenz, a retired Captain Pollenz, a landed proprietor,
+Gunther by name, Herr Weber, a merchant, and Herr Dietrich, a notary.
+Strange! All German names save that of the district judge.
+
+Chance had surely brought me among Germans. I was strengthened in this
+belief by finding that they all spoke excellent German, not merely with
+me, but among themselves; only now and then was there heard a brief
+remark in Slavonic. I soon found out my mistake, however, when in the
+course of conversation I mentioned that I had been warned in Vienna and
+in Görz not to visit the Ukraine on account of the hostility of the
+Slavs to Germans. The Burgomaster Pollenz, a reverend old man, made
+reply, speaking with emphasis, and so loudly that even the young man
+sitting by the window at the other end of the room could hear every
+word distinctly: "That is unfortunately a widespread error which has
+brought our good Ukraine into ill-repute. We are all Slavs, and are
+proud of being so. Our ancestors were Germans, but we are not. The
+Ukraine is our home. Whoever is born here and lives here must feel
+himself a genuine Slav. Those only do we hate among us who are disloyal
+sons of their native land, who would rob us of our language, our
+customs, and make Germans of us; we have no hatred for Germans born.
+There are none of them dwelling among us; our entire population is
+Slavonic, and you will soon find that as a native-born German you will
+be kindly received everywhere. It is not so in Laibach, or where, as
+there, the population is mixed, and national prejudice has free sway,
+causing constant strife, but even there the Slavs are seldom the
+aggressive party."
+
+"Then you think I can chase my butterflies alone among your woods and
+mountains without fear of insult? I was expressly warned in Vienna not
+to leave the house here without a loaded revolver in my pocket to
+protect me from robbers."
+
+I was answered by a burst of laughter. "I assure you there is no tract
+of country in the realm of Austria as perfectly safe as ours," the
+Burgomaster replied. "We have had no robbery here for many years and I
+will guarantee you as a German against any insult, unless, indeed," he
+raised his voice again, and spoke very loud, "you should consort with
+the only Slav among us who is disloyal to his country; friendship with
+him would cause you to be suspected of hostility to our nation."
+
+The young man by the window had hitherto seemed heedless of our
+conversation; now he arose and approached us. His flashing eyes seemed
+to defy each member of the circle, but their expression grew gentler as
+he addressed the Burgomaster. "I cannot be angry with you, Herr
+Burgomaster," he said gravely, but not unkindly. "Your words were
+offensive, but I know that you mean well by me and by the strange
+gentleman. You have called me a disloyal son of my country, which I am
+not! I am a whole-souled Austrian, but one also who can never forget
+that he is sprung from German and Austrian blood. You have all of you
+forgotten this; I am true to the German tongue and to German customs.
+You are the faithless ones, not I!"
+
+"Do you want to pick a quarrel with us all, Franz?" asked the
+Burgomaster, regarding the young man disapprovingly.
+
+"No, but I cannot allow you to give the strange gentleman a false
+idea of me. Moreover, you need not fear that I shall force my
+friendship upon him. I know too well that it might cause him annoyance.
+Good-night!" He turned upon his heel and left the room without
+bestowing a further glance upon the company.
+
+When the door had closed behind him, the District Judge said: "Franz
+Schorn always was and always will be a most disagreeable fellow. He
+deserves a thrashing for his insolence in calling us all faithless."
+
+"Your cane is just beside you in the corner; why did you not use it!"
+the Captain asked with a sneer. "In fact, Franz is not altogether
+wrong. My brother irritated him unnecessarily; he would never have
+forced his company upon the Herr Professor. He lives so quietly and is
+so reserved that he cannot be accused of officiousness."
+
+"'Tis natural that you should espouse the cause of your future cousin,"
+remarked the District Judge with a contemptuous emphasis upon the word
+"cousin."
+
+"I should be glad to have him for my cousin; he is a thoroughly brave,
+honest fellow."
+
+"But a German."
+
+"I am half German myself, and at all events I should prefer a German to
+an Italian cousin. The Italians are always squinting over at Italy, and
+Franz is, as he says, a German-Austrian at least."
+
+"Leave off bickering," the Burgomaster admonished his brother. "What
+will the Herr Professor think of us, if we quarrel so before him over
+our wine?"
+
+During this short skirmish of words I took occasion to observe the two
+antagonists narrowly. I liked the Captain's frank, manly face and
+bearing, but the District Judge Foligno produced a very unpleasant
+impression upon me. He was a man of about forty, with a worn, sallow
+countenance. His features were regular; he might have been accounted
+handsome but for some ugly lines about his mouth, half hidden though
+they were by a glossy black moustache, and a false, unsteady expression
+in his piercing black eyes. Before his war of words with the Captain he
+had taken no part in the conversation, but had sat gloomily silent,
+with downcast eyes, smoking his long cigar and drinking far more than
+the others. In the short time that I had been present Mizka had twice
+filled his tall glass.
+
+The Burgomaster's efforts to restore peace were unavailing; the
+District Judge renewed the quarrel by a malicious remark about old army
+officers who no longer knew what nation they belonged to. The Captain
+retorted angrily, more bitter words ensued, the other gentlemen
+presently took part in the dispute, which principally concerned the
+character of young Franz Schorn. The Burgomaster alone was silent; of
+the rest only the County Clerk, Herr Einern, sided with the Captain.
+While the others all agreed with the District Judge's abuse of Franz
+Schorn as a rough, arrogant fellow, a recreant Slav, who was detested
+and despised all through the countryside, and were unanimous in
+declaring that "old Pollenz" was perfectly right in forbidding Franz to
+hang around the Lonely House watching for pretty Anna, that it was the
+old man's patriotic duty to shield his charming daughter from Schorn's
+advances, the Clerk and the Captain warmly espoused his cause. The
+Clerk, in fact, did not mince matters, but frankly characterized as
+exaggerated and unjust his chief's tirade against Franz. The boldness
+that he showed in doing this without in the least overstepping the
+bounds of civility impressed me very favourably.
+
+I was soon tired, however, of listening to a discussion which became
+more and more heated as time went on, concerning people of whom I had
+no knowledge, and therefore when I had finished my supper--an excellent
+one, by the way--and had emptied my glass of wine, I rose to retire,
+pleading fatigue from my journey.
+
+The gentlemen probably suspected that their quarrel had driven me away,
+and they fell silent in some confusion while the Burgomaster said
+kindly: "You have chanced upon an unfortunate evening, Herr Professor.
+Do not suppose that such a disturbance is frequent in our little
+circle, and I pray you pardon any harsh words you may have heard with
+regard to Germans. I can assure you that we have no quarrel with any
+Germans, save those who should be Slavs. That we have no dislike for
+Germans or Germany you may see for yourself, since you hear us all
+speak your language among ourselves, and pray do not let this evening's
+experience prevent you from joining our circle in future. You will
+always be an honoured and welcome guest."
+
+I pressed the good man's hand cordially and followed Mizka, who stood
+with lighted candle ready to show me to my room.
+
+I thought it not indiscreet to gossip a little with pretty Mizka while
+she was arranging my bed, and to learn from her something regarding the
+gentlemen whose acquaintance I had made below, and with whom I should
+probably have daily intercourse during some weeks to come. I could not
+have sought information from a better source.
+
+Mizka had been born in Luttach; she knew all about every inhabitant of
+the town, and she felt highly honored by "the gentleman's" desire to
+converse with her. In her gratitude she detailed all that I wished to
+know. I learned that the Burgomaster, Herr Pollenz, was the owner of
+the "Golden Grapevine," which Mizka's aunt, Frau Franzka, or rather,
+her husband, rented from him; he was now a guest in his own house,
+occupying with his brother, a pensioned captain, the entire second
+story.
+
+Mizka was eloquent in praise of the two brothers, whom she described as
+the best and truest of men. No one could be as thoroughly kind as the
+Burgomaster; he was, in fact, too kind, for he was sometimes really
+pinched for money himself, because he could not refuse to give or to
+lend to the poor, and there were evil-disposed people who abused his
+benevolence. He was very wise, too, and learned. Whoever in all Luttach
+stood in need of good counsel could be sure of finding it from the
+Burgomaster. He and the Captain were much respected, not only in
+Luttach, but throughout the countryside.
+
+Mizka gave unstinted praise also to the County Clerk, Herr von Einern,
+for whom every one in Luttach had a good word, regretting that he was
+not District Judge and Foligno the Clerk; he was too young for a Judge
+as yet, but he was sure of promotion, for he belonged to a very old
+Luttach family--his father was a general--although he never prided
+himself upon his position, but was kind and courteous to the very
+poorest, whereas the Judge was often rude and harsh to poor people in
+court.
+
+Mizka had nothing pleasant to say of the Judge. He was out-and-out
+Italian although his grandfather had settled in Luttach and he himself
+could not speak Italian fluently; but an Italian was always an Italian;
+he never could be a true Slav. Yet he was not temperate, like most
+Italians; he drank too much, and was not content with the good Luttach
+wine, but always wanted some special kind for himself. That was why he
+was always needing money. Eighteen hundred gulden was a good salary;
+many a Judge could live comfortably upon it with a wife and children,
+whereas he, though a bachelor, was always in debt. He already owed Frau
+Franzka nearly five hundred gulden, and Mizka could not understand why
+her aunt would go on lending to him. He had the best two rooms in the
+upper story--Number Twelve, just above the Herr Professor's Number Two,
+and Number Thirteen--but he had paid nothing for them for a year, and
+yet he behaved as if he was the greatest guest in the house; nothing
+was good enough for him. He often drove to Görz, where he consorted
+with the officers, and 'twas said that he had sometimes lost at play
+more than a hundred gulden in one evening. He had long since squandered
+all the property he inherited from his father; he had a house in
+Luttach, but not a stone of it really belonged to him; he had mortgaged
+it all to the wealthy old Pollenz, the Burgomaster's cousin, and
+whoever got into the clutches of that old man never got free until he
+had lost his last penny; for old Pollenz, who lived in the last house
+on the mountainside--it was called "the Lonely House"--was a
+hardhearted usurer.
+
+Old Pollenz now owned forests, vineyards, meadows, and farmlands, for
+which he exacted the highest rents; all his money had been made by
+usury, and woe to the peasant to whom he had lent any--he was sure to
+be obliged to sell all that he possessed to satisfy his creditor's
+demands. The man was a hateful old miser; in spite of his wealth he
+hardly dared to eat, and never entered an inn to drink a glass of good
+wine. He lived with his daughter, pretty Anna, and an old servant maid,
+apart from everybody, in the Lonely House; its windows barred with
+iron, because he was constantly in dread of robbers, although there had
+never been a robbery or burglary in all the countryside within the
+memory of man. But the old fellow was so afraid of thieves that he
+would let no one enter the house whom he did not know well, and he
+always went armed with a couple of pistols and a big knife.
+
+He was most afraid of Franz Schorn, and had often said of him: "If he
+should meet me alone, he'd be sure to do me a mischief, but I'll be
+even with him. I'll shoot him like a mad dog sooner than let him attack
+me." The old man's dread in this case was not quite without cause, for
+Franz was a rough fellow, who might well assault a mortal enemy, and
+the two had been mortal enemies ever since two years before, when old
+Pollenz drove Franz from his door with curses.
+
+The old man was a bitter foe of the Germans, and had fallen into a
+terrible rage when some one had told him that Franz was sneaking around
+his house courting pretty Anna. And so, when one day Franz did not
+sneak around the house, but boldly entered it and asked for pretty Anna
+for his wife, the old man became almost insane with fury; he drove the
+young fellow out of doors with blows and curses, although Anna wept and
+entreated, saying that she would rather die than give up her Franz.
+
+Just at that time the Judge, who certainly had need of a rich wife,
+asked old Pollenz to take him for his son-in-law. The old miser said
+"yes," thinking to make an end of pretty Anna's love affair with Franz.
+He told his daughter that she must marry the Judge, but Anna refused.
+To all her father's threats she answered, "I'd rather die! You may drag
+me to the altar, but you cannot compel me to utter a 'yes'!" And so the
+Judge got the mitten in spite of the father's consent. Ever since then
+he had been a deadly enemy to Franz Schorn; every child knew how he had
+got the mitten in the Lonely House; he had often been teased about it,
+and the malicious Italian would never forgive Franz Schorn because of
+it.
+
+Such, in brief, was the sum of Mizka's information; she would gladly
+have talked on, but I was afraid she might be wanted in the room below,
+so I dismissed her with a "Goodnight."
+
+I admit that she had interested me much with her gossip. I now
+understood many words and phrases that had escaped the gentlemen below
+in the heat of their quarrel, and I perfectly comprehended the
+bitterness of the Judge's hostility to Franz Schorn. A love story in a
+Slav village! But what did it all matter to me? What possible interest
+could an old naturalist, sixty years of age, take in the love affairs
+of a young fellow whom he did not know, and the disappointment and lack
+of money of a very disagreeable District Judge? There was absolutely no
+reason why I should mix myself up with such matters, or even bestow a
+thought upon them. That was not why I was in Luttach, but for the
+purpose of collecting plants, butterflies, and beetles, which I
+resolved to begin to do the next morning, oblivious of all love
+affairs, German or Slav.
+
+I undressed, mounted a chair and made a bold leap which landed me in
+the midst of the maize straw with which the bed had been stuffed. It
+was not a luxurious couch, but fatigue sleeps well even upon a poor
+one. I had scarcely extinguished the candle on the table beside my bed
+when I fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER II.
+                    THE PROFESSOR'S FIRST EXCURSION.
+
+
+The sun shining brightly into my room awoke me about five o'clock. I
+got up, dressed myself quickly, and went down to the kitchen, where
+Mizka had already kindled a bright fire on the hearth. She assured me
+that my coffee would be ready in a quarter of an hour and that she
+would bring it out to me in the garden. There I met the Captain, who,
+enjoying his morning pipe, was walking to and fro between the flower
+beds. Now and then he would stop before an opening rose, regarding it
+with eyes really full of affection. He greeted me cordially.
+
+"You are an early riser, Herr Professor," he said with a smile. "I
+thought all those who lived in large cities never rose before eight
+o'clock, but I am glad that you are an exception, for the mornings and
+evenings with us are the most delightful time of the day. At noon the
+sun is far too hot and glowing to enable us to enjoy the beauty that
+lies about us here. Only look at these rosebuds, how beautiful they
+are, each one with a diamond dewdrop in its breast! Are they not
+enchantingly lovely?"
+
+He chattered on, pointing out to me every blossom that delighted him,
+and taking positive joy in all. He conducted me through the garden,
+which was not very large, and at the end of it he unlatched a gate that
+was not locked.
+
+"Now I must show you the only thing perhaps that we have worth showing
+in Luttach. Pray follow me," and he walked before me through the open
+garden gate. After a few steps we reached the banks of a broad,
+brawling brook, which seemed in all its breadth and force to come
+directly from out the rocky wall before us. The rock must certainly
+have been thoroughly undermined. From countless smaller and larger
+openings the crystal-clear water streamed with such power that the
+numerous jets instantly formed a broad deep brook.
+
+"This is the Luttach. On the north side of Nanos the raging Voyna
+rushes through a savage rocky vale, suddenly vanishing without a trace;
+the mountain engulfs it. They say that the Voyna in the interior of
+Nanos forms a deep unfathomable lake and from this lake in the interior
+of the mountain it flows on, breaking through the rocks, to come to
+light again here as the Luttach brook. This may be possible, for Nanos,
+like the whole Karst range, is absolutely riddled with caves. The
+famous Adelsberg Grotto would not be the unparalleled wonder that it
+is, if our population were not too indolent to explore the hollow
+openings and grottoes in our side of the mountain. Why, in the
+immediate neighbourhood of Luttach there are two caves, the depth of
+which is known to none, for no one has ever taken the trouble to
+explore them, except for a few yards."
+
+"What absolutely unconscionable neglect!" I rejoined. "If you could
+succeed in finding here a spring, a mineral spring as wonderful with
+its grottoes as that of Adelsberg, think of how it would attract
+travellers and what a goal it would be for all tourists."
+
+The Captain shrugged his shoulders. "I really do not know whether our
+Luttach population would desire this. They certainly feel no wish for
+it at present. Besides, it is questionable if our grottoes are really
+very large in extent, and it is probable that their exploration would
+be attended with some difficulty and perhaps indeed danger. I have
+never thought of making an attempt to explore one or the other of
+these, but, if you desire to do so, Herr Professor, I shall be very
+glad to accompany you."
+
+I joyfully accepted the Captain's offer. Under all circumstances the
+exploration of a cave, hitherto unknown, possesses for me extraordinary
+interest; in the depths of these caves in the Karst range are found
+rare cave beetles, the species is confined entirely to such places. It
+might well be possible to discover in the Luttach grotto a species
+hitherto unknown. Such a prospect made me forget the threatened
+difficulty and danger.
+
+The Captain smiled when he heard the reason for my interest. That a
+human being should be ready to subject himself to inconvenience and
+even to danger that he might discover a new beetle appeared to him
+extremely ridiculous, but he was too polite to make this evident. He
+promised to look about for some strong, courageous men, who, armed with
+torches, ladders, and ropes, should accompany us into the caves.
+
+"I hope," he said, "that you will reap a rich harvest of rare cave
+beetles, but even if you do not succeed you will be abundantly repaid
+by the beetles and butterflies which you will find on the slopes of
+Nanos. A naturalist from Vienna, who was here about ten years ago and
+spent six weeks in Luttach, was thoroughly enraptured by the richness
+of his discoveries. I was then at home on leave and frequently talked
+with him. His best and rarest caterpillars he found near the Chapel of
+St. Nikolas, I believe, upon the leaves of beeches and oaks."
+
+Here was an important piece of news! The caterpillars of the _Saturnia
+cćcigena_, the rare Dalmatian butterfly which had lured me to Luttach,
+lived upon beech and oak leaves. I immediately determined to seek the
+neighbourhood of the Chapel of St. Nikolas this very day. To St.
+Nikolas my first excursion should be made.
+
+I asked the Captain the way thither. "You cannot miss it," he answered;
+"there are two paths, each very easy to find. The first, which is
+perhaps fifteen minutes the nearer, is steep in its beginning, and even
+dangerous for unaccustomed mountain climbers. Part of it you can see
+from here. It begins there at that elder bush and leads directly up the
+rocks by steps partly natural and partly artificial, most of them,
+however, giving space only for one foot. A false step, a slip, might be
+disastrous, therefore I can hardly advise you to take this nearer path
+over the rocks. It is not long; in five minutes you would reach a very
+pleasant, gently ascending footpath, which in fifteen minutes more
+would lead you past the Lonely House, to reach in another quarter of an
+hour the Chapel of St. Nikolas in a direct line. The second path, just
+as easy to find, is very charming, beginning at the last house of
+Luttach and leading to the left from the road to Adelsberg, winding
+through meadows and through oak forests, and ascending gently, past the
+scattered houses of the village of Oberberg. After perhaps half an hour
+you reach a large crucifix at a fork of the pathway. The path to the
+left leads to the Lonely House, that to the right directly to the
+Chapel of St. Nikolas without going near the Lonely House; you cannot
+miss it. I advise you to take the longer path. The shorter is seldom
+used even by the inhabitants of Luttach, because it is certainly
+dangerous in descending. The District Judge alone, who is very fond of
+flowers, often climbs up the steep rocks, in search of rare, beautiful
+plants."
+
+The advice was well meant, and I determined to follow it, although the
+mention of the rare and beautiful plants allured me. Still, I do not
+willingly expose myself to danger. We returned to the garden, where our
+coffee awaited us in a pretty arbour covered with wild grapevine.
+
+I hurried my breakfast, for I was burning with impatience to find near
+St. Nikolas my entomological treasures. Scarcely a quarter of an hour
+had passed before I started on my way thither, supplied with a cane and
+a large umbrella, my tin box upon my back, my pockets filled with
+glasses for beetles and boxes for caterpillars and butterflies.
+
+The Captain had described the path to me so exactly that I really could
+not miss it. He had called it charming, but it was more than that. It
+was wondrously beautiful. It was a joy to ascend the mountain quietly,
+while fresh beauties of the landscape revealed themselves at every
+step. At my feet lay the pretty little town of Luttach, framed in
+emerald green meadows, bounded by the steep rocky wall against which it
+leaned. On the summit of this bare rock, majestically enthroned, were
+the remains of a ruined old castle, whose knightly possessor had in
+former times probably ruled over the rich valley of the Luttach.
+
+Wherever the eye turned, whether downward to the houses and cottages in
+the valley, surrounded with blooming orchards, or to the distant view
+where the mighty mountain range bounded the horizon, its rocky peaks
+glowing in the sunlight--everywhere, it filled me with rapture.
+
+And then, the fresh, delicious morning! It was a joy indeed to wander
+thus in the mountains.
+
+The crucifix on the path was very quickly reached. I turned to the
+right, and soon the little Church of St. Nikolas lay before me.
+
+Hitherto I had sturdily strode on without being detained by my desire
+to collect. But now, when the goal of my wanderings was reached, I
+began to search. Once more I turned on the steps of the church to feast
+upon the wonderful view above the tops of the oaks growing in the
+valley below, and then I began my work. I could have scarcely found a
+piece of ground more adapted for my purpose than this around St.
+Nikolas. The church lay in the midst of a forest of tall oaks; around
+them there was a rich undergrowth, and where their trunks were more
+rare, there spread a carpet of charming wildflowers, above which
+countless butterflies fluttered from one blossom to another. The wood
+above the chapel consisted partly of ancient trees and shrubbery,
+climbing the gentle slope of Nanos until it reached the bald rock which
+showed no trace of vegetation.
+
+My first attempts at collection were rewarded by an astonishing result.
+I found upon the leaves of an oak a caterpillar entirely unknown to me.
+When I examined it more closely, it recalled to me the description
+which I had seen of the _Saturnia cćcigena_. My dearest wish was
+fulfilled.
+
+Only a naturalist can form an idea of my joyful emotion, my delight,
+and the passion for collecting which this first specimen aroused in me.
+I forgot everything: the beauty of the landscape, to which I now paid
+no attention; the difficulty of finding my way in the forest without a
+guide, the danger of treading upon one of the poisonous reptiles native
+to the Karst range--in short, I wandered about animated only by the
+desire to procure more specimens of this rare and beautiful insect, and
+the more I found, the more the desire increased. I never noticed that
+hours had passed, that the refreshing morning had given place to an
+intensely hot noon, and that the exertion of climbing and searching had
+caused the perspiration to stream from my forehead. But at last my
+sixty years asserted their right. I began to be tired and to feel very
+thirsty, as the sound of church bells ascended from the valley. I
+looked at my watch; twelve o'clock! More than six hours had I passed in
+unbroken labour, and surely a man of sixty had the right to be a little
+tired and to think of home, especially since all my boxes were well
+filled.
+
+I found myself in a dense forest at a considerable height above the
+little Church of St. Nikolas, but whether to the right or to the left
+of it I could not say, since I had walked along searching here and
+there, without a thought of the direction in which I was going. I might
+have informed myself as to this if I could have obtained a view of the
+valley, but the tall undergrowth made this impossible. There was
+nothing for it but to walk in the direction of Luttach, keeping to the
+right, down the mountain, and endeavouring to avoid any precipices,
+hoping thus to find the path in a roundabout way.
+
+If it were not so oppressively hot! The oaks, covered with the early
+foliage of spring, hardly afforded any depth of shade. They could not
+protect me from the burning rays of the midday sun. The thirst which
+tormented me grew more intense with every minute, and almost
+intolerable. I longed for one swallow of water. Surely I could not be
+far from some cottage. Fortunately, in the morning the Captain had
+taught me the most important word in the Slavonic tongue, _woda_,
+"water." This word formed my entire Slavonic vocabulary, but it would
+suffice to inform any Slav of my need.
+
+I strode on sturdily, keeping to the right down the mountain, and by
+good fortune encountered no precipice. After a little more than a
+quarter of an hour, I struck a footpath which wound about gently in the
+direction of Luttach. I pursued it, and I had proceeded but a few steps
+when in a little turn of the way I perceived a solitary pedestrian
+coming towards me. I immediately recognized the young man about whom
+there had been so lively a discussion in the Golden Grapevine, Franz
+Schorn. He was ascending the mountain path slowly, with eyes fixed
+gloomily on the ground. He did not see me until, when I was scarcely
+thirty steps from him, he suddenly raised his head as if listening.
+Then he started violently upon perceiving me. For a moment he seemed
+undetermined as to what he should do. He paused, regarded me darkly,
+then turned away, without a greeting, and in a moment more had vanished
+in the thick undergrowth of the forest.
+
+A very strange fellow! He need not have considered himself so strictly
+bound by his promise not to press his friendship upon me. He need not
+have grudged me a kindly greeting and a word or two. I should have
+liked to ask him about the nearest cottage where I could perhaps get a
+drink of water, but there was no help for it; I could not run after him
+and must find my way for myself.
+
+I pursued the footpath further. To my joy I soon found myself in the
+neighbourhood of a house, but as I approached it my joy turned to
+disappointment. All the windows--not only those of the ground floor,
+but those of the first story--were provided with strong iron bars, and
+I made sure that I had reached the _Lonely House_, whose possessor, old
+Pollenz, according to all that I had heard of him, could hardly be
+expected to show any civility to a hated German. Should I ask him for a
+drink of water? It would not be pleasant to be rudely refused so modest
+a request. If I had not been tortured with thirst, I would rather have
+continued upon my path to Luttach instead of asking any favour of the
+old usurer; but he could at most only return me a surly "No," so I
+determined to try it. On reaching the house, contrary to my expectation
+I found the front door wide open, although Mizka had told me that old
+Pollenz almost always kept it locked and would not open it until
+continued knocking had removed all suspicion of thieves.
+
+Uncertain whether or not to enter, I stood before the open door; it
+looked into a spacious hall running through the entire house, ending in
+another door which probably led into the courtyard. That I confronted
+the Lonely House was made certain by the huge iron bolts with which the
+door towards the courtyard was secured. A steep staircase leading to
+the upper story led from one side of the hall. Opposite the staircase
+was a door; and two other doors, one to the right, one to the left of
+the entrance, led into the inner rooms of the house; they were all
+closed.
+
+I entered and knocked modestly at the door on my left. No reply; no
+"Come in." I listened; there was not a sound to be heard; an uncanny
+stillness reigned throughout the house. I knocked again, more loudly,
+and then, after a pause, more loudly still for the third time. The
+sound of my knocking was so loud that it surely must have been heard
+within, but it met with no response. I waited in vain.
+
+A strange and uncomfortable sensation overcame me. I dreaded the Lonely
+House, where everything seemed dead. What folly! An old man should have
+more sense. I was ashamed of this strange and disagreeable sensation
+and turned towards the door on the right of the entrance. Perhaps my
+knock here might have a better result. No longer as modestly as before,
+I knocked loudly, and the door, which happened to be only ajar, opened
+slowly of itself. I cast one look into a spacious room, and staggered
+back, overcome by intense horror.
+
+There, almost in the centre of the apartment, a motionless figure lay
+upon the floor in a pool of blood, which had stained the white boards
+dark red. Such horror, such intense dread, seized me that my first
+thought was of flight as swift as my feet could carry me from this
+terrible sight; but the next moment I was ashamed of such cowardly
+fear. Perhaps the unfortunate man who lay there in his blood still
+lived. Perhaps I might help him. I overcame the paralyzing terror and
+entered the room.
+
+All that I saw there only increased my horror. No mortal help could
+avail the unfortunate man whose stiffened corpse lay before me. He had
+either killed himself, or had been horribly murdered. His throat was
+cut, and from the gaping wound dark drops of blood were still
+trickling. The pale, bloodless, distorted countenance was that of a
+dead man.
+
+Had there been a murder here! Had the old man's foreboding, always
+dwelling upon burglars and murderers, been fulfilled! Perhaps the
+murderer was still in the house. The horrible crime could not have been
+committed for long, for the blood had not yet congealed; some drops
+were still trickling from the wound.
+
+Horror seized me afresh. I looked timidly about me. It seemed to me the
+murderer might be near. Hastily I drew from my breast pocket my loaded
+revolver; I was safe from any attack and could look about me with less
+agitation.
+
+There was no doubt that a horrible crime had been committed here. There
+upon the floor, at some distance from the dead man, lay a bloody knife,
+near a large cabinet, the folding doors of which stood wide open.
+Several drawers had been drawn out and papers lay scattered upon the
+floor. The murderer had apparently been searching the cabinet for money
+or valuables, and had scattered about these papers.
+
+Had he been startled by my knocking and escaped! If so, he must have
+passed through the door which led on the left to an adjoining room, for
+the windows here were barred.
+
+I summoned all my courage to follow him, but there was no need, for the
+door leading outside was bolted and no one could have left the room by
+it. He must have escaped before I entered; he might be concealed
+somewhere near; but, again, he might have left the house, and, in his
+hasty flight, have forgotten to close the front door.
+
+What should I do? Ought I not to search the place? Yet if he were not
+there, all search would be unavailing, and if I found him, it would be
+foolhardy to wander about these unfamiliar rooms merely to expose
+myself to an attack. The murderer might deal a blow from behind which
+would make me and my revolver useless.
+
+It suddenly occurred to me that old Pollenz did not live alone in the
+house; that he had a daughter. Where was she! And where was the old
+servant of whom Mizka had told me? They had not heard my knocking, and
+yet it had been loud enough to resound through the entire building. Had
+they, in their endeavour to escape from the murderer, concealed
+themselves? Or--oh, horrible thought!--had they also fallen victims to
+the monster! On this point I must have certainty. If the assassin were
+still in the house, I could not leave the two women unprotected. My
+cowardly fear must be overcome; I must pursue the wretch. Humanity made
+my duty clear. With my revolver held ready and with a beating heart, I
+turned back to the bolted door, which I opened easily. I entered a
+spacious, dreary room. A bed against the wall, a table, a couple of
+wooden chairs, and two large closed wardrobes formed its entire
+furniture. Evidently it was the old man's sleeping room--a sordid
+apartment. Here I found nobody, and I continued my search. A second
+door in the room was unlocked. Through it I again entered the hall.
+Beneath the staircase was a door which evidently led to the cellar; it
+was closed by a massive bolt. Two other doors led from the hall to
+rooms on the left. I went to the first of these--the one at which I had
+knocked so loudly--opened it, and entered a large apartment much better
+furnished than the rooms which I had hitherto explored. It gave an
+impression of more comfort, and I was struck by its great cleanliness.
+By the window there was a work-table, upon which lay some sewing. A
+couple of flowers blooming in earthen pots stood on the window sill. A
+bed with snowy curtains stood against the wall opposite the window.
+
+Undoubtedly this was the sitting-room and bedchamber of the fair Anna,
+the daughter of the murdered man. Without delay I continued my search.
+A door opposite the bed was unlocked. Through it I entered the kitchen.
+Here also I found no one, and I returned to the hall.
+
+The four rooms of the ground floor had now been searched without
+result. With a calmer mind I mounted the steep staircase to the second
+story. Here I found rooms similar to those below. They were all
+unlocked and appeared to be used partly for old rubbish. In one of them
+there was a bed, probably that of the old servant.
+
+I had found nothing. It seemed useless to ascend to the garret, so I
+went down to the room in which the murdered man lay, to consider what
+steps I should take next.
+
+My fear lest the daughter and the maid had been the murderer's victims
+had proved groundless. Neither of them was in the house. The monster
+had probably profited by their absence to kill and rob the old man,
+whom he knew to be alone. Any longer stay in this terrible abode seemed
+useless. Of course I must inform the proper authorities of the murder,
+and it was my plain duty to do this as soon as possible. I ought not to
+linger longer in the Lonely House. Everything must be left lying as it
+was to await the legal investigation. I could do no good to the dead
+man by remaining. I ought to proceed to Luttach as quickly as my feet
+could carry me to inform the District Judge of my terrible discovery.
+On, then, to Luttach and the District Judge! Suddenly, by a strange
+chain of ideas, the memory awoke in me of Franz Schorn as he was coming
+from the Lonely House, with eyes gloomily downcast, in the forest path;
+of how he started when he saw me before he fled away through the
+undergrowth. Franz Schorn came from the house of his mortal enemy. I
+shuddered. Had I met the murderer fresh from the cruel deed? Had not
+the old man who lay there in his blood always feared him? Had not Mizka
+yesterday evening told me that Franz was a rough, morose fellow, who
+might be readily suspected of taking the life of his mortal enemy?
+
+This was a dreadful suspicion, but not without foundation; and, at all
+events, it seemed to be my duty to inform the Judge as quickly as
+possible of my meeting with Franz Schorn. I hastily left the scene of
+the crime, not casting another glance behind me. I breathed more freely
+when I emerged from the gloomy hall into the brilliant sunshine. No
+longer under the spell of the ghastly spectacle, I could consider more
+calmly what was to be done. My first determination, however, remained
+unaltered. It was my plain duty to hasten to Luttach by the nearest way
+and there report to the District Judge. The nearest way, as the Captain
+had told me in the morning, was by the rocks. I could not miss it; I
+saw it clearly before me. A broad, well-worn path went directly from
+the Lonely House probably to the outlying cottages of the village of
+Oberberg. Another, narrow and overgrown, led in the direction of
+Luttach, and, at first, in a gentle incline down the mountain. This
+must be the footpath, then, which further on became the narrow way,
+over the rocks leading directly to the inn, which the Captain had
+described to me as perilous. Ought I to expose myself to the danger of
+a fall! The descent was more difficult than the ascent. The rocky way
+was at least the nearer by fifteen minutes. I had certainly climbed up
+and down more dangerous places among rocks in order to procure a rare
+caterpillar. I was now upon a far more important errand, and ought to
+reach Luttach quickly. It is foolish to expose oneself to unnecessary
+danger, but the man who shuns it when something important is at stake
+is a miserable coward. I delayed no longer. One glance over my shoulder
+I cast. The door of the Lonely House was wide open. Any passer-by might
+enter. Surely it was wrong to leave it open for more than an hour
+without any guard. Could I lock it! The key might still be in the lock.
+I approached it once more, I confess with great reluctance. The silence
+as of the grave which reigned within filled me with horror, but I
+overcame this weakness. My expectation was confirmed; the large house
+key was still there. I locked the door, and taking the key could now
+pursue my way, sure that for the next hour no passer-by could enter. I
+hurried down the narrow way leading to the rocky abyss; it was a
+charming path. The view of the valley was enchanting; I had no eyes for
+it; I saw nothing of the wealth of rare mountain plants blooming on
+either side, nothing of the gorgeous peonies which now and then
+projected their red blossoms almost from the very rock. My thoughts
+still clung to the Lonely House and the gloomy room where lay the dead
+man. I encountered not a single human being as I hurried along. At
+length the little town lay directly below me. I must descend over the
+dangerous rocks. I looked about me searchingly; it was not easy to find
+the narrow, untrodden footway, but it soon became plain to my practised
+eye. Without hesitation I strode down from stone to stone, partly
+leaping, knowing that a false step would cost me my life; but my
+training among the mountains made my footing sure, and after a few
+minutes I stood at the garden gate of the inn.
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER III.
+                        THE PROFESSOR'S RETURN.
+
+
+"Dinner has been waiting for you ever so long, Herr Professor," called
+Frau Franzka to me as I entered the kitchen, but hardly had I
+approached her before she clasped her hands above her head with "Holy
+Virgin, how you look! How pale! How distressed, and how dripping with
+perspiration! Why, large drops are falling from your hair; no one can
+climb about the mountains in the hottest part of the day. The District
+Judge----"
+
+"Is the District Judge at home!" I broke in.
+
+"Yes; he came home about a quarter of an hour ago. I did not see him,
+but I heard him going upstairs. He is in his room and is probably
+dressing. The Herr Professor ought also to go to his room and dress.
+You will take cold in your damp clothes."
+
+I scarcely heard the last words. I hurried up the three flights of
+stairs and in the passage looked about me for the door marked No.
+12--the District Judge's sitting room. I knocked at the door; no
+answer. I knocked more loudly; there came from within, as from an
+adjoining room, "Who's there?"
+
+"Professor Dollnitz. I must see you with regard to a matter of great
+importance, Herr Foligno."
+
+"I pray you just wait for a few minutes. I am dressing, but I'll be
+ready immediately."
+
+I had to wait. Whilst I stood motionless before the door I suddenly
+became conscious of the intolerable thirst which, more than half an
+hour before, had driven me to the Lonely House. During my great
+excitement I had not been conscious of any physical need, but now in
+the first moments of quiet it attacked me with double violence. I was
+perfectly exhausted--almost fainting. Fortunately on the table in the
+passage there stood a carafe half filled with water. It must have been
+there for hours; the water was lukewarm, but I drank it eagerly and it
+gave me the refreshment of which I stood in need. I was as one new
+born.
+
+I had to wait at least five minutes. The time seemed very long to me.
+At last the door opened and the District Judge appeared in a new and
+very elegant summer suit. His thin, sallow face had not attracted me on
+the previous evening, and now as he received me with a forced friendly
+smile I liked it still less.
+
+"Forgive me for keeping you so long, Herr Professor," he said, "but I
+could not open the door before; I was, to speak frankly, entirely
+undressed when you knocked. I was obliged to change my clothes because,
+in your interest, I have had quite a fatiguing walk on the mountain. I
+am a little of a botanist--only a layman--but I am interested in
+botany, and I was desirous to surprise the learned Herr Professor with
+some rare plants whose habitat I knew. It cost me an effort to obtain
+them, and even a little danger; I had a fall which gave me a slight
+wound in my hand, but it is very insignificant, scarcely worth
+mentioning, since I have procured what I desired. Here they are." With
+his left hand (his right was wrapped in a white handkerchief) he took
+some orchids from the table before the sofa and handed them to me. They
+were of a beautiful and rare species, and at any other time would have
+given me the keenest delight, but at this moment I scarcely looked at
+them.
+
+"I must reserve my thanks for a time," I said gravely, "the terrible
+intelligence which I bring to you, Herr Foligno, as the foremost
+official in the town, will admit of no delay. I come directly from the
+Lonely House--the scene of a horrible murder and robbery."
+
+The District Judge recoiled as from a sudden blow. Pallor as of death
+overspread his sallow face. His mouth twitched; his eyes became glazed
+and fixed on me with a look wherein gleamed downright fear and absolute
+dismay.
+
+"You came from the Lonely House--a murder and robbery! Incredible!" he
+stammered. Terror so mastered him that he could scarcely utter these
+few words.
+
+"What I tell you is only too true," I replied, and then in the fewest
+words I related what I had seen and how I had closed the open door and
+hurried to Luttach in order to make him, as the chief authority of the
+place, acquainted with the fearful crime.
+
+During my short narrative he was struggling to regain his composure and
+succeeded. He listened with his gaze fixed gloomily upon the floor.
+When I finished, he cast upon me a searching, piercing glance, and his
+voice trembled as he said, "Did you find no trace of the murderer! Did
+you see no one in the neighbourhood of the Lonely House!"
+
+On my way down the mountain it had been clear to me that it was my duty
+to report my meeting with Franz Schorn, but when the District Judge put
+this question to me, I suddenly felt a decided reluctance to inform him
+of it. This man was Schorn's mortal enemy. Ought I to make him a sharer
+of my suspicion, which had been aroused by nothing but a chance
+encounter?
+
+Still more searching and still more penetrating was the glance the
+District Judge bestowed upon me as I hesitated to reply.
+
+"Did you see no one in the neighbourhood of the house, or upon the path
+towards it!" he asked once more.
+
+As Judge he had a right to put the question and I ought to tell him the
+truth. As I reflected thus, I overcame my reluctance and replied.
+
+"I did encounter a man not far from the Lonely House in the forest, but
+I cannot think myself justified in suspecting him of evil." I then
+described accurately my meeting with Franz Schorn.
+
+He listened in silence, his eyes still fixed on the floor. When I
+finished, he said with emotion, extending his left hand to me: "I thank
+you, Herr Professor; your report may be of the first importance for the
+discovery of the murderer, but it may also subject an innocent man to a
+horrible suspicion. As long as there is no evidence against a man
+except that he was seen in the neighbourhood of the scene of a murder,
+nothing would justify his being suspected of what, even as a mere
+suspicion, might darken his whole future life. Therefore, let me
+request you to allow me to consider your account of your meeting with
+Herr Franz Schorn as a matter personal to myself and confidential, not
+official. I shall then not be forced to include it in a short account
+which I must write out of your information."
+
+"You surprise me, Herr Foligno."
+
+"I suppose so, and I owe you an explanation of my request. Herr Franz
+Schorn is my bitter enemy and I have never concealed my dislike of him.
+You were a witness yesterday evening of my quarrel with Captain Pollenz
+and my clerk. Precisely on this account I do not wish to include in my
+official paper a suspicion which I myself hold to be entirely
+groundless. I promise you that I will neglect nothing that will lead to
+the discovery of the murderer, that I will investigate every step which
+Herr Schorn has taken to-day, and will have him watched by a thoroughly
+competent detective. If he is guilty, I shall discover his guilt; but I
+do not believe he is so, and because I am his foe I will not attach any
+suspicion to him which, while the true murderer remains undiscovered,
+might ruin his life, merely because at the time of the murder he had
+been seen near the scene of the crime. Promise me, Herr Professor, that
+you will tell no one at present of your meeting with Franz Schorn.
+Should there be other and more important grounds for suspecting him, I
+shall request you to give me your account officially."
+
+I pressed the Judge's hand cordially, and joyfully gave him the promise
+for which he asked. How unjustly I had judged this man! How I had
+misunderstood him! I was ashamed of the reluctance I had felt to tell
+him of my meeting with Franz Schorn.
+
+"I must now make out a short official account of your information," the
+District Judge continued. "You can hardly believe how difficult this is
+for me. Your account has agitated me so profoundly that I can scarcely
+control myself. I was very familiar with old Pollenz. He had indeed
+many disagreeable qualities. Toward others he was often hard and
+unyielding, but I never had anything to complain of in his behaviour to
+me. He has often shown me favours. He was indeed almost a friend, and
+now I must prepare a paper which shall show him to be the victim of a
+horrible crime, which I must take the first steps to investigate. It
+must be done. It is my duty. In spite of the pain which my right hand
+gives me in writing, I will do it immediately."
+
+He took a sheet of paper; pens and ink were at hand, and seated himself
+on the sofa behind the large table to write. His hand could not have
+been very painful, for it did not prevent his writing swiftly and
+clearly. Now and then, without interrupting his writing, he addressed
+some brief, leading question to me, and in scarcely ten minutes the
+paper was finished. He read it aloud to me. It was wonderfully concise
+and clear, without saying one word too much or too little, and I signed
+it without an alteration. After he had added his own signature, he
+said, "I must now beg you, Herr Professor, to accompany me to the
+Lonely House. I shall immediately summon my assistant, as well as the
+District Physician and the captain of gendarmes, to inspect the
+premises. You, too, Herr Professor, must be present. You must testify
+that nothing in the house has been altered in your absence. This is
+important for further investigation. Can I count upon you!"
+
+"Most certainly."
+
+"Then pray hold yourself in readiness. In half an hour, at the latest,
+I shall have notified the other gentlemen. The time of waiting, if I
+may advise you, should be employed by you in strengthening yourself
+with food and drink. Yon may not feel the need of refreshment at
+present, but we have some sad hours before us."
+
+How kind and thoughtful! I certainly had cause to ask pardon in my
+heart of the District Judge for the prejudice he had created.
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER IV.
+                           THE INVESTIGATION.
+
+
+It was four o'clock in the afternoon when Herr Foligno called for me in
+the dining-room, where I was sitting with the Captain. It had taken him
+almost an hour to assemble those who were to inspect the scene of the
+murder in the Lonely House. I had informed the Captain, a near relative
+of the murdered man, of my terrible discovery, and he had been deeply
+moved. He said:
+
+"I was never intimate with old Pollenz, although he was my first
+cousin. He was a hard usurer and a miser. He loved no one in the world
+save his daughter, but that his end has been so horrible is certainly
+very sad. Poor child, my dear little Anna! How will she bear this
+fearful shock! I saw her about twelve o'clock here in Luttach with her
+old maid, Johanna. She had been paying a visit to an aged aunt, and she
+is probably still there. I must see if it be so. I do not willingly
+visit the malicious old gossip, but if Anna is still with her, I must
+go to prepare the poor child for the sad news that awaits her."
+
+He sent Mizka to old Frau Lancic's, and in a few minutes she returned
+to say that Fräulein Anna had been with the widow, but that she had
+left about a quarter of an hour before to make some purchases in the
+village and then to return home.
+
+Upon hearing this, the Captain determined to accompany the officials to
+the Lonely House, for which he received permission from the District
+Judge.
+
+Soon after four o'clock we began our walk; not by the steep rocky path,
+which was rather too difficult for the old District Physician, and
+might prove dangerous, but in accordance with the Judge's directions,
+by the longer way past the village of Oberberg.
+
+We could make but slow progress, for the heat was still oppressive. The
+old physician gasped and panted as we ascended the mountain. The Judge
+with kindly consideration, begged him to walk slowly, although he
+himself was trembling with impatience to reach our goal.
+
+We met various people on the way. They greeted us politely and looked
+after us with surprise. Intelligence of the murder had not yet reached
+the village of Oberberg, and people could not imagine what so many
+persons, accompanied by the captain of gendarmes, could have to do in
+the little village. I walked first with the Captain. The Judge and his
+clerk followed, and, naturally, very little was said as we pursued our
+way; all were oppressed by a sense of what lay before them.
+
+We had turned into the path by the crucifix leading on the left to the
+Lonely House, and were but a short distance from the spot to which we
+were tending, when the Captain suddenly stood still and said in a
+faltering voice, "There comes my poor little Anna."
+
+She came towards us hurriedly from the Lonely House. She was called
+pretty Anna in the country round, and indeed she deserved the name. I
+have scarcely ever in my long life seen so beautiful a girl. Even her
+expression of intense anxiety could not distort her charming face. When
+she recognized the Captain she flew towards him.
+
+"Oh, uncle, my dear kind uncle, thank God you are here!" she cried. "I
+am dying with anxiety; my father will not open the door. For a quarter
+of an hour Johanna and I have been knocking in vain. Something must
+have happened to him, or he would hear us and open the door for us."
+
+The Captain put his arm round the lovely child and pressed a kiss upon
+her white forehead. "My poor little girl!" he murmured. His voice
+failed him; he could say no more; his eyes filled with tears; he tried
+to control himself, but the compassion which he felt for the girl in
+his arms was too intense; it mastered him; he could hardly utter a
+word.
+
+"Good heavens! What has happened?" cried Anna, extricating herself from
+the Captain's embrace and gazing at him, her large black eyes dilated
+with horror. "You call me your poor girl? There are tears in your eyes.
+For God's sake tell me what it means! Has anything happened to my
+father? Oh, answer me, uncle! I would rather hear the worst than suffer
+such suspense."
+
+The Judge answered instead of the Captain, who could not control his
+voice. "Compose yourself, Fräulein Anna," he said with grave
+kindliness, "you need all your courage, all your self-control to endure
+the misfortune which God has sent to you. Unfortunately your anxiety is
+justified. Something has indeed happened to your father, my lifelong
+friend."
+
+"He is dead!" the girl cried, with what was almost a shriek; overcome
+with grief, she tottered and would have fallen to the ground if the
+Captain had not thrown his arms about her. The Judge took her hand with
+deep sympathy, but she snatched it away and pushed him from her with a
+gesture expressive of the most profound aversion.
+
+"Do not touch me; I hate, I despise you!" she cried, as she cast
+herself again into the Captain's arms. "Uncle, my dear kind uncle, you
+tell me what has happened. I can hear the worst from you, but not from
+that man."
+
+The Judge, thus rudely repulsed, was deeply offended, but was too
+magnanimous--his pity for the unfortunate girl was too profound to
+admit of his expressing his resentment by a harsh word.
+
+"You do me bitter wrong, Fräulein Anna," he said gently. "I sympathize
+sincerely with your pain, but I will not thrust my pity upon you. I
+pray you, Captain, to inform her as mercifully as possible of what has
+happened."
+
+It was a hard task for the Captain, but it was his duty to fulfil it.
+He motioned to the Judge and to myself to withdraw for a few steps, and
+then took Anna's arm in his and, walking on before us, spoke to her in
+the most sympathetic and loving way. He told me afterwards that in all
+his life he had never had so hard a duty to perform. He searched in
+vain for kindly words to soften the horror; he feared that the delicate
+girl could hardly endure the frightful truth which he was forced to
+tell her; but to his great surprise Anna showed a remarkable degree of
+composure. She had not succumbed, he said, to pain and grief; she had
+become ghastly pale and her dark eyes had gleamed with a strange
+flickering fire, as, almost in a whisper, not to him, but to herself,
+she had murmured, "Foully murdered and robbed; murdered for the sake of
+his wretched money. He sacrificed his soul and now has given his
+life for money." She shed no tear; her grief was too great, too
+heart-breaking; but she trembled violently; her little hand shook as it
+rested on her uncle's arm, and as he put his arm round her and tenderly
+drew her to him, he could feel the violent beating of her heart. He
+told her everything that he had heard from me. When he had finished,
+she looked at him with flaming eyes.
+
+"The vile murderer will be discovered," she said in a hoarse voice; "I
+trust in God's justice."
+
+Her composure was really remarkable, and gave great cause for anxiety.
+I had lingered behind with the Judge and his clerk. We slowly followed
+the Captain and Anna about twenty steps in the rear.
+
+"I certainly am most unfortunately situated," said the Judge, turning
+to me confidentially. "You heard the harsh words which the poor girl,
+half crazed with pain and horror, spoke to me. I know what those words
+mean. I am well aware that Fräulein Anna is prejudiced against me. She
+thinks that the hostility which her father showed to Herr Franz Schorn
+was partly my fault. That she does so is well known in Luttach, and I
+commit no indiscretion in telling you that there is an attachment
+between Fräulein Anna and Herr Schorn, of which old Pollenz
+disapproved. Fräulein Anna knows that Herr Schorn is my bitter enemy.
+She has sided with him against me, but that her prejudice is as intense
+as the words she has just spoken testify, I confess surprises me. Never
+before have I seen in her the least sign of dislike. Imagine my
+position. My official duty compels me to play the part of a
+disinterested investigator. I cannot spare her pain, but I shall have
+to subject her, with her old maid, to an examination. I must inquire
+how it happened that the Lonely House was left unlocked, perhaps by
+herself; every child in Luttach knows that old Pollenz always locked
+the front door securely. I would give much, very much, to spare the
+young lady this examination."
+
+"If you would depute me to make it, Judge, such an act on your part
+would be entirely justified by the peculiar relations in which you
+stand to Fräulein Anna Pollenz." The Clerk uttered these words very
+quietly and in a businesslike tone, but the District Judge was not
+pleased. He cast a sinister glance at the Clerk and asked, "What do you
+mean by peculiar relations, sir?"
+
+"Nothing but what you yourself indicated, and what, to use your own
+words, every child in Luttach is familiar with," was the quiet reply.
+
+"You allude to the foolish gossip which makes me the young girl's
+rejected suitor? There is not one word of truth in it."
+
+"Then old Pollenz lied, for he stated this, not as a secret, but quite
+openly, in Luttach. At all events, such a report does exist, and it
+will be confirmed unless you make use of your right to depute to me the
+examination of the young lady."
+
+"No, that I will not do. My standard of official duty is too exalted to
+permit my neglecting it out of regard for my own feelings. I might
+perhaps take your advice if I were forced to play the part of examiner
+during the entire legal process, which must ensue upon this murder,
+but, fortunately, that is not so; only the preliminaries are our duty.
+Capital crimes," the Judge said turning to me, "do not come within the
+domain of the District Judge. They are the business of the tribunal of
+the country. Subsequent investigations will take place in Laibach. The
+preliminary examination alone is my task, which, whatever it may cost
+me, I will fulfil."
+
+The Clerk made no reply; he simply bowed in sign that he had no further
+remarks to offer. We now reached the goal of our wanderings. The Lonely
+House stood before us. The Captain and Anna were standing near the
+locked door, and upon a wooden bench beside it sat an old woman, old
+Johanna, "The only servant of the house," the Judge whispered to me.
+The Captain had just told her of the murder of her master. Paralyzed
+with horror, incapable of speech, she was gazing up at him. When she
+tried to rise, she sank back helplessly. The Judge opened the front
+door with the key which I had given him.
+
+Scarcely had he done so when Anna released herself from the Captain's
+arm and would have been the first to rush into the house, had not the
+Judge barred her way.
+
+"Let me go," cried Anna. "I must go to my poor father. You dare not
+hold me back."
+
+She would have pressed past him, but he prevented her from doing so,
+and with quiet resolve, in a perfectly judicial manner, said, "You must
+not see your father yet, Fräulein Anna. My official duty compels me to
+exclude you from the room in which the crime has been committed until
+it has been thoroughly searched. The traces which the murderer has
+perhaps left behind must not be interfered with. You must either stay
+here outside, or, if you wish, wait in your own room until it is
+permitted you to see your father. Captain Pollenz, I pray you to remain
+with your relative and to prevent Fräulein Anna from making an attempt
+to disturb the investigation by going into the murdered man's room. I
+cannot permit it."
+
+Anna retired. As the Judge forbade our entrance into the house, her
+eyes seemed to flash with anger, but she controlled herself, only
+bestowing upon Herr Foligno a glance of dislike and antipathy.
+
+"I obey," she said, recovering her composure wonderfully. "I will wait
+in my room with Johanna and my uncle. You shall have nothing to
+reproach me with. I pray _you_, sir," she said, turning to the Clerk;
+"I entreat _you_ to search, investigate. The blood of my poor father
+cries to heaven. I must doubt its justice should you not succeed in
+discovering the ruthless murderer."
+
+"Rest assured, Fräulein Anna, that I shall leave nothing undone----"
+
+"I did not address you," Anna interrupted the Judge; "I entreat _you_,
+the assistant, to fulfil your duty; search for the murderer, whoever he
+may be, deliver him to the vengeance of the law. I trust you. You will
+not be influenced by fear or considerations of any kind. Do not answer
+me; I trust you; I know you will do everything to discover the
+criminal, even though you do not promise me. Come uncle, come Johanna,
+we will wait in my room."
+
+While Anna was speaking, Herr Foligno's expression was, strangely
+enough, that of timidity and embarrassment; his lips moved; he seemed
+to wish to reply but could not. He retreated silently, as Anna, without
+looking in his direction, passed him. She entered the room at the left
+of the hall, her own apartment, and the Captain and the old maid, still
+half paralyzed with terror, followed her silently.
+
+The Clerk also made no reply to Anna's strange words; he had been much
+astonished by them, as were all who heard them. With a keen searching
+look he regarded the Judge. Not until the door had closed behind Anna
+and the Captain did he say, whispering so softly that only I and the
+Judge could hear, "If you do not feel sufficiently well, Herr Foligno,
+to undertake the examination and will delegate me to conduct it, I am
+quite ready to do so."
+
+"No, no," the Judge replied in as low a tone. Aloud he said, "Follow
+me, gentlemen. We must begin our melancholy task."
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER V.
+                      THE INVESTIGATION CONTINUED.
+
+
+Among all the tragic and even terrible recollections which live in my
+memory, and of which my life has perhaps had more than its share, the
+most terrible is that of the first few days of my stay in Luttach. Even
+now they sometimes disturb my sleep at night. In dreams, I am once more
+in the spacious, dreary room of the Lonely House, with the stiffened
+corpse of the murdered man before me on the floor. The sunlight through
+the window falls upon his pale face with its distorted features. I see
+the terrible wound, and the hard, rasping voice of the District
+Physician strikes upon my ear as with professional calmness he examines
+the wound and with all the indifference with which he would discuss the
+commonest affair of business, explains that any suspicion of suicide is
+out of the question, coldly pointing out to us bystanders, grouped
+about the body, our faces pale and awed, the numerous wounds of which
+any one would have been mortal, and endeavouring with perfect calmness
+to prove that the murderer had first attacked his victim from behind,
+and had finally cut the throat to make sure that the deed was complete.
+I still hear in dreams the clear, incisive words showing that the
+murderer must certainly have been intimately acquainted with the
+murdered man's ways, and that in order to avoid any possibility of the
+old man's divulging his name with his dying breath, he had inflicted
+the last gaping wound.
+
+Fearful as had been the impression made upon me in the morning by my
+discovery, it had not so curdled my blood with horror as did this
+examination of the body. The necessity for action, the danger which
+possibly threatened me from the murderer concealed in the house, had
+strengthened and quickened me in the morning; but now, when I was
+forced to stand by, an inactive spectator of this terrible scene, the
+whole horror of the affair for the first time presented itself to my
+consciousness.
+
+The absence of all emotion, the inflexible indifference of the District
+Physician, who, as I learned from the Clerk, had been the friend and
+physician of old Pollenz, deepened the impression which rendered me
+almost incapable of connected thought.
+
+I was a prey during the entire investigation to intense nervous
+agitation. I saw and heard everything that went on around me so clearly
+that the smallest detail remains stamped upon my memory, but I was
+incapable of connected thought, of drawing conclusions from what I
+heard and saw. This I was able to do only later when removed from the
+spell thus thrown around me. The investigation produced a most
+agitating effect upon the Clerk also, and in especial upon the Judge,
+but they could not leave, and were obliged to fulfil their official
+duty. The Clerk was very pale, but quiet and composed throughout; but
+the Judge was obliged to exert all his self-control to conquer his
+excitement, while the physician, still handling the body, demonstrated
+with great clearness, almost as if he had been a witness of it, the
+manner in which the murder had been committed.
+
+But however intense his emotion, the Judge proved himself equal to the
+task his office imposed upon him. When the time came to search the room
+he displayed the greatest care and circumspection. The bloody knife
+lying upon the floor at some distance from the body was, of course, the
+first object of his notice.
+
+"There lies the weapon with which the deed was committed," he cried.
+"Fortunately, the murderer has left it behind. It may afford a clue in
+his detection."
+
+But this hope proved to be unfounded. The Clerk testified that the
+knife was the same which old Pollenz had always carried as a weapon of
+defense. Whereupon the Judge confirmed what he said; he had seen the
+knife in his friend's possession, and recognized it, but doubtless it
+was the weapon with which the crime was committed. "Most certainly,"
+the Judge added, with keen observation, "the murderer must have
+snatched it from the old man as he tried to defend himself, and in so
+doing caused a struggle; the knife must have wounded the murderer in
+the hand, since its handle is stained with blood. We shall undoubtedly
+find further traces of his bleeding hand there in the cabinet which he
+broke open, and from which he scattered the papers lying about."
+
+The Judged supposition proved correct. Inside the cabinet, as well as
+upon the open drawers, there were distinct traces of bloody fingers,
+and they were also found upon some of the papers strewn on the floor,
+which the murderer had taken from the cabinet but tossed aside as
+useless.
+
+It was in this cabinet, as the Judge and the physician both testified,
+that old Pollenz had kept his money and papers of value. The murderer
+must have been familiar with this place of deposit, for he had opened
+only those drawers used for the purpose. The others, which contained
+receipted bills and worthless papers, had not been opened. The closest
+search failed to discover either money or papers of value, such as
+promissory notes or similar documents. All such had been abstracted. On
+the other hand, an old gold watch, a heavy gold snuffbox, both articles
+of value, remained untouched.
+
+"The murderer is no common thief or burglar," the Judge said calmly.
+"Such an one would not have despised valuable articles like these."
+
+"Certainly not," the physician added; "my firm belief is that he was an
+intimate acquaintance of old Pollenz. None other would have opened
+those drawers unless they knew they would reward a search."
+
+"Unfortunately, this is the only hint we have to put us upon the trace
+of the criminal," the Judge said in a tone of disappointment. "Our
+melancholy investigation has had no result of value."
+
+This was indeed so. The murderer had left the Lonely House without
+leaving any traces except those of his bleeding hand. In spite of the
+most careful search, nothing further was discovered. The Judge set down
+in his deposition all that had been done. It was as clear and well
+composed as that which he had written previously in his room. I
+confirmed his report that I had found the Lonely House and in especial
+the room in which the crime had been committed in the same condition in
+which I had left it. It now remained for the Judge to fulfil the
+hardest part of his task. He was obliged to examine the daughter and
+the old servant of the murdered man. He evidently feared to meet with
+difficulties caused by the aversion to him which the fair Anna had so
+openly expressed, but it was necessary to make this examination in
+order to find some explanation of the surprising fact that the Lonely
+House, usually so carefully locked, should have been left wide open at
+midday.
+
+The Judge's fear, however, proved to be groundless. He found Anna in
+her room, wonderfully quiet and composed. She immediately declared
+herself ready to be examined, and only asked that the Captain, the
+Clerk and myself should be the sole witnesses present. The Judge
+willingly granted this request, and every difficulty was removed. She
+testified that she had that day had her breakfast as usual with her
+father at eleven o'clock, and, close upon twelve, had left the Lonely
+House with Johanna to make some purchases in Luttach, and at the same
+time to visit her old aunt. Her father, as usual, accompanied her to
+the front door and locked and bolted it behind her. It was his custom
+when left alone in the house to bolt himself into his sitting-room.
+Whenever any one knocked at the front door, he always first made sure
+of his visitor by looking out of the window, and, when he was alone,
+never allowed a stranger to cross his threshold. Even acquaintances in
+whom perchance he did not repose entire confidence were always
+dismissed by him from the window. He did not even open the door for
+them. As to her father's property in papers of value and money, Anna
+knew nothing. Her father had never talked with her about his pecuniary
+circumstances. She could not possibly tell of how much he had been
+robbed.
+
+With perfect composure Anna gave her testimony, but, when in conclusion
+the Judge asked her if she had met any one upon her way to Luttach, the
+colour suddenly mounted to her cheek and as quickly left it, and her
+"no" was by no means so clear and decided as had been her earlier
+report. She blushed still more deeply when the Judge asked if her
+father had any special mistrust of any of his acquaintances, and
+assured her that what she should say would be entirely confidential,
+even if there should be nothing in her reply to arouse suspicion.
+
+"I will not answer this question," Anna replied, after she had stood
+for a moment with downcast eyes. "No one in the world has a right to
+ask such a question, and you least of all."
+
+To this declaration she adhered, and the Judge was obliged to finish
+his deposition without learning anything further from her. The
+examination of old Johanna also produced no further result.
+
+Thus the examination ended, and the Judge could no longer refuse to
+allow the daughter to see her father's body. Conducted by Captain
+Pollenz, Anna entered the old man's sleeping-room, where the captain of
+gendarmes and the physician had laid the murdered man upon the bed. The
+Captain afterwards told me that the composure shown by the young girl
+at the terrible sight had filled him with genuine admiration. She
+kneeled beside the bed on which the corpse had been laid. She took the
+cold, stiff hand in hers and kissed it, while tears rolled over her
+cheeks. The Captain would have said a few words to comfort her, but she
+interrupted him.
+
+"Let my grief have way, uncle," she said sadly; "you do not know what I
+have lost in him. He was harsh to every one else, but he loved me with
+all his heart, me only in the world, and I am perhaps the cause of his
+death. This it is that fills me almost with despair. The thought that I
+may be guilty of his death is almost unendurable."
+
+"How can you think such a thing, my child?" the Captain asked, much
+startled.
+
+"I cannot explain it to you, uncle," Anna continued, kissing the dead
+man's hand again and again. "It is perhaps only a foolish thought, but
+it arose in my mind when I heard how cruelly my father had been
+murdered, and I cannot banish it. I dare not share it with any one, not
+even with you, my dear, kind uncle. I commit an injustice perhaps in
+not being able to banish it. I know nothing, nothing which gives me the
+right to entertain it. It is only a vague, fearful foreboding,
+oppressing my heart all the more because I must bear it all alone and
+can share it with no one in the world."
+
+The girl refused all explanation of her mysterious words. For a long
+while she silently knelt by the bed, holding the dead man's hand in
+hers, but at last she rose and followed the Captain to her room,
+in which we--that is, the Clerk, the Judge, the physician, and
+myself--were awaiting her. During Anna's absence with the Captain we
+had been discussing the future of the young girl. It was impossible
+that she should remain with the old servant and the murdered man alone
+in the Lonely House. We had therefore determined to take her back with
+us to Luttach. The physician had kindly offered to give her an asylum
+as a guest in his house. His wife, he told us, was very fond of the
+fair Anna; she would rejoice most heartily to show any loving service
+to the unfortunate child. Anna could not possibly live with her old,
+peevish Aunt Laucic, who was even a greater miser than old Pollenz. She
+would find none of the sympathy and love of which she stood in such
+need with that old dragon.
+
+The kindness and friendliness for the unfortunate young girl which
+prompted the words of the physician reconciled me to him. His
+businesslike indifference during the investigation had made me almost
+hate him, but now I acknowledged to myself that I had been unjust and
+that he was no cold and heartless man, but, on the contrary, a very
+kindly, benevolent old doctor.
+
+We had arranged everything as we thought for the best, but when Anna
+returned to us we found that our wise arrangements were entirely
+useless. She declared, with a decision remarkable in so young a girl,
+that she would not leave her father, but would stay beside him.
+
+In vain did we all entreat her, the Judge alone prudently refraining
+from doing so. We used our most eloquent powers of persuasion.
+
+In vain did the Captain add his voice, and in vain did the physician
+explain to her what an insufficient protection old Johanna would be in
+the Lonely House during the next night.
+
+"If Johanna is afraid, she can go with you to Luttach," she said. "I am
+not afraid to remain alone with my beloved dead."
+
+As she was immovable, we were obliged to comply. We could not force her
+to go with us to Luttach, but we did not leave her alone in the Lonely
+House, for the Captain declared he would not leave her; if she stayed,
+he would stay also; they could make up a bed quite comfortable enough
+for an old soldier.
+
+Anna was reluctant to accept this offer, but the Captain refused to
+withdraw it. He said he could be quite as obstinate as Anna herself,
+and thus he remained in the Lonely House, while we returned to Luttach.
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER VI.
+                           TWO WOUNDED HANDS.
+
+
+Both kitchen and dining-room in the "Golden Vine" were crowded with
+guests--a very unusual thing of a week-day. The report of the murder in
+the Lonely House had spread quickly, not only in the little town, but
+also in the surrounding villages, and, naturally, all were eager to
+hear further particulars, and could find no better place for gratifying
+this desire than in the inn, the home of the Judge, who was sure to be
+there in the evening.
+
+In the spacious kitchen, which was the gathering place of guests of the
+lower classes, peasants and small tradesmen, there was quite a crowd.
+Some were even obliged to drink their wine standing; all the benches
+and chairs were occupied. Here not a German word was to be heard; the
+talk was entirely in Slavonic; even around the hearth where Frau
+Franzka received her intimate friends, all spoke in that tongue.
+
+Nearly twenty men, principally petty tradesmen from Luttach, were
+sitting and standing around the huge hearth listening respectfully to
+Frau Franzka's words, who, as she cooked and broiled, was obliged
+to give all the details of the terrible deed which the "German
+fly-catcher"--such was the name that had already been bestowed upon me
+in Luttach--had discovered. When I passed through the kitchen to go to
+the dining-room, I was most politely and kindly greeted by all present,
+while they looked at me with undisguised curiosity.
+
+In the dining-room there was a far larger assembly than usual. All the
+tables were occupied, but principally the great round one at which the
+Burgomaster presided. All the gentlemen to whom I had been presented on
+the previous evening were present, with the exception of the Captain.
+The District Physician, two gentlemen (strangers to me), and, oddly
+enough, Franz Schorn, were also there; the last sat next the Judge's
+assistant.
+
+I had evidently been expected. A chair beside the District Judge had
+been reserved for me, and when I appeared--quite too late to suit the
+impatience of those present--I was cordially received. Even Franz
+Schorn rose from his seat, and when the other gentlemen offered me
+their hands, he held out his--not the right hand, but the left, like
+the Judge, who had protected his wounded hand with a black glove. I
+remarked that Franz Schorn did not use his right hand, but kept it
+concealed in the breast of his coat, which was closely buttoned.
+
+The conversation was hardly interrupted by my arrival. Naturally it had
+been concerning the murder in the Lonely House, and it so continued
+after I had taken my place at the table. It was to me that all
+inquisitive inquiries were now addressed--to me instead of to the Judge
+or his assistant or to the physician. I was obliged to relate all that
+I had seen. I was questioned about the smallest details; the most
+insignificant interested every one.
+
+The Judge, the assistant and Franz Schorn alone were silent. I could
+inform the two first of nothing new; there was no need for them to
+question me, and Franz Schorn probably did not wish to thrust himself
+forward with inquiries.
+
+It was evident, however, that he listened with intense interest to
+everything that I related. As I spoke I narrowly observed the behaviour
+of the Judge and of Franz Schorn, the two rivals. Herr Foligno appeared
+scarcely to hear what I was saying. His eyes were fixed gloomily on his
+wineglass, and he seemed to take no part in what was going on, but from
+time to time as he looked up I could see that he heard every word that
+I said. Franz Schorn kept his eyes riveted upon me as I spoke. The
+description of my first discovery of the murdered man evidently
+horrified him; he was more agitated by it than any of my other hearers.
+
+After I had ended my narrative, and it had been completed by the
+physician, the question of course was discussed as to who the murderer
+could be, whence he had come, how he had entered the locked house,
+whither he had fled, and what had been the amount of his robbery. In
+this discussion, however, the Judge and his assistant and Franz Schorn
+took no part, although they listened with close attention.
+
+The physician defended with much acuteness his own theory that only an
+intimate acquaintance of old Pollenz could have committed the crime; on
+the other hand, many present maintained that the murderer must be some
+Italian from Trieste, for neither in Luttach nor in the surrounding
+country was there a man capable of such a deed.
+
+During this discussion, to which Franz Schorn listened very
+attentively, the physician accidentally pushed aside the left arm of
+his neighbour--Franz Schorn--who dropped the cigar which he was holding
+in his hand and stooped to pick it up. As he did so, he instinctively
+drew from his bosom his right hand, which had hitherto been concealed
+by his coat. It was bound about with a white bandage, upon which were
+several spots of blood. He thrust it quickly into his breast again, but
+not before the physician had noticed the spots on the white linen.
+
+"Ah, Franz! What is the matter with your hand?" he asked kindly.
+
+"Nothing," Franz replied curtly; "a slight cut."
+
+"Slight! That can hardly be; if you have a bandaged hand and don't use
+it, it must be a tolerably deep cut. Of course, you have done nothing,
+as usual, but wrap a rag about it. You young people are incorrigible.
+You never reflect that the neglect of such cuts, which you consider
+insignificant, may cost you the hand itself. Take off the bandage; I
+want to see what it is."
+
+"It is nothing; a trifle, not worth mentioning."
+
+"All the more readily should you show it to me. You owe obedience to an
+old friend of your father's, you obstinate fellow; so off with your
+bandage; I wish to see the wound."
+
+"Certainly, if you insist," Franz replied, holding out his hand and
+unwinding the bandage. It did not come off easily, but adhered to the
+wound and a few drops of blood followed its removal.
+
+"A couple of good cuts," said the physician, examining the hand; "not
+dangerous; they will heal without any particular care if you spare your
+hand a little for a couple of days; but how did you get such strange
+cuts! Four fingers implicated, and another gash in the palm. It looks
+as if you had done it with a knife."
+
+"And so I did," Franz replied. "I was using a large knife in the
+vineyard to-day and laid it down upon a high wall; it fell and would
+have pierced my foot, if instead of shifting it, I had not foolishly
+grasped at the falling knife and seized the sharp blade instead of the
+handle. That is the whole story. Such slight cuts are not worth
+mentioning." He wrapped the bandage around his hand again and concealed
+it as before in the breast of his coat.
+
+"Such slight cuts are not worth mentioning," the young man had said,
+and it was true; they were insignificant. Nevertheless they aroused in
+me a chain of thought which filled me with dread. Involuntarily I
+thought of the bloody, dagger-like knife which I had seen in the Lonely
+House. If the murderer in his contest with the old man had endeavoured
+to take the knife from him and had accidentally seized it by the blade,
+his hand would have been wounded precisely as was that of Franz Schorn.
+Schorn had hitherto kept his right hand concealed. Why so? Did he wish
+to conceal the wound? An involuntary motion, an accident, had compelled
+him to show the bandaged hand, and it was with great reluctance that he
+had acceded to the physician's request.
+
+I looked at the District Judge. The same suspicion which had made me
+shudder had been aroused also in him. I could read it in the lowering,
+searching glance which he gave to the hand as Franz was wrapping it in
+the bandage again. When he looked up afterwards and his gaze met mine,
+his eyes were more eloquent than his tongue could have been. He slowly
+raised his hand in its black glove as if in token of our understanding
+each other. Strangely enough, his motion and his look had the effect of
+instantly banishing the dark suspicion that had been awakened within
+me. I had no right to entertain it. Had not the Judge himself also
+accidentally wounded his right hand this very day? Might I not have
+seen him also near the Lonely House, since he had been climbing among
+the rocks in search of flowers? No, it would be rank folly to found a
+suspicion with regard to Franz Schorn upon such accidental
+circumstances. That the young man seemed even more gloomy and
+preoccupied than on the previous evening, and that he scarcely uttered
+a word, furnished no grounds for any suspicion with regard to him. Must
+he not be deeply agitated by the terrible death of an old man with whom
+he stood in such close, although hostile, relations? I blamed myself
+for being so carried away by my indignation as to be ready to find in
+insignificant trifles an undue importance. Besides, with the exception
+of the Judge, whose duty it was to investigate all grounds of
+suspicion, no other member of the company had thought of connecting
+Franz Schorn's wounded hand with the murder. They all continued to
+converse freely; even the physician, so acute in piecing out evidence,
+who might have entertained some vague suspicion, had none at all; he
+had thought no possible evil of Franz, and continued to address him now
+from time to time as kindly and unreservedly as before. Still, this
+evening I was very uncomfortable among them all. Their continued talk,
+always of the same details, always of the horrible crime, increased my
+nervous agitation to an intolerable degree. It was impossible to change
+the subject of the conversation; it always reverted to the murder in
+the Lonely House.
+
+This perpetual return to the same horrible subject stretched me upon
+the rack; I could no longer endure it. As soon as I had finished my
+trout and my wine, I rose to withdraw to my room. The Judge followed my
+example, and rose also. After emptying his tall glass at a draught, he
+said he was tired and unhinged and needed to go to bed early after so
+terrible a day. His clerk and the physician, with several other
+gentlemen, courteously entreated me to stay at least for half an hour
+longer, it was so early. Without positive discourtesy I could not
+refuse their request, and ordered myself another glass of wine. The
+Judge followed my example, although no one had requested him to remain.
+In the short time that I stayed, barely half an hour, he drank two full
+glasses of wine, the last at a draught just as I arose and declined to
+remain longer.
+
+Together we ascended the stairs. Mizka preceded us with a candle. When
+we reached the landing in the first story, the Judge offered me his
+left hand in farewell.
+
+"Good-night, Herr Professor," he said aloud, adding in a whisper, "I
+fear I shall be obliged to ask you to-morrow to give me officially an
+account of your meeting with Herr Franz Schorn in the neighbourhood of
+the Lonely House." He looked around at Mizka, who was opening the door
+of my room, and as she entered it he continued, "A ground of suspicion
+such as the wound in his right hand compels me to abandon all personal
+considerations."
+
+Greatly startled, I replied, "Mere chance, Herr Foligno; you, too, have
+wounded your right hand to-day."
+
+My innocent words made him start as if I had struck him a blow in the
+face. I could not see his features, it was too dark on the landing; a
+weak ray of light coming from the open door of my room was the only
+illumination; but the quiver in his voice as he answered me after a
+pause of a second, betrayed the disastrous effect of my words.
+
+"You are perfectly right, Herr Professor; it may be 'mere chance.' I
+shall not proceed against Herr Schorn. I will even try to combat my
+suspicion of evil in him, my enemy, but it is my duty to search for
+further grounds of suspicion against him. That must be done in spite of
+my hostile feeling towards him. Good-night, Herr Professor."
+
+He pressed my hand once more, and we parted.
+
+Mizka was already busy in my room putting everything in order for the
+night. She was obliged to do this as quickly as possible, for the
+number of guests below in the dining-room and in the kitchen depended
+upon her services; but she could not forego a little gossip. She told
+me that before I had entered the dining-room this evening there had
+been quite a quarrel between the Judge and his assistant. They had been
+seated at the round table when Franz Schorn entered the room and looked
+around for a place. All the tables were full, and the Clerk had invited
+Schorn to sit beside him at the round table. This made the Judge
+violently angry, but the Clerk declared that the Judge had no more
+authority than any other guest in the dining-room of the inn. Franz
+Schorn would have retired, but the Clerk detained him, and the
+physician, who had been an old friend of Franz's dead father, had
+declared that he himself would stay only on condition of Franz's
+remaining, and would never again take his place at the round table if
+Herr Foligno denied a seat there to Franz. The Burgomaster, too, and
+the other gentlemen, who were not always friendly to Franz, now took
+his part, so that the Judge was obliged to yield, and Franz, induced by
+their persuasions, took his seat; but neither the Judge nor Franz after
+the quarrel had exchanged a word.
+
+What strange occurrences were these in this little country town! Even
+here, the few cultivated people, so circumscribed in their social
+relations, were divided by hatred and prejudice. I undressed myself
+and, with a memory of the gymnastic feats of my boyhood, clambered into
+my lofty bed. I was sadly in need of repose. The agitations of the day
+had been too much for my old body. They had exhausted my strength, and
+yet excitement of mind conquered bodily weariness. I could not sleep. I
+tried in vain to banish the memory of the dreadful scenes through which
+I had passed. I tried to think of it all with indifference; but what I
+had seen in the Lonely House scared away sleep, of which I had such
+sore need. Hours and hours passed. The time seemed eternal before at
+last I closed my weary eyes.
+
+And the Judge had the same experience; he could not sleep that night.
+As long as I lay awake in bed I heard the sound of his footsteps above
+me, as he paced his room to and fro restlessly. Surely the same
+memories were agitating him which denied me the blessing of slumber.
+The investigation at the Lonely House had not been the mere fulfilment
+of a duty for him, any more than it had been for the physician. The
+horror of it all had impressed him as profoundly as it had myself. It
+did not lessen my opinion of him that he should thus have preserved in
+the midst of his official duties a warm, sensitive heart.
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER VII.
+                           THE TWO REQUESTS.
+
+
+Again I awoke early in the morning. I did not need much sleep for
+physical refreshment, and although it had lasted but a few hours, I
+felt quite fresh and well. The beautiful morning should serve me for
+another expedition, and I wished to start as early as possible; in
+Southern Ukraine only the early morning hours are suitable for mountain
+walks and climbing. As long as the dew still glitters on the grass,
+wandering in the Ukraine mountains is indescribably delightful, but
+when the glowing sun has absorbed the last dewdrops, when its direct
+rays are reflected from gray rocks, when no breath of air fans the
+climber's cheek, mountain-climbing becomes altogether too hard a task
+for an old man. I finished my breakfast before six o'clock and was all
+ready for a start. Whither should I turn my steps! The forest above the
+Chapel of St. Nikolas allured me. I had found such entomological
+treasures there on the previous day that I surely could do nothing
+better than go thither again. I could not collect too many specimens of
+the grub of the _Saturnia cćcigena_, for, unfortunately, I could not be
+sure that each larva would produce a butterfly. To St. Nikolas, then, I
+took my way and by the narrow path. I had succeeded in descending it
+without accident the day before, and it was surely not too dangerous
+for me to ascend it. I set out. The path certainly was better than its
+reputation. It had no danger for a climber not subject to dizziness,
+and was quite firm beneath the foot. I had often ascended far more
+steep and dangerous pathways in my search for some rare plant.
+
+The easy footpath leading to the Lonely House was soon reached, and I
+strode forward sturdily. On the previous day I had hurried along it,
+only desirous to reach Luttach as quickly as possible. To-day I feasted
+my eyes with the view of the charming country upon which I looked down,
+while at the same time I scrutinized with the keenness of a collector
+the gentle ascent on my left where I might perhaps discover some
+treasure growing among the rocks. Not far from the Lonely House I
+perceived to my great joy in a spot which could be reached without
+difficulty many beautiful specimens of the very orchid _Ophrys
+Bertolini_ which the Judge had brought to me yesterday. This was an
+unexpected delight. In yesterday's excitement I had neglected to put
+the charming flowers in water, and when I returned from the
+investigation they were so withered that they were not worth preserving
+for my herbarium. Now I could gather many glorious specimens without
+any trouble.
+
+I left the path and easily climbed the rocks soon reaching the spot
+where the orchids grew. But no sooner had I arrived there than to my
+astonishment several trampled flowers showed me that another had been
+before me, who was also a collector, and had plucked many blossoms of
+the rare _Ophrys_.
+
+One spot showed me that whoever he was, he had been no true botanist; a
+true botanist would have taken the plants, roots and all, not the
+blossoms only. He who collected the flowers here must have been in a
+hurry; he had dropped several blossoms which lay wilted on the ground
+and had evidently been plucked yesterday.
+
+Was this the spot where the Judge had collected the beautiful _Ophrys_
+for me! The specimens which he had brought me were without roots. I now
+recalled this circumstance, which had escaped my notice on the previous
+day; but he had said that it had cost him some trouble and even danger
+to reach the rare plants with the habitat of which he was acquainted.
+He had fallen in doing so and had lacerated his hand. It was impossible
+that he could have done so here; for here was no possible danger; no
+flowers on the mountains could be plucked with more facility than
+these.
+
+And yet here the Judge had been. He had certainly gathered the _Ophrys_
+for me here. I found one unmistakable proof of his presence. On the
+ground lay a red and yellow silk pocket handkerchief, just exactly such
+a handkerchief as the Judge had carried the day before yesterday. I
+remembered it perfectly. Of course he had lost it here while plucking
+the flowers.
+
+Involuntarily I smiled at the good man's boast; in order to give his
+gift a higher value, he had talked of danger in procuring it. I would
+tease him a little for his bragging. When I returned his handkerchief I
+would expatiate on the terrible danger of the place where the _Ophrys
+Bertolini_ was to be found.
+
+Still the plucking of the flowers had not been entirely without danger
+for him. I could not comprehend how he could have fallen on this smooth
+spot and wounded his hand, but that he had done so the handkerchief
+testified. On the yellow silk there were several brown stains, which I
+recognized as blood. The hackneyed old saying, "No fall so slight but
+may kill you quite," occurred to me. With a smile I put the
+handkerchief in my pocket to return it to its owner when I got back to
+the inn. I dug up a number of the beautiful _Ophrys Bertolini_ growing
+here by hundreds, and then, walking on quickly, in scarcely five
+minutes I reached the Lonely House. I was going to pass it, but from a
+window of the upper story the Captain called, begging me to wait a
+moment and he would join me.
+
+He came and greeted me with great cordiality. He had passed a
+melancholy night. Old Johanna had been half crazy with fear and was
+absolutely useless. He had tried to persuade her to occupy one of the
+two rooms on the right of the hall, but she had fled to her bed in the
+upper story and locked herself in. Therefore the Captain had earnestly
+entreated Anna to leave the Lonely House, but all his words had been in
+vain. Anna displayed wonderful composure in her profound grief, but at
+the same time a firmness of purpose bordering on obstinacy. She had
+declared that she would not leave the Lonely House as long as it
+sheltered her father's body. She could not leave it all alone there.
+She would stay with him until he was buried, and she watched beside the
+corpse for half the night. Morning had dawned before she betook herself
+to rest.
+
+"Anna is a strange child," said the Captain. "There are odd
+contradictions in her character. She is gentle and yielding and at the
+same time absolutely firm, open to no persuasion; sometimes frank and
+confiding; at others reserved and almost suspicious even of me,
+although she has repeatedly assured me that she trusts no human being
+as she does me and my brother, the Burgomaster. With entire frankness
+she has given me a detailed account of all the misery and wretchedness
+which has existed here in the house ever since the day when Franz
+Schorn asked her in marriage of her father. Towards herself the old man
+was kind and caressing, although she declared to him that she never
+would forsake Franz Schorn, that she never would marry the Judge; but
+to every other human being, and particularly to Franz, he displayed
+positive hatred, regarding all with profound suspicion, even old
+Johanna. He was completely dominated by the fear that some day he
+should be attacked and murdered. Wherefore he always bolted himself
+into his room, and if he admitted any one was armed with a dagger-like
+knife. He kept this terrible knife in his hand even whilst old Johanna
+arranged his room; even from her he feared some secret attack. No
+entreaty of Anna's could induce him to moderate his savage hatred of
+Franz. She, on her part, declared that she never would forsake Franz as
+long as she lived. This had led to continual strife between herself and
+her father, for she had told him frankly that he must shut her up in a
+close prison if he wished to prevent her from seeing Franz, and she had
+seen him almost daily; when her father locked himself up in his room
+after the midday meal to sleep for an hour, she always left the house
+to see Franz, who awaited her beneath the large oak not far away. Her
+father knew this, but had done nothing to prevent it, after she had
+declared to him that she should continue to do it, and if he locked her
+in the house, she would try to break the locks. The strange girl told
+me all this with reckless frankness, while at the same time she refused
+me any explanation, although I begged her to give it, of what she meant
+yesterday when she declared that she perhaps was guilty of her father's
+death. My little Anna is a riddle to me," the Captain thus closed his
+long account, "but I love her none the less and I shall stay here to
+protect her. I will not leave her all by herself in the Lonely House.
+Now you can do me a favour, Herr Professor. When you return at midday
+from your excursion to St. Nikolas, stop here before the Lonely House
+once more, and I will give you some directions to take to Luttach for
+my brother, the Burgomaster. He must provide a suitable home for Anna
+in Luttach if she refuses to accept the doctor's invitation after her
+father's funeral, for which he must also give directions. I will put
+all this down in a letter, which you will have the kindness to give to
+my brother yourself."
+
+I at once promised what he asked, and we parted the best of friends.
+The Captain returned to the Lonely House to write his letter, which, as
+he said, was quite a task for an old soldier unaccustomed for many
+years to hold a pen.
+
+I continued my walk and soon reached the little Church of St. Nikolas.
+Again I fed my eyes on the charming prospect and then proceeded to
+collect. I scrambled about in the forest, hither and thither, for some
+hours; then up on the bald rocky side of Nanos, and not until my
+bottles and boxes were so full that I could accommodate no more
+treasures, and the heat had become oppressive, did I take my way back
+towards noon by the same path which I had followed yesterday. In a
+little while I reached the footpath leading to the Lonely House, and on
+the very same spot where I had yesterday encountered Franz Schorn I
+found him again to-day, but he did not avoid me; he awaited me. He was
+not alone; beside him, with his arm around her waist, stood pretty
+Anna. They were a charming pair. I delighted in the sight of the two
+beautiful young people. Franz was certainly a handsome fellow. Now, as
+he looked down on his lovely companion, with eyes full of the tenderest
+affection, the beauty of his features, which a gloomy expression had
+hitherto concealed, was plainly visible.
+
+When the young man observed me, a shadow crossed his brow. Without
+releasing his companion, with his left hand he took off his straw hat
+in greeting. Then Anna, too, saw me, and with a blush beckoned to me
+kindly. She made no attempt to release herself from the embracing arm
+of the young man.
+
+"We were awaiting you here, Herr Professor," said Franz, as I reached
+them. "Captain Pollenz informed my betrothed that you, in coming from
+St. Nikolas, had promised to stop, towards noon, at the Lonely House;
+therefore we came to meet you to make a request of you."
+
+"Which I shall certainly comply with if possible," I replied, regarding
+the young girl with genuine delight. She blushed, but looked up with
+kindling eyes at Franz as he uttered the word "betrothed."
+
+"It is a request that may seem strange to you, Herr Professor," Franz
+continued, "but, nevertheless, I will make it; I am convinced that you
+would not wish to cause annoyance either to myself or to my dear
+betrothed."
+
+"Most certainly not. Pray tell me quite frankly what you wish."
+
+"It is not much. I would only ask you not to mention to any one our
+meeting yesterday here in this place."
+
+The request in itself seemed trivial enough, but the look which
+accompanied it was far from meaningless. It betokened intense anxiety
+as to whether or not I would accede to what he asked.
+
+In truth, the young man's request was a strange one. Involuntarily my
+eyes turned to his wounded right hand. All diverse thoughts ran riot in
+my brain. I remembered the large double-edged knife with its bloody
+handle lying on the floor of the room in the Lonely House, and then
+came the memory of the cut on a brown hand and the doctor's voice
+saying, "That looks as if you had grasped a knife by the blade." Again
+I saw Franz turn from me to hurry through the undergrowth, and again I
+saw him with eyes gloomily cast down as he listened to the physician's
+words. I recalled his bitter hostility to old Pollenz, and the old
+man's words, "That fellow will kill me one of these days." Hitherto I
+had entertained no downright suspicion of the young fellow, but it
+suddenly stirred within me.
+
+"Why do you wish me not to mention our meeting?" I asked in reply.
+
+"Because I begged Franz to ask you this," Anna replied for the young
+man, whose features as I spoke resumed their wonted gloomy expression.
+"Franz told me that yesterday he turned away from you because he wished
+to avoid any meeting with you. He feared it might cause you annoyance,
+if you had happened to be seen by any chance passer-by walking with
+him. He had been waiting for me a long time in vain beneath the old oak
+where we are used to meet every day at noon. I could not come because
+my father had sent me down to Luttach. Franz was in a very bad humour
+when he met you, and so, to avoid greeting you, he turned away into the
+forest."
+
+Anna's words had a peculiar effect upon me. They strengthened my
+suspicions. If he were not guilty, would Franz have thought it
+necessary to have the young girl explain to me why he was in the
+neighbourhood of the Lonely House at noon, and why he had turned away
+from me with such sullen looks?
+
+"You have not yet told me why I should not mention my meeting with Herr
+Schorn," I replied.
+
+"I will explain that to you myself," Franz said hurriedly, "my
+betrothed thinks that if Foligno should learn that I was seen yesterday
+here in the neighbourhood of the Lonely House, the malice and hatred
+with which he regards me would find expression in vile suspicion of
+me."
+
+"It would certainly be so. I entreat you, dear Herr Professor, do not
+tell a human being that you met Franz yesterday."
+
+As she spoke the young girl looked up at me with such entreaty in her
+beautiful eyes that my heart was softened. I was in an awkward
+position. Ought I to tell her that I could not comply with her request,
+because I had already informed the Judge of my meeting Franz? This I
+could not do. I could not warn Franz without perhaps injuring the
+investigation; but, on the other hand, I certainly could not make a
+promise which it was already impossible to keep.
+
+"I can promise nothing," I replied guardedly; "in an official
+examination one is bound to conceal nothing."
+
+"Oh, Herr Professor, I beg, I entreat you----"
+
+Franz interrupted her, and, casting at me a look which was almost
+menacing, exclaimed, "Do not say another word, Anna; the Herr Professor
+is right; it was folly, yes, wrong, for me to yield to your desire and
+make this request of the Herr Professor, who ought not to comply with
+it. If that scoundrel, Foligno, suspects me, I know how to meet his
+suspicion. Come, Anna, we ought not to detain the gentleman any
+longer."
+
+He lifted his hat by way of farewell, and walked towards the forest
+with the young girl. My mind was filled with contradictory thoughts.
+Can that proud, self-assertive young man be a miserable criminal! I
+would so gladly have banished all suspicion of him, but--how terrible
+it was that so lovely and charming a girl had perhaps bestowed the
+wealth of her affection upon her father's murderer!
+
+I walked slowly towards the Lonely House, where the Captain, sitting
+before the door, was awaiting me. He handed me the letter for his
+brother, gave me various verbal commissions, and I left with a promise
+to visit him shortly in the Lonely House.
+
+"Shall I bring the Herr Professor's lunch into the garden?" Mizka asked
+me as I entered the kitchen of the Golden Vine on my return from my
+excursion. "The Judge has been lunching in the garden, and is sitting
+with his coffee beneath the great linden."
+
+The _Ophrys Bertolini_ occurred to me. I smiled at the remembrance of
+the Judge's boast and was pleased at the idea of teasing him. Of course
+I ordered my lunch in the garden and betook myself thither.
+
+The Judge was sipping his coffee and smoking his long cigar at the
+round table beneath the spreading linden. He seemed sunk in a profound
+reverie, leaning his head upon his hand and with downcast eyes. I was
+struck with his pallor and with the sallowness and the drawn look of
+his features. At my first words he started violently, and for a moment
+gazed at me with terror, almost as if awaking from an oppressive dream,
+but in an instant he recovered his self-control, and greeted me with a
+smile.
+
+"I think I was dozing," he said; "the terrible heat makes me sleepy."
+
+Why should he have told such an untruth? He had not been dozing; just
+before he started he had raised his hand to his cigar and had taken a
+long whiff.
+
+"I admire you, Herr Professor," he said, "for being able to climb about
+in such heat. I suffer from it even here in the shade of the linden. I
+trust you were richly rewarded for your trouble."
+
+"I was indeed," I replied smiling. "I have had great luck. I have been
+so fortunate as even to discover the place where, yesterday, you
+plucked for me the charming _Ophrys Bertolini_."
+
+My jesting words produced a strange effect. Herr Foligno stared
+at me blankly; his sallow face grew ashy pale; his mouth twitched
+convulsively as he said brokenly, "No, impossible! How--how--could
+you--how could you get there?"
+
+"In the easiest way in the world," I replied, tickled that the
+discovery of his boast had so startled the worthy gentleman. "The spot,
+so difficult and even dangerous to attain, in reaching which you fell
+on the rocks and wounded your hand, I found right on the road to the
+Lonely House and most easy of attainment. From the path I saw the
+_Ophrys_ blooming, and mounted without any difficulty to where it
+grew."
+
+"Then you have had the good fortune to discover a new home for it
+which I had not known," Herr Foligno replied, having regained his
+self-control with surprising celerity. "I found the orchid on an
+overhanging rock in quite a distant part of the country."
+
+"Indeed, that is very remarkable. Did you, by chance, lose your pocket
+handkerchief there? I found it in my spot--or is it not yours? Look,
+the yellow silk shows some spots of blood, probably from a wounded
+hand."
+
+With a laugh I drew out the handkerchief and handed it to him; the
+black gloved hand with which he took it trembled. He examined it quite
+attentively for some time, and then said quietly, "This certainly is a
+remarkable coincidence. The handkerchief actually belongs to me, and I
+probably lost it yesterday in climbing about the rocks, but certainly
+not where you found it, for I was not even in the neighbourhood of the
+Lonely House. Probably one of the young goatherds here who scramble
+about everywhere in the mountains found it, and lost it again where you
+discovered it."
+
+With the greatest calmness he put the handkerchief in his pocket. I
+could not refuse him my admiration, for his barefaced explanation
+struck me as quite brilliant. Whether I believed him or not, I must
+pretend to do so. Laughing heartily, I replied: "I congratulate you,
+Herr Foligno, on the happy chance which led the little goatherd and the
+old Professor to the same place, one losing, the other finding your
+handkerchief to restore it to you."
+
+The Judge probably felt the irony in my words, but he took no notice of
+it. He offered me his hand cordially.
+
+"It certainly is a very strange coincidence," he said. "If my
+acquaintances here should hear of it, it might give them material for
+teasing me quite unpleasantly. You will oblige me, Herr Professor, if
+you will not mention this little occurrence. May I rely upon you?"
+
+"Certainly; I will be silent as the grave," I replied, still laughing,
+but the suspicious and evil glance which he cast at me quickly silenced
+my laughter. He said nothing further about the handkerchief or the
+_Ophrys_; he only made a few remarks about the unusual heat of the
+weather so late in the season, and then arose, saying that he was
+obliged to return to his office, and, therefore, to his regret, must
+leave me.
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER VIII.
+                              QUIET WEEKS.
+
+
+The first eventful days which I passed in Luttach were followed by
+weeks that were more serene. Favoured by the beautiful weather, I made
+daily excursions in every direction, reaping a rich harvest everywhere.
+I grew more and more familiar with the peculiar features of the
+country, and every day I grew more in sympathy with the smiling,
+charming valley shut in by mountains crowned with bald summits. The
+contrast between the barren gray rocks and the luxuriant valley at
+their feet particularly charmed me, and I especially delighted in the
+view when the sun sank behind the mountains, which were quickly
+enveloped in a soft twilight mist, the noble outlines of their peaks
+showing clear against the sky in the light of the setting sun.
+
+The character of the inhabitants of Southern Ukraine soon grew familiar
+to me. Intercourse with the country folk whom I met on my excursions
+was, of course, very limited; we could not understand each other's
+language. Here and there a man who had served in the army could speak
+German, but only brokenly. The women for the most part spoke scarcely a
+German word, and they found it very difficult to understand the few
+Slavonic words which I had learned from Mizka and which I certainly
+pronounced very badly. There could be no attempt at conversation, but
+nevertheless the Slavonic country folk tried to testify kindness and
+cordiality for the stranger.
+
+The peasants evidently held it their duty to offer the hospitality of
+their fields to the "flycatcher," as they dubbed me, although sometimes
+they found the grass trodden down where he had been. Unlike the Swiss
+peasantry, who load with abuse any stranger venturing to trespass in
+their fields, these Slavonic country folk seemed glad to have me pluck
+flowers and pursue butterflies wherever I would; nay, they would at
+times even point out places among the rocks most easy of access and
+would assist in my search, never asking for money, accepting at most,
+with many Slavonic words of thanks, a cheap cigar. Scarcely ever in all
+my travels have I met a peasantry so amiable and kindly as these much
+slandered Slavonic country folk. I never heard a harsh word or found a
+trace of that hatred of Germans against which I had been cautioned.
+
+And yet it was none the less there at the bottom of all their hearts;
+but it was not for the German proper, as the Burgomaster had told me on
+that first evening, but for those Ukrainers who in a Slavonic country
+aimed at remaining faithful to Germany. Of this I had daily proof in
+the expressions which I heard with regard to Franz Schorn.
+
+The young man interested me greatly and I took every opportunity to
+inform myself as to his circumstances, his earlier life, and everything
+regarding him. What I learned was not of a nature either to weaken or
+strengthen my suspicion, and, besides, I could not but acknowledge to
+myself that all the sources from which I could gain information were
+unfit to give me a true, distinct picture of a young fellow living in
+brooding seclusion, as it were, in a community rife with party hatred.
+The Clerk, the Captain, and the Burgomaster were the only men who could
+sufficiently rid themselves of prejudice to speak really well of the
+young man.
+
+All acknowledged that Franz Schorn was an industrious, capable farmer,
+who took admirable care of the estate inherited from his father; that
+he was well educated, to a degree above his station; but no praise was
+accorded to his character; he was said to be an obstinate, sullen
+fellow, ready for deeds of violence, filled with party hatred,
+maltreating his Slavonic labourers, covetous and hard-hearted. He had
+no pity for the poor; his only desire was to gain money and increase
+his patrimony, which was the reason why he had cast his eye on the rich
+and pretty Anna Pollenz, not because he loved her, but from greed of
+gain. This was the verdict of his enemies concerning him. The Captain
+and the Clerk alone maintained that he was a man of honour, incapable
+of mean or avaricious conduct; that he was reserved and defiant,
+willing to defend himself with some violence against all party hatred,
+and in other respects the victim of slander and low suspicion. How
+could I find the truth in these conflicting descriptions? I pondered
+the question in vain. It was certainly remarkable that a handsome,
+well-to-do, educated young man should be so generally detested, and it
+was hard to believe that such widespread hatred was entirely without
+foundation.
+
+I now had many opportunities of observing him. He came almost regularly
+every evening to the Golden Vine and took the place at the round table
+which the Clerk always reserved for him. It seemed to me that this was
+done in order to establish a more kindly social feeling between Franz
+and the rest of the company who nightly assembled in the inn. The Clerk
+evidently endeavoured in the kindest way to draw him into the
+conversation, which he knew how to conduct so that Schorn would have an
+opportunity to be heard to the very best advantage in displaying his
+clear judgment and admirable intelligence.
+
+The Captain, the Burgomaster, and the doctor aided the Clerk in his
+endeavour to establish peace between Franz and the rest of the company,
+who, out of regard for these gentlemen, became less antagonistic, to be
+sure, but still remained decidedly indifferent. They were content to do
+what was required of them socially, greeting the young man when he
+entered, but in conversation they avoided all direct talk with him, and
+since he addressed all that he said to the three above-named members of
+the party, he rarely exchanged a word with the others. The antipathy
+existing between Franz and the Judge was especially observable. Between
+these two there was an insurmountable barrier of profound dislike. They
+never exchanged either a greeting or a word. Franz never even looked at
+the Judge, although Herr Foligno watched him narrowly.
+
+As soon as Franz appeared among the company in the evening, the Judge
+fell silent. Even though he might before have talked continually, and
+at times had even attempted to monopolize the conversation, from the
+time when Franz appeared he confined himself to monosyllables or a word
+thrown in here and there. He listened to all that was going on and with
+special interest when the talk turned upon the failure to discover the
+perpetrator of the crime committed in the Lonely House. At such times
+his gaze would be riveted with a strange intensity upon Franz Schorn.
+No word that the young man spoke, no expression of his countenance,
+escaped him then. It was the gaze of the serpent upon the bird which he
+is about to devour. This is perhaps an unsuitable simile, but it
+occurred to me involuntarily as I saw the Judge watching Franz. I knew
+his suspicions of the young man, and knew that he was secretly trying
+to accumulate fresh grounds for it. I knew also that his desire was
+great to gather from Franz some word that could be used against him,
+and I fervently thanked my Creator that after going through two terms
+as a student of law, I had given up all legal aspirations and devoted
+myself to natural science. There is something positively detestable to
+me in the thought of a man like the Judge sacrificing all humanity in
+an eagerness to discover the traces of a crime. My discomfort increased
+from day to day as I observed the stealthy manner in which he watched
+Franz's every word and motion.
+
+Sometimes I actually hated the Judge, but I reflected that I had no
+right to do so. He was simply fulfilling the duty of his office, and
+probably such fulfilment was most obnoxious to him; he certainly had
+before him a most unpleasant and arduous task.
+
+As yet there had been no light thrown upon the mysterious crime in the
+Lonely House. The necessary papers had been sent to the court at
+Laibach, and there the matter rested for the present. The investigating
+Judge and the Attorney General had come to Luttach in person to
+convince themselves that there was no trace of the criminal. The stolen
+bonds and banknotes had not been found, and, in fact, identification of
+these would have been impossible, as there had been no registration of
+them.
+
+Nor could the minutest search among the papers of the murdered man give
+any evidence as to the amount of his property. The Judge and the
+tradesman Weber, each of whom had formerly had dealings with old
+Pollenz and occasion to speak with him about his money affairs,
+maintained that the old man had kept a list of all bonds in his
+possession, and of his outstanding investments, in order that he might
+always be fully conscious of the amount of his wealth, but such a list
+was not among the papers left behind by the thief. The miserly old man
+had speculated with a kind of passion. He was in correspondence with
+several bankers in Vienna; no one could tell with how many. These
+bankers he commissioned partly by letter and partly through a Luttach
+firm of tradesmen, Weber & Meyer, as to the purchase and sale of
+various stocks. He excluded every one from all knowledge of his
+speculations, and never sold his stock through the same banking house
+that had purchased it for him. As no one knew how many banking houses
+he employed, it seemed quite hopeless to discover what stock and
+government bonds he had possessed, and this, of course, diminished the
+chances of the discovery of the murderer should he attempt to sell the
+papers.
+
+It must have been a really humiliating reflection for Herr Foligno that
+within his district a crime should have been committed without any
+possibility of the discovery of the criminal. He might well fear that
+those above him would accuse him of a want of acuteness, or of activity
+in the performance of his duties. His clear, excellently composed
+deposition had evidently not brought him the credit that it should have
+done in higher places. When the two officials from Laibach had made
+their visit to Luttach, they had put all their questions to the Clerk
+and not to himself.
+
+"Perhaps I have been wrong," he said to me after the visit of the two
+men from Laibach, "I ought to have required you to give me a sworn
+report of your encounter with Herr Franz Schorn in the forest near the
+Lonely House. I thought of doing so, but the same feeling which forbade
+me to do it upon the first discovery of the murder actuated me to-day
+and with renewed strength. Your meeting with him, and the wound in his
+hand, now entirely healed, are the only grounds of suspicion against
+him, and you yourself proved to me how insignificant they are by your
+simple remark that I, too, might be subjected to suspicion from the
+same causes. I assure you, Herr Professor, that I cannot be
+sufficiently grateful to you for preventing me from taking a step which
+I might have repented forever. I do not deny that my suspicion of the
+man is even more deeply rooted now than it was then, but it behooves me
+to be all the more strict with myself, for hitherto I have discovered
+nothing which could justify me in accusing the man whom, nevertheless,
+I detest profoundly. Should I do so, all the world would believe that I
+was endeavouring to be rid of a hated rival."
+
+I could not but admit that he was right. Circumstances were really most
+unfortunate for him. The Lonely House deserved its name now still more
+than formerly. It was utterly lonely. After the body of its owner had
+been interred in the graveyard of the village of Oberberg, the Captain
+had closed it. Anna and her old maid had come to Luttach; she had at
+last yielded to the persuasions of the Captain, the Burgomaster, and
+the doctor, and had accepted an asylum in the doctor's house. A couple
+of unused rooms were quickly furnished for herself and old Johanna.
+They did not live there as guests of the owner, but as lodgers. It was
+only with the stipulation that there should be no restriction of her
+freedom that she had yielded to the wishes of her relatives, and the
+first use which she made of this freedom was to declare that Franz
+Schorn was her future husband, who should lead her to the altar at the
+expiration of her year of mourning. In vain did the Burgomaster, the
+Captain, and the doctor entreat the young girl to reserve for a time
+such a declaration. Anna was not to be persuaded.
+
+"It is just because all are against him; just because all seem to hate
+him in spite of his noble, lofty nature, that I will be true to him. I
+have been betrothed to him for two years. As long as my father lived I
+could not declare this boldly against his will, but now I can do so."
+
+Anna's declaration produced a disagreeable impression in Luttach. The
+little social circle there was greatly scandalized, but even the
+loudest scandalmonger had to be silent, since Anna with delicate tact
+avoided all occasion for calumny. Her lover never visited her; her only
+times for seeing him were when he was invited to the house by its
+owner, the doctor, who had at first been really provoked at the girl's
+obstinacy, but who now found it impossible to say enough of her truly
+enchanting disposition. He had always loved her, ever since she had
+been a little child, but had never dreamed of her becoming so charming,
+so tender and caressing. His wife, too, was perfectly delighted to have
+the lovely girl beneath her roof. He now comprehended perfectly how
+that stony-hearted miser, old Pollenz, had yielded to the charm of this
+girl, and, being quite unable to resist her, had not ventured to oppose
+her meeting Franz beneath the oak daily at noon, for fear of her
+forsaking him entirely. But, docile and amiable as Anna showed herself
+among her relatives and friends, the Burgomaster, the Captain, the
+doctor and his wife, she was correspondingly hard and repellent towards
+the Judge. From the Captain, with whom I had a daily gossip in the
+early morning in the garden, I learned that Herr Foligno still
+entertained a foolish hope of conquering the dislike which Anna felt
+for him. Several times since she had taken up her dwelling at the
+doctor's he had made an attempt to approach her, but had always been
+repulsed with signs of the greatest aversion. The Captain and the
+doctor had represented to her that she should at least treat him with
+conventional courtesy, but she had declared that for him she had no
+courteous, kindly word; she detested and despised him, not only because
+her father had once wished to force her to marry him, but because she
+had a firm conviction that he was at heart a wicked man. She would give
+no grounds for this belief, but she was quite sure it was justified.
+
+The Captain and the doctor must have mentioned to others Anna's
+behaviour in this respect; it was known throughout Luttach. There was
+much laughing gossip in the little town about the Judge's unfortunate
+love. Every evening Mizka detailed to me some town tattle, which was
+sure to have for its subject pretty Anna and her two adorers. Perhaps
+it was not quite right that I should lend an ear to such downright
+gossip, but I do not deny that it interested me, and I could not make
+up my mind to interrupt the garrulous maid as she told me of all that
+was discussed in the town.
+
+Though I had but very little sympathy for the Judge, I felt rather
+sorry for him; he apparently suffered from the unfortunate
+circumstances in which he was placed. He had proved, too, that at
+bottom he was not a bad man by the consideration which he had shown for
+his inveterate enemy, against whom he endeavoured to harbour no
+suspicion. It was most unfortunate that he should bestow his affection
+upon a young girl who detested him. I could not excuse him for
+continuing to sue for her favour after she had shown him her dislike,
+and he exposed himself to the ridicule of the townfolk and fell in my
+esteem when every evening he sought to drown his woes by drinking
+immoderately.
+
+Nevertheless I pitied him. To me he was all amiability and courtesy. He
+usually postponed his midday meal until I returned from my excursions
+and could partake of it with him. He took much interest in my
+collections, particularly in my botanical treasures, and really showed,
+for a layman, no little knowledge of the subject. If I had lit upon
+some rare plant, he would learn from me its locality, and in the
+afternoon would scramble about among the rocks and boast to me in the
+evening as he displayed the plucked flowers of the result of his
+labours, and that he had discovered another spot rich in such
+treasures. If on the following morning I endeavoured to find according
+to his directions the place he had described, I became aware that it
+could be attained only by what was almost dangerous climbing. The
+ascent to a place where he told me I should find quantities of the
+_Ophrys Bertolini_ was so hazardous that I might easily have come to
+grief had I not been a practised mountaineer. On returning, although I
+strictly followed his directions, I could not have rightly understood
+them, for I entered a perfect labyrinth of dangerous ravines. It was
+almost by a miracle that at last I found my way out of it and succeeded
+in descending by an unused breakneck path.
+
+Exhausted beyond measure by such unexpected exertion, I returned to
+Luttach at noon and rehearsed to the Judge the danger through which I
+had passed.
+
+He replied with a smile, "You must have missed the path in descending
+which I described to you. It is not without danger, but still not very
+bad. I am glad, however, that you are now convinced of the difficulty
+which I had two weeks ago in plucking the _Ophrys Bertolini_. That is
+the spot where I found the flowers that I brought you. I still do not
+understand how you found the charming plants in a place easy of
+access."
+
+So he had sent me upon this dangerous excursion just to rid himself of
+the imputation of bragging. This was very clear. I really did not thank
+him for it. I said nothing, but determined in future not to explore any
+of his wonderful localities. I am not such a passionate enthusiast for
+botany as to expose myself, for the sake of a beautiful flower, to the
+risk of breaking my neck.
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER IX.
+                          AN EXPLORING PARTY.
+
+
+One evening there was so full an assembly round the table in the inn
+that all the gentlemen with whom I had become acquainted in Luttach
+were present, with the exception of Franz Schorn. He, as the
+Burgomaster told us, had driven in the early morning to Görz to bring
+thence some expensive agricultural machines which he wished to employ
+on his farm. He had promised the Burgomaster to come to the inn late in
+the evening to give an account of his purchases, and he was expected to
+appear any minute.
+
+Since the young man had of late been a constant attendant at the round
+table, the conversation which had formerly been quite lively with
+regard to him had ceased. It was all the more lively on this evening,
+and the subject of it was the purchases he had gone to Görz to make.
+Several of the men present were the owners of large estates. They at
+least knew something of agriculture, and yet they were the very ones
+who expressed themselves as disapproving of the novelties which Franz
+was trying to introduce.
+
+"He is always endeavouring to use something new-fangled and peculiar,"
+Herr Gunther, one of the richest of the land-owners in the county,
+declared. "These machines are probably useful enough in Germany, in
+countries where labour is perhaps very expensive, but they do not suit
+us here, where they are a ruinous innovation. We have so many poor
+people about us who want work, that it is a positive crime to deprive
+them of it by the use of machinery."
+
+"That is just why Schorn buys the machines," another interposed, a man
+by the name of Mosic. "He hates our poor Slavonic labourers and would
+like to be independent of them. He has probably heard that many of our
+best labourers have combined against him and will not work for the
+German. Where does he get the money he is spending upon such expensive
+machines?"
+
+"The harvests for several years have not been so plentiful as to enable
+a farmer to accumulate much cash," said another.
+
+"Perhaps he buys on credit," said the notary, Dietrich.
+
+"Not at all," rejoined the merchant, Meyer. "I have often offered him
+credit, but he has never accepted it. 'What I cannot buy with ready
+money I will go without; I will not burden myself with debt,' has
+always been his reply to me."
+
+"He does not need to do so; he is always economical, and has money
+enough," remarked the shopkeeper, Weber. "As he was paying me yesterday
+for his clover seed, I saw that his pocket-book contained a roll of
+hundred-gulden notes."
+
+"He has certainly spent a deal of money lately; he has purchased two
+splendid horses, and they were really not necessary, for the two which
+he gave in part payment to Schmelzigsohn were good enough. He is
+squandering money at present. People whisper queer things of him. In
+fact, they are beginning to whisper no longer, but to talk loudly, and
+before long what they say will be proclaimed in the market place."
+
+"It certainly is strange that Schorn has so much money at his command.
+Before old Pollenz was murdered he seemed to have very little."
+
+For an instant profound silence followed the last remark of Mosic's. A
+strange expression spread over the countenances of those present. The
+innuendo in the words just spoken made a most painful impression upon
+all. The Clerk was the first to recover himself. With an angry look at
+Mosic, he said in a tone of harsh reproof:
+
+"How dare you, Herr Mosic, utter such an accusation against an absent
+member of our circle? I shall inform Herr Schorn of what you have said
+that he may call you to account for it."
+
+Herr Mosic changed color.
+
+"Oh, pardon me, sir," he said, and his voice trembled; "you entirely
+misunderstood me. I have no idea of uttering an accusation against Herr
+Schorn. I only repeated the stupid talk of the townsfolk. Of course I
+attach no importance to it; it is not my fault if people will talk."
+
+"You ought not to repeat such nonsensical gossip," the Clerk said
+angrily.
+
+Hitherto the Judge had taken no part in the conversation. He had sat
+silent drinking glass after glass of wine, but now he turned to the
+Clerk, and in a very odd tone said, with a glance toward me:
+
+"You judge rather hastily, sir; you should remember that the voice of
+the people is the voice of God."
+
+"Pardon me, Judge," cried the doctor; "in this case the despicable
+gossip is the voice of the devil; no honest man should repeat or defend
+it."
+
+"So say I. 'Tis a cowardly, unworthy accusation!" exclaimed the
+Captain, and the Burgomaster nodded assent. "Franz is a rough, morose
+fellow, but a man of honour through and through, incapable of
+committing a crime."
+
+"Besides," added the doctor, "very little understanding is necessary to
+perceive that he never could have committed the murder. Even if he had
+been a hard-hearted wretch quite capable of it, no suspicion of _this_
+crime could attach to him."
+
+"Indeed!" said the Judge, contemptuously; "I really am curious to learn
+why no possible suspicion in this case could attach to Schorn."
+
+"Upon my word, it is sad to think that I, an old doctor, understanding
+nothing of criminal law, should have to instruct a learned Judge as to
+what his simple, sound, good sense should teach him, but since it is
+so, since such ridiculous gossip has found no one in this circle to
+expose it as such, it must be. The murderer was certainly a man with
+whom old Pollenz was very intimate; Franz he hated like sin and held
+him to be his mortal enemy.
+
+"When little Anna went to Luttach with old Johanna, her father locked
+the front door behind them, and, as always when resting at noon,
+withdrew to his own room and bolted himself in. Whoever wished to enter
+the house or to see its owner would be obliged either to break down the
+door or be admitted by old Pollenz himself. Now, no sensible human
+being could believe that the old man would have opened his door for
+Schorn, to allow himself to be murdered--for Franz Schorn, of whom he
+was afraid, of whom he always said, 'Schorn will kill me one of these
+days.' He would have drawn a double bolt on every door if Franz had
+asked for admittance, but on this occasion he drew back the bolt and
+opened the door. There is no trace of any violence used in opening it,
+and a bolted door cannot be opened unless from within, or with
+violence; therefore I maintain that the murderer must have been an
+intimate friend of old Pollenz, and in no case can the slightest
+suspicion attach to Franz Schorn. I think I have now proved this
+clearly."
+
+"Clear as sunlight; the legal profession loses a shining light in you,
+doctor," the Judge rejoined, his thin lips curled in a contemptuous
+smile. "After your lucid defense," he continued, "it seems to me
+incumbent upon us all to say not one word to Franz Schorn of our
+previous conversation; he would surely be deeply offended and insulted
+if he could believe that any one of us entertained the smallest doubt
+of his innocence. We must take it upon ourselves to discountenance the
+town gossip wherever we hear it, always taking care that the young man
+learns nothing of the rumours concerning him. The object of such
+rumours can never combat them himself. Should he try to do so, it would
+but strengthen belief in them; but we can have many opportunities to
+silence slander. I hope you all agree with me, gentlemen."
+
+All agreed. The doctor offered the Judge his hand in token of
+acknowledgment, and said with a kindly nod:
+
+"You are a good fellow, after all, Judge, and I beg your pardon. It is
+fine of you to stand up so bravely for Franz, although you cannot
+endure him. I will not forget it of you."
+
+That the Judge's words had produced their effect upon all present, even
+upon those most opposed to Schorn, was evident when the young man soon
+afterward entered the room; he was received with more cordiality and
+kindness than ever before; it really seemed as if Herr Gunther and Herr
+Mosic were trying by their courtesy to atone for the words spoken in
+his absence.
+
+Franz was so pleasantly surprised by this friendly reception that he
+became far more amiable and genial than ever before. At the
+Burgomaster's request, he explained the new machines which he had
+bought in Görz and the use to which he intended to put them, not only
+for his own advantage, but hoping to improve the agriculture of the
+entire Luttach valley by introducing them generally.
+
+This excited a little war of words between him and the two land-owners,
+who declared themselves opposed to the introduction of new methods, but
+their opposition was expressed with so much moderation that Franz could
+not take offense.
+
+And the Captain, who, as a good Conservative, was strongly opposed to
+the introduction of machinery in agricultural operations, sided with
+the land-owners.
+
+"You mean well, Franz," he said; "you would like to increase the
+prosperity of our valley; but with your cursed innovations you put the
+cart before the horse. You will never improve the labourer's condition
+by depriving him of his means of subsistence."
+
+"These machines will not deprive the labourer of his work. On the
+contrary, they will give him an opportunity of working more effectually
+than has been possible for him hitherto. A more thorough cultivation of
+our fields and vineyards will create a fresh demand of labour, which
+will be better paid than ever."
+
+"Dreams, dreams, in which I have no faith," replied the Captain. "The
+manufacturers of these machines and the people who sell them have
+started these tales. When a machine undertakes the labour hitherto
+performed by man, the man sinks to the machine's level. In all great
+manufacturing towns the labouring class, with very few exceptions, is
+poverty-stricken and starving. Don't tell me of such innovations. We
+should count ourselves happy that here in the country we have hitherto
+been free from machinery."
+
+"Nevertheless, perhaps because of this, our labourers here suffer the
+bitterest poverty."
+
+"That is because the last few years have been poor ones. If the
+peasant's harvest fails and the vineyards do not flourish, the labourer
+can earn nothing. Your machines cannot improve his condition; they can
+only make it worse. The Herr Professor has given me an idea of what
+would improve the condition of our people here more than ought else."
+
+I gazed at the Captain in surprise. I did not remember that I had ever
+said a word to him about the poverty of the labouring class in the
+Luttach valley, or had ever mentioned any means whatever of improving
+their condition. He nodded to me with a gentle smile, and then
+continued:
+
+"Yes, yes, Herr Professor, you do not recall how on the very first
+morning after your arrival among us we had a conversation which I
+remember well. Our valley should be opened to tourists; we are situated
+just between two important railways, not more than a league distant
+from each; we could be visited with the greatest facility, and where
+tourists are gathered together money is sure to circulate; all will be
+the gainers; the inns, the tradesfolk, those owning horses, who will
+hire out carriages; the laundresses, and even the labourers, who will
+be employed either as drivers or as guides for excursions among the
+mountains."
+
+"What talk is this, old friend?" the Burgomaster interrupted him with a
+laugh. "What have we here to attract tourists? They can make the ascent
+of Nanos very easily from Prayvalt, and our valley has really nothing
+more to show. It is quite wonderful that a naturalist, our Herr
+Professor, should have visited us. Certainly none of those who travel
+for pleasure would ever contemplate coming hither."
+
+"Therefore we must try to find something that will attract them. The
+Herr Professor called my attention to the fact that we live on from day
+to day without regard to our ignorance as to whether we do not possess
+a greater attraction for travellers than the Adelsberg Grotto. Does any
+one of us here present know how extensive are the caves which we
+possess, and whether they may not perhaps be finer than the grotto at
+Adelsberg? The only one among us who has interested himself about them
+is, if I do not mistake, Franz Schorn, and he has done very little in
+the way of exploration. How is it, Franz; am I not right?"
+
+"It is true that I have done very little in the way of exploration. I
+penetrated furthest into the cave in the grove of the Rusina. It is a
+laborious piece of work. I lost all desire to penetrate further; it
+seemed useless."
+
+"The Herr Professor thinks differently. Do you still desire to attempt
+to explore one of these caves, Herr Professor? I was anxious to offer
+you my assistance in so doing some time ago, but this horrible murder
+has occupied our minds to the exclusion of every other thought."
+
+The Captain's proposal was very welcome to me. In my excursion on the
+forenoon of this very day I had gazed with much interest in the grove
+of the Rusina, at the dark opening among gigantic blocks of granite. I
+had an intense desire to explore it, but prudence called a halt.
+Overheated as I was in climbing about the mountains, I would not expose
+myself to the danger to which the cold, damp interior of the cave would
+expose me, and, besides, it would have been very foolish to attempt any
+exploration without companions, for the slightest slip might prove
+fatal. No one would ever have looked for me in the cave; if not killed,
+I might have starved before I was discovered.
+
+Such considerations at the time forbade gratifying my desire to explore
+the cave, but it awoke again within me at the Captain's offer; it
+pleased me that it should be so entirely voluntary. I thanked him and
+declared that I would gladly take part in an exploration of the cave
+whenever he should arrange it.
+
+"Bravo! Then let us set to work early tomorrow morning and begin with
+the cave in the grove of the Rusina. You will join us, Franz!"
+
+"Gladly. I only fear that we shall not get far. There is a deep abyss
+not many yards from the entrance."
+
+"How deep is it!"
+
+"I do not know. I threw a lighted match into it, but it was quickly
+extinguished; and a stone which I cast down soon struck some rock and I
+could not see where it lay. I took no pains to explore further."
+
+"Then we will try to do so to-morrow. Let us take with us a couple of
+sturdy fellows, who can carry torches, some lanterns and a sufficient
+length of strong rope, with perhaps a ladder or two. I will take with
+me some magnesium wire, which will give us a brilliant light in the
+depths."
+
+Franz agreed. We discussed the interesting expedition further, and
+decided that we would start at seven o'clock the next morning.
+
+"May I make one of your party?" the Judge asked, when we had completed
+our arrangements. Franz Schorn started and regarded the speaker with a
+searching glance. Evidently he was about to refuse decidedly, but
+thought better of it, bit his lip, and, with a slight gesture of his
+hand, referred the matter to me. I cannot say that the proposal was
+agreeable to me. I was surprised that the Judge should be willing to
+take part in an expedition to which Franz Schorn was, to a certain
+degree, the guide. I feared some unpleasant encounter between the two
+men and I should have liked to refuse. This, however, courtesy forbade.
+The Judge had always been so amiable and obliging in his behaviour to
+me that it was impossible for me to decline his company.
+
+He noticed that I hesitated a moment, and, probably guessing whence
+such hesitation proceeded, continued with a smiling look at Franz
+Schorn:
+
+"I am very much interested in our Ukraine caves, and I have already
+visited a number of them. The cave in the grove of the Rusina is not
+unfamiliar to me. I have not explored it to the extent of which Herr
+Schorn tells us, but I am familiar with the entrance and would like to
+penetrate its depths. Of course, I voluntarily acquiesce in the
+intelligent guidance of Herr Schorn, who will take command of our
+expedition. You would oblige me very much, Herr Professor, by your
+permission to accompany you."
+
+I could not but accord it. It was impossible to do otherwise. The Judge
+thanked me, as he did Schorn and the Captain, so courteously that I was
+half inclined to suspect his sincerity. The prospect of this expedition
+seemed to delight him. He suddenly became talkative and showed an
+uncommon amiability to Schorn, although the young man met his advances
+with monosyllabic replies. His attempt to make himself acceptable to
+him was not happy; his cheerfulness seemed forced; his friendliness
+assumed; his gaiety feverish. In his usual attitude at the table,
+looking gloomily into his wineglass, he impressed me very unfavourably,
+but to-day, when he was talkative and gay, I was still more
+unfavourably impressed.
+
+I had a very strange feeling with regard to the Judge. I could not but
+acknowledge that he was a good, honourable man. He had shown this
+abundantly; but I felt a vague, instinctive aversion to him, which,
+however I struggled against it, increased the more I knew him.
+
+I was uncomfortable in his society that evening; therefore I rose from
+my place earlier than usual and called Mizka to light me to my room. To
+my surprise, the Judge followed my example, although he had just
+ordered another measure of wine.
+
+"I will go with you, Herr Professor," he said, and he accompanied me
+without drinking his wine. "To-morrow, then, at seven o'clock, Herr
+Schorn."
+
+As he spoke he offered his hand to Schorn, but the young man ignored
+it.
+
+"It is to the Herr Professor or to the Captain that you owe permission
+to accompany us," Schorn said, with cool contempt. "I have not agreed
+to it. You and I have nothing in common."
+
+"Perhaps you are wrong, Herr Schorn. I may convince you of this
+to-morrow. I willingly submit myself to your guidance. Good-night."
+
+His features wore a detestable sneer as he uttered these words, and,
+bowing to the rest of the company, he followed me.
+
+Upstairs on the landing I would have bidden him good-night, but he
+said:
+
+"I followed you, Herr Professor, because I want to speak a few words
+with you alone. Allow me to go into your room with you. I'll not detain
+you long."
+
+Of course I invited him to enter and to take a place on the old
+straight-backed sofa, curious to learn what he could have to say to me.
+When Mizka, after having lighted the candles, left the room, he sprang
+up, went to the door and opened it to convince himself that she was not
+listening, and then opened the door leading to the adjoining room to
+make sure that no one was there. Then he returned to me, and in a voice
+trembling with agitation said:
+
+"I pray you, Herr Professor, to give me at once, now, your report of
+meeting Franz Schorn in the neighbourhood of the Lonely House."
+
+I was startled. I had not expected this demand. Surprise made me
+speechless for a moment. I could only ejaculate "Herr Foligno!"
+
+"I understand your surprise, your dismay," he continued. "Believe me,
+it has cost me a struggle to resolve to make this request, but it must
+be. I may have neglected my duty in postponing it so long. Now, when my
+suspicions have become almost a certainty, I can wait no longer. I am
+compelled to collect all the grounds for it that I possess, and among
+them belongs your meeting with him near the Lonely House. The paper
+must be sent to the Attorney General at Laibach. It must be, Herr
+Professor; you cannot refuse me. Every man of honour is bound to
+support the authorities in the investigation of crime. You could not
+wish to shield a criminal from the rigour of the law."
+
+"Most certainly not; but I am more than firmly convinced that Franz
+Schorn is no murderer. You yourself, scarcely an hour ago, admitted the
+proofs of his innocence adduced by the doctor."
+
+"Did you not perceive that my words were ironical? I was obliged to
+change the subject of the conversation. Franz Schorn must not be warned
+by his friends. He must believe himself safe from discovery, or he will
+betake himself to flight, for which the money gained by his crime gives
+him abundant opportunity. Trieste is not far off, and a guide thither
+is quickly found. I was obliged to conceal from him the knowledge that
+I have discovered his crime. I put force upon myself to control my
+abhorrence of him. This very night I must complete the full report
+showing forth all the evidence against him, and in this I must include
+your meeting with him near the Lonely House. An official will take the
+paper to Laibach and deliver it in person; then the Attorney General
+must decide whether the evidence it contains be sufficient to warrant
+Schorn's arrest. I am myself perfectly convinced of his guilt. I ought
+perhaps to arrest him on my own responsibility, but I will not expose
+myself to the reproach of acting from personal hostility. I shall watch
+him narrowly to prevent his flight, and therefore I begged to be
+allowed to join your cave exploration. His arrest I will leave to the
+Attorney General in Laibach. Thus I have explained to you frankly the
+grounds for my action, and I pray you to give me the report for the
+protocol, which you promised me a week ago. This report should consist,
+in order to save yourself and myself unpleasant after inquiries, of the
+declaration that to your meeting with Schorn you attached no importance
+in the beginning, but since you have learned that the voice of the
+people pronounce him the murderer you hold it to be your duty to
+mention seeing him in the forest. You might add that you hold this
+meeting to be of no importance and that you are most unwilling to
+arouse a suspicion of the young man, but that, nevertheless, you feel
+it your duty to tell of your encounter with him. I think such a report
+cannot outrage your sense of justice."
+
+"It does not accord with my sense of justice to admit a suspicion which
+I think false. If I make my report now, it will look as though I shared
+this suspicion. The Attorney General would so interpret it, even though
+I declared the contrary. I ought to have made the report immediately
+after the discovery of the murder. You prevented my doing so then, and
+now I will not make it until I see at least the possibility of other
+grounds for it."
+
+"It is the duty of the Attorney General, not yourself, to judge of the
+importance of your evidence," Herr Foligno replied sternly. "It is the
+duty of the private individual to impart to the proper authorities
+every circumstance that may be connected with a crime. Of course you
+know that."
+
+"It is not his duty," I said angrily, "if his inmost conviction is that
+the circumstance he relates has no connection whatever with the crime,
+although it may serve to arouse suspicion. If what you maintain be
+correct, I ought also to advise the Attorney General that you yourself
+were in the neighbourhood of the Lonely House on that morning and that
+I found your pocket handkerchief where you had been plucking _Ophrys
+Bertolini_."
+
+Herr Foligno shot such a look of rage at me from beneath his black
+brows that I started in terror. I had no idea of affecting him so
+deeply by my words. In a voice trembling with anger, which he vainly
+strove to control, he said:
+
+"Then you would tell the Attorney General a falsehood. I have told you
+that I did not pluck the flowers in the neighbourhood of the Lonely
+House, but at a great distance from it, and in a spot difficult to
+find, and that my handkerchief was by accident where you picked it up.
+Is it possible that you do not believe me, although I have told you all
+this distinctly?"
+
+He probably read in my face that I was not convinced of the truth of
+this statement, for he continued in a sharp, angry tone:
+
+"You doubt, in spite of my words. Perhaps you entertain the possibility
+of my having some connection with the crime----"
+
+"What folly, Herr Foligno!" I cried, interrupting him. "I mentioned you
+and your pocket handkerchief only to contradict your assertion that it
+was my duty to tell of an insignificant experience. If I ought to
+report having seen Franz Schorn near the Lonely House, I also ought to
+report the finding of your handkerchief under the same circumstances."
+
+"If you really consider this your duty, I shall not gainsay you," he
+replied darkly, not lifting his eyes from the ground. "It is no affair
+of mine. My task is to send this very night my deposition, containing
+an account of your meeting with Franz Schorn, to the proper authorities
+either with or against your consent. I may find myself in a very
+unpleasant position and even imperil my office when I relate that I
+myself advised you to withhold your report concerning Schorn, but
+personal considerations must yield to my sense of duty. I had thought,
+Herr Professor," he continued, in a more friendly tone, finding me
+still silent, "that you would not willingly thus embarrass me. Believe
+me, I would not so insist upon your evidence were I not thoroughly and
+firmly convinced of the young man's guilt. To show you how highly I
+esteem you, what implicit confidence I place in your honour and
+silence, I will tell you, although scarcely warranted in so doing, of
+the results of my laborious investigations during the last few weeks.
+You yourself will then be convinced of your duty. It is a hard task for
+me to make these revelations to you, for not only do they militate
+against Franz Schorn, but against one who has been very dear to my
+heart, and for whom to-day, in spite of my better judgment, I feel warm
+affection; but it must be; you shall hear all."
+
+"Proceed; you may rely upon my discretion."
+
+I waited for what he had to say with intense eagerness. For a few
+moments he sat silent, with downcast looks; then he began, not once
+looking at me as he spoke:
+
+"It is difficult to indicate the precise moment at which suspicions of
+Schorn were aroused within me. You yourself know of his bitter enmity
+towards old Pollenz, whose death he could not but desire, since it
+alone would bring him the fulfilment of his dearest wish. You know of
+his being near the Lonely House immediately after the murder. You know
+also of the wound in his hand, to account for which he told of having
+grasped a double-edged knife as it fell from where he had left it. His
+reluctance to show the wound to the doctor, and, more than all else,
+his sudden accession of wealth after the crime, accuses him loudly. He
+has made purchases which would have been impossible with his own
+unassisted means. All these grounds of suspicion the doctor thought to
+annihilate by his acute reasoning, showing that old Pollenz himself
+could not possibly have admitted Schorn and that the murderer had
+evidently entered the house without any violent breaking in of the
+door. How is this to be accounted for? Unfortunately, the explanation
+is only too clear. Fräulein Anna Pollenz, when officially examined, as
+well as in her words to the Captain and to the doctor, portrayed a life
+in her father's house absolutely opposed to reality. She maintained
+that her father loved her most tenderly; that he was always kind and
+gentle to her, and that even her connection with the hated Schorn and
+her refusal to give me her hand had produced no change in his demeanour
+toward her. Anna's words were universally believed. Who could doubt who
+looked into her eyes and acknowledged their spell? To see her is to
+love her. She wins all hearts at once. Every one believes her; every
+one trusts her; and nevertheless every word that she spoke is false.
+For years the Lonely House has witnessed terrible scenes between father
+and daughter. The old man abused the lovely child outrageously because
+she would not obey him. Unfortunately I myself was often the cause of
+this abuse, although I declared continually to old Pollenz that I never
+would claim Anna's hand unless she bestowed it upon me voluntarily;
+unless I succeeded in winning the young girl's love. The old fellow was
+a rough, heartless, violent man; a coward to those stronger than
+himself, brutal to those who were weaker. He locked his daughter up; he
+half starved her; he beat her so that she escaped from him bleeding.
+For years he never spoke a kind word to her. He had unbounded
+confidence in me; he even angrily complained to me of her disobedience.
+I myself have witnessed frightful scenes, and on several occasions
+prevented him with all my physical strength from maltreating the
+beautiful, unfortunate child in my presence."
+
+"Frightful!" I exclaimed. The dreadful picture which the narrator
+unfolded before me filled me with horror.
+
+"Beside myself, there is one other human being who is aware of the
+family life in the Lonely House. Old Johanna was a witness of the
+maltreatment which the unhappy girl suffered daily in our presence; in
+the presence of others the old man assumed a kind, mild demeanour
+toward his child; old Johanna suffered almost as much as Anna from the
+brutality of her master. She would long ago have left him if she had
+not been detained by tender affection for her mistress. After what you
+have just heard you may judge with what amazement I was filled upon
+learning after the death of old Pollenz that Anna had described her
+relations with her father as happy, peaceful, and loving, and that old
+Johanna in the final examination, had confirmed all that Anna said. I
+pondered long to discover what grounds Anna could have for such a false
+representation of the actual circumstances and why she should suddenly
+develop such inconceivable hatred for me, who had so often protected
+her from ill treatment. When at last I suspected the true cause I found
+it difficult of belief. I alone can expose the tissue of lies which she
+has woven around herself. I alone cannot be won over to testify to her
+truth, as she has won over old Johanna, who would perjure herself
+willingly for her darling, and Anna needs such falsehoods. It is almost
+impossible to believe that the daughter, driven to madness and despair
+by daily ill treatment, herself opened the locked doors for her lover.
+Spare me further words, Herr Professor. My reason becomes confused when
+I reflect on a deed so horrible. Ever since this solution became clear
+to me, sleep is banished. I toss restlessly throughout the night. My
+thoughts dwell perpetually in the Lonely House. At times I have feared
+that I should become insane. The struggle raging within me during these
+last few days is indescribable. I loved Anna with all my heart. I love
+her still, and, although it is madness, I shall love her to my last
+breath. Neither her crime nor the hatred which she displays towards me
+can kill this insane love within me, and fate has ordained that I
+should be the inexorable judge, the dread accuser of her lover, in
+ruining whom I ruin her also; but I must do my duty, let my heart bleed
+as it may."
+
+He had finished. The narrative had agitated him fearfully; he trembled
+in every limb; his eyes glowed as with fever. I was scarcely less moved
+than he. His words had torn the veil from my eyes; I could now see the
+fearful scenes in the Lonely House clearly, and how they had led to the
+final deed. I was ineffably sad. Great as was my detestation of the
+horrible crime, I could not but pity deeply the unfortunate child whom
+despair had maddened. Detestation, horror and pity by turns filled my
+heart. I could put myself in the place of the unhappy man who had just
+revealed to me his innermost soul.
+
+How long we confronted each other in silence I cannot say. We were both
+too deeply moved to give expression in words to our feelings. Herr
+Foligno recovered himself first. His voice no longer trembled as he
+asked, after a long pause:
+
+"Will you now sign the report which I will write out for you?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+I brought him paper, pen and ink. He quickly took down the evidence I
+had to give, as he had before required that I should give it, and then
+read aloud what he had written. I had no objection to offer, and signed
+it.
+
+He arose and held out his hand in farewell.
+
+"I have another terrible night before me," he said. "To-morrow a
+messenger must take this early to Laibach, and a hard day will follow a
+weary night for both of us. It will not be easy for you, Herr
+Professor, to make one to-morrow of Franz Schorn's party to the cave
+without allowing him to perceive your detestation of him."
+
+"I cannot; I shall excuse myself on the plea of illness."
+
+"No, Herr Professor, you must not do this. Schorn will surely learn
+through Mizka that I came with you to your room; he might suspect
+something. A criminal of his calibre is on the watch for the merest
+trifle which can arouse suspicion of his discovery. You, too, Herr
+Professor, have a hard duty to perform, but it must be done. You must
+be one of the party, as I shall be. Neither the Captain nor Schorn must
+dream of what the near future will bring forth. I trust to your honour,
+and I know that I do not trust in vain."
+
+"You may rely upon me; I will control myself."
+
+With another pressure of the hand we separated.
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER X.
+                              AN ACCIDENT?
+
+
+As I tossed restlessly in bed I heard above me, as on the first night
+after the murder, the pacing to and fro of the Judge. A magnetic
+connection seemed to exist between us, causing me to think what he
+thought, and to feel what he felt. The same terrible images which
+banished sleep from his eyes were present before mine. I heard the
+church clock strike hour after hour, and only with the first glimmer of
+dawn did I enjoy a short slumber.
+
+At five o'clock I awakened. My first thoughts dwelt upon what the Judge
+had told me the evening before. It now appeared to me in quite a
+different light. I was more composed. The nervous agitation which had
+then possessed me had vanished. I could reflect upon what I had heard.
+As the Judge had spoken in his excitement, what he said had such an
+effect upon me that it all seemed to me absolute verity without need of
+proof, but now doubts sprang up, and a clearer understanding demanded
+its rights.
+
+Had Herr Foligno really divulged to me unvarnished facts, which
+convinced me of the guilt of Schorn and of his betrothed, as his
+accomplice? No! He had accumulated evidence as the doctor had done. The
+only fact was that Anna had not adhered to the truth in describing her
+relations with her father, and was it not natural that the daughter
+should try to clear her father's memory of all evil! It was very
+natural that her filial affection should awaken after her father's
+terrible death; that she should forget everything that had distressed
+her in their relations--his harshness, even his maltreatment--and
+remember only his love. And for this was she to be accused as an
+accomplice in an accursed crime!
+
+I was ashamed of my credulity. Might not Herr Foligno be governed by
+prejudice even to misunderstanding the relations between father and
+daughter! A harsh word spoken by the father to Anna in his presence
+might appear to him an intolerable offence, while Anna might scarcely
+notice it.
+
+I really could not comprehend my credulity of the previous evening, or
+how I could have been led by the Judge's excitement to regard as facts
+the arguments he had adduced.
+
+And if Anna were not guilty, where were there grounds for suspicion of
+Franz Schorn? I repented having signed the deposition and having
+promised to be silent with regard to it; but I had given my promise,
+and it must be kept. Perhaps, after all, it was as well, for my report
+would elicit a judicial investigation of all grounds for suspicion of
+Franz Schorn, who could be acquitted of all imputations only by a
+thorough examination which could clear him from every suspicion
+entertained of him by his fellow-townsmen.
+
+All these considerations soothed me. I could contemplate the expedition
+which I had arranged with Franz Schorn for to-day without aversion. It
+was rather disagreeable to know that the report signed by me was
+already on its way to Laibach, while I was one of a party of pleasure,
+all friends of the young man; but I would not ponder on this; it was
+irrevocable.
+
+Soon after six o'clock I went down to the garden to take my morning cup
+of coffee, and there I found the Captain and Franz awaiting me to
+discuss the details for our excursion. Franz was full of life and
+animation. I had never seen him so gay, so happy. There was no trace of
+the sullen expression which sometimes clouded his handsome face. His
+morning greeting was so cordial that I felt ashamed indeed as I shook
+his proffered hand. This pleasant, happy young man guilty of a murder?
+It was folly, nay, it was wicked to hold any such idea for a minute.
+
+He had early completed every necessary preparation for the excursion we
+were about to make. The Captain and I had really nothing to provide;
+even the magnesium wire had been bought at the druggist's. Two stout
+labourers, who could speak German, were ready to accompany us, each of
+them provided with a thick, pointed staff and a long rope, not too
+thick, but very strong. Half a dozen pitch torches Schorn had procured
+from the fire department, and a lantern for every member of the party.
+In addition, the men carried after us two short, strong ladders.
+
+On the stroke of seven Herr Foligno entered the garden. He greeted
+Schorn politely; the Captain and myself cordially. He looked ill and
+worn. I had never seen his sallow features so expressionless, but his
+dark eyes shone with feverish excitement.
+
+We began our walk. The people who met us looked after us in surprise as
+we strode through the streets of Luttach. Apparently they could not
+understand how two men, known to be such bitter enemies as Herr Foligno
+and Franz Schorn, should be walking so peaceably side by side.
+
+At the furthest end of the town we descended to the bed of the Rusina.
+In early spring, when the snow melts quickly upon Nanos and when heavy
+rainfalls create hundreds of little brooks from the mountains, the
+Rusina dashes along in wild fury; but after a drought it is almost
+dried up, and is only a shallow rill of water trickling between the
+stones of its rocky bed. We could walk along it without wetting our
+feet. It was not very agreeable walking, but it was the nearest way to
+the grove, which we reached after scarcely ten minutes.
+
+Here, in the centre of this grove, consisting of scarcely a hundred
+huge oaks, there is a pile of mighty rocks; large blocks, covered with
+luxuriant green moss, are heaped together in a confused mass, in which
+is an opening, black and forbidding, about the height of a man, which
+forms the entrance to the cave we were to explore. Here we halted and
+consulted. It was decided that we should enter in single file, Franz
+Schorn first as our guide. I was to follow him. Herr Foligno came after
+me, and the Captain was last. Our two porters closed the little
+procession. The lanterns were lighted and each of us took one.
+
+We entered the cave, which was at first tolerably spacious; into it
+daylight penetrated, making a dim twilight. About four or five yards
+above us arched a roof of black, moist stone. The ground beneath,
+descending rather precipitously, was covered with small fragments of
+rock which had apparently fallen from the roof, loosened by the
+dampness. There was no trace of the beautiful stalactites for which the
+Adelsberg Grotto is so famous. The light of our lanterns was quite
+sufficient to reveal clearly the part of the cave where we stood and
+the path leading down to the depths. A few yards from the entrance the
+cave narrowed. There was room between the walls of rock for only two
+men to walk abreast; and indeed the walking was extremely difficult,
+because of the slippery scales of rock with which the floor was strewn.
+
+Forward! We walked, or, rather, we scuffled, downwards, in danger at
+every step of falling on the slippery stones. After a few minutes our
+path grew easier; it no longer descended; although still strewn with
+fragments of rock, the danger of slipping was less. We had more room.
+The walls retreated and vanished beyond the circle of light cast by our
+lanterns, which could no longer illumine the roof of the cave arching
+above us.
+
+"'Here it resembles a cathedral,' the Adelsberger guides would say, if
+they were here," said Franz Schorn with a laugh, stopping and raising
+his lantern. "How high this dome is I have never before with my
+insufficient light been able to discover, and just because I had
+insufficient light I ventured but little further into the cave."
+
+"You reached an abyss which prevented your further progress; at least
+you told us so yesterday," said the Judge.
+
+"True. It is only a few minutes' walk from here. If we go through the
+cathedral and turn a little to the left, we shall reach the only outlet
+which leads further among the rocks. It is a very narrow, rocky way,
+suddenly ending in a sheer abyss. It is for us to discover to-day
+whether it is possible to be lowered by a rope into its depths and to
+find sufficient foothold below to enable us to continue our
+exploration. When, four or five years ago, I last entered the cave,
+quite alone, I could go no further, and so I returned from this spot."
+
+"Must we turn to the left!" asked the Judge. "You are mistaken; we must
+turn to the right; to the left the cave is completely blocked by a heap
+of rocky fragments."
+
+Franz Schorn regarded the speaker with surprise, bethought himself a
+moment, and then exclaimed:
+
+"True, you are right. I remember now that I found a heap of rocks on my
+left, and then turned to the right to find an outlet. But how did you
+know this, Herr Foligno?"
+
+One of the two porters laughed aloud, and answered in the Judge's stead
+with some words in Slavonic, which seemed to surprise the Captain as
+well as Schorn.
+
+"What, Herr Foligno, you were here in the cave a week ago, with Rassak,
+and ventured as far as the abyss, and never told us anything about it
+yesterday?" exclaimed the Captain.
+
+"I told you that I had entered the cave, but had not gone far. I do not
+talk much of such trifles," he replied irritably, adding:
+
+"Shall we not light a couple of torches to see how high the roof is?"
+
+The torches were lighted, but did not suffice to reveal the height of
+the cave. Only when the magnesium light flamed up and cast its dazzling
+radiance upwards did we perceive for a few moments the rocky roof some
+twenty yards above us.
+
+"This is gruesome," said the Captain, with a long breath, as the
+brilliant light was extinguished and the darkness around us seemed
+deeper and blacker than before. "We can now understand how the floor
+beneath our feet is so covered with fragments of rock. Evidently large
+pieces fall from the roof and are broken into a hundred bits below.
+Look, Herr Foligno; the stones just here show traces of having been but
+lately broken. At any minute another fragment might fall and be the
+death of us."
+
+"Yes, such an exploration is not without danger," the Judge replied
+with a sneer. "But let us proceed, gentlemen. The shorter the time
+spent here beneath this roof the less danger is there that we shall be
+injured by a falling rock. Let us go on, in the same order as hitherto.
+You go first, Herr Schorn."
+
+"Since you visited the cave only a week ago, you had better act as
+guide, Herr Foligno."
+
+"No, I refuse. I expressly stated yesterday that I should be entirely
+guided by you, and I repeat it. Therefore, pray, Herr Schorn, go before
+us; I will follow with the Herr Professor."
+
+Schorn made no further objection. We pursued our way, keeping to the
+right, and entered the narrow opening between the rocks, which seemed
+the only means by which to penetrate further into the cave. It was
+narrower than any path hitherto. It would have been impossible for two
+men to walk in it abreast, but there was more than enough room, when in
+single file. Our lanterns and the torches of the porters cast
+sufficient light to show us a gentle ascent in front and to enable us
+to proceed free from all risk of danger.
+
+"We have reached the abyss," Schorn said, halting after a few moments.
+"Here we can go no further, and if we cannot find, after being lowered
+by a rope, another opening, our exploration party has reached its
+limits. The abyss appears to be not only sheer, but the rock upon which
+we stand overhangs it somewhat. I will lie flat on the ground and look
+down. Perhaps I shall succeed in finding an outlet, but I must have a
+brighter light than that of the lanterns. Give me one of the torches,
+Herr Professor."
+
+A torch was passed from hand to hand; I gave it to Schorn, who laid
+himself flat on the ground, and, leaning over the abyss as far as
+possible, endeavoured to cast into it the light of the torch. As he lay
+there I had a view of the depths, but it gave me little hope for the
+continuance of our exploration. The red light of the torch was
+sufficient to show me a black wall rising twelve or fifteen feet on the
+opposite side of the abyss. It seemed to bar all progress, giving no
+hint of any outlet. A few feet above our heads the smoke of the torches
+hung in a cloud, which found no egress from the cave.
+
+"Beneath us, scarcely twenty feet below, there is firm footing," cried
+Schorn, "and, if I do not mistake, the cave then leads to the right
+among the rocks; but I must have a brighter light."
+
+He handed the torch back to me and took a piece of magnesium wire from
+his pocket. The next moment the cave as far as we could overlook it was
+illumined as by an electric light.
+
+"A happy discovery; we can go on," cried Schorn, delighted, as the
+light was extinguished. "I can assure you, gentlemen," he said, rising,
+"that the first difficulty is almost without danger, and easy to
+overcome."
+
+We crowded about him; even the two porters were determined not to lose
+a word of his description.
+
+Beneath the overhanging rock, at a depth of scarcely fifteen or twenty
+feet, there was a firm footing, a platform of stone quite broad enough
+to give standing room for at least five or six men, and from this
+platform a way was distinguishable on the right through a narrow
+opening in the rocks.
+
+"Now you see, Herr Foligno, I was right a week ago. You would not
+believe me, but so it is," exclaimed Rassak, one of the porters,
+exultantly, speaking German.
+
+"Who asked your opinion!" the Judge said harshly.
+
+"Did Rassak, then, discover the continuance of the cave?" said the
+Captain.
+
+"Well, yes," the Judge replied irritably. "It seems at present that he
+was probably right. He lay down on the ground and let down a lantern by
+a rope, and then declared that the cave had a further outlet. I lay
+down after him and looked down, but I could see no opening. I did not
+believe him, and it was partly to convince myself whether or not he was
+correct that I offered to accompany you to-day. I could not explore it
+myself then; I had no rope strong enough to lower me to the platform
+below, which might have been done without danger."
+
+"Not quite without danger, at least for the first to attempt it,"
+Schorn remarked calmly, "but it is not great. It needs a little swing
+on the rope to reach the platform, but when one man obtains firm
+footing there, the rest is easy. I will be let down first, and can draw
+the rest toward me. The porters must stay here, that they may pull us
+up when we return."
+
+"But it seems to me a very perilous undertaking," said the Captain
+anxiously. "We cannot expose our Herr Professor to such danger. If the
+rope breaks before he reaches the platform, or if he should be seized
+with giddiness, he would fall into a bottomless abyss."
+
+"I will guarantee the strength of the rope," said Franz Schorn.
+
+"And I that I shall suffer no dizziness; I do not know the sensation."
+I was so keen for the continuance of our exploration that I was almost
+irritated by the Captain's anxiety on my behalf. The danger would have
+to be far greater than it was to deter me from further progress.
+Hitherto I had found no trace of a cave beetle; there had been nothing
+living among the bald black rocks. Only at a greater depth could I hope
+to satisfy my passion for collecting.
+
+"If the Captain thinks the danger too great, he can remain with the
+porters. I shall be glad to follow the Herr Professor," said the Judge;
+whereupon the Captain turned upon him angrily, declaring that he was
+not thinking of danger for himself, but for the old gentleman who was
+their guest in Luttach; since, however, the Herr Professor wished to
+go, he himself should surely not remain behind.
+
+Thus we determined to proceed. Franz Schorn gave us the necessary
+directions. He wished us to put the rope around us and to hold it
+firmly when we were lowered. These directions were not necessary in my
+case; I have made use of rope so often with my guides among the
+glaciers, and have so frequently been let down from the rocks to obtain
+some rare plant, that I was quite familiar with its use. There seemed
+to be no possible peril here, even for Franz Schorn, for four of us
+would hold the rope and we could lower him very gradually for the short
+distance to the platform below, making any great swing of the rope
+impossible. The two porters could easily lower the Captain, who was to
+be the last of us to follow.
+
+Schorn arranged the rope so that he could place himself in the loop; he
+fastened a lantern to it, and then advanced to the edge of the rocks,
+seated himself, and, still holding to the irregular surface he slowly
+lowered himself, while we, holding the rope, paid it out inch by inch.
+I followed him to the edge, but I did not look down, because I
+concentrated all my attention upon the paying out of the rope.
+
+After scarcely a minute we heard him call from below:
+
+"Halt! I am all right. Draw the rope up again."
+
+I laid myself flat on the ground and looked over the edge of the
+platform, which was now illuminated by the lantern which Schorn held.
+It was light enough for me to see the young man distinctly as he stood
+quite comfortably not far below me. I could also discern the black
+opening to the right, the continuation of the cave.
+
+"Follow me, Herr Professor," Schorn called up. "Do just as I did; there
+is no danger; seat yourself in the loop and as soon as you are lowered,
+I will drag you to me. A dozen men beside us could find room on this
+platform."
+
+I did as he directed and seated myself in the loop, but as I was about
+to swing clear of the outer edge of the rock to follow Schorn's
+example, my heart suddenly gave a leap. For a moment horror overcame me
+as I looked into the depths below; I hesitated to cast myself loose.
+
+"Are you afraid, Herr Professor!" The Judge stood immediately behind
+me, regarding me with a sneer. His eyes gleamed strangely as he leaned
+over me.
+
+There is no greater folly than to expose oneself to a danger out of
+fear of being called a coward. I have often declared this, but at that
+moment, old man as I am, I committed this folly.
+
+"Hold the rope firmly; I will let myself down," I replied.
+
+"Have no fear, we will hold it fast."
+
+I hovered above the abyss and was slowly lowered. I had almost reached
+the platform when I heard above me a strange creaking; at the next
+moment I knew I was falling, but a strong arm was thrown around me and
+Franz Schorn and I staggered and fell on the platform. Just then I
+heard a scream from above.
+
+"Great God!" exclaimed the voice of the Judge. "The rope has broken;
+the Professor has fallen into the abyss!"
+
+This was all the work of a moment. I tried to stand up, but I could
+not; my right ankle was terribly painful. Franz Schorn, who had fallen
+with me, was quickly on his feet.
+
+"I never will believe that the rope broke," he whispered. He seized it
+and examined it by the light of his lantern on the ground; mine had
+been broken and extinguished in my fall.
+
+"It was half cut through before it broke," he said in a dull tone.
+"That scoundrel, Foligno, has tried to plunge you into the abyss."
+
+Hastily taking a knife from his breast pocket he cut off the end of the
+rope and handed it to me.
+
+"Keep this," he whispered. "You may perhaps need it for proof that the
+rascal tried to murder you."
+
+I heard his words, but I did not understand him. My thoughts were in
+wild confusion; I was still half stunned by my fall. Mechanically I
+followed his directions and put the piece of rope in my pocket. Only
+gradually did I clearly understand in what danger I had been, and that
+Franz Schorn had ventured his own life to rescue mine. It was almost a
+certainty that I should drag him down to the abyss, but he had seized
+me as I fell, and at the risk of his life had pulled me back to the
+platform.
+
+"You have saved my life----"
+
+He interrupted me. "Don't speak of it. We all help one another as well
+as we can. What we have to think of now is how to reach the rock above
+us without injury."
+
+He suddenly paused, as from above came the voice of the Judge:
+
+"Thank God! The accident is not so bad as I feared. I can see the Herr
+Professor and Herr Schorn on the platform below. Are you hurt, Herr
+Professor?"
+
+"I believe my right ankle is broken," I called back.
+
+"Good heavens! What shall we do?"
+
+"Why, of course," Schorn replied, "you must lower the second rope to
+pull us up. I beg, however, that Rassak may be the first man, Bela the
+second, the Captain the third, and that you, Herr Foligno, do not touch
+the rope. It might break in your hands a second time. I will not trust
+you with the Herr Professor's life or my own."
+
+The Judge made no reply. For a moment all was silent, and then the
+Captain called down to us:
+
+"What nonsense you are talking, Franz! You have mortally offended the
+Judge. He had nothing to do with the accident. He is in despair that
+the Herr Professor should be injured."
+
+"His anger is of no consequence," Franz answered. "He promised me to
+submit to my orders, and I insist upon his not touching the rope
+again."
+
+A long discussion began. The Captain was seriously angry at the offence
+Franz had given to the Judge, whom he attempted to soothe, but Franz
+declared positively that he would wait with me on the platform for
+hours until Rassak could procure two other men rather than trust
+himself and me to a rope passing through the hands of the Judge. He
+said nothing of his suspicion that the rope had been partly cut
+through, and, therefore, the Captain thought his demand unjustifiable
+and prompted solely by hatred of his foe. He was indignant, but he was
+obliged to comply with the young man's demand, in order that I might be
+relieved from my most unpleasant situation as soon as possible. He
+promised that Rassak should be stationed close to the edge and that the
+Judge should take no part in the pulling up of the rope. While the
+Captain and Franz were discussing the matter I had examined my ankle,
+and, to my great joy, found that it was not broken, but had been
+severely sprained by my fall. It was excessively painful, but I could
+move it; I could even stand with Franz's assistance. Some moments
+passed, and then Schorn's name was called from above.
+
+"Is that you, Rassak?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Where is the Judge?"
+
+"Herr Foligno has gone back to the dome alone. He is to wait there
+until we come."
+
+"Lower the second rope to me; I wish to examine it."
+
+After a minute the rope hovered above us; Franz seized it, unfastened
+it from the other rope to which it was tied and examined it narrowly by
+the light of the lantern.
+
+"It is sound and uninjured. I feared the rascal might have cut this
+through secretly; but he has not dared to do so. Now we can allow
+ourselves to be pulled up without delay."
+
+Rassak was ordered to pull the rope up again and then to throw down to
+us the broken one. This was done. Franz cut a piece from the broken end
+with his knife and gave it to me, saying:
+
+"Keep it with the one you have, Herr Professor."
+
+After which he busied himself with preparations for my rescue. These he
+made with great care, trying the strength of the rope which he tied
+about me and of the loop in which I seated myself. Although I protested
+and declared that I could now care for myself perfectly, he used the
+piece of old rope to keep me steady as I ascended, holding it firmly
+below to prevent any swaying of the other. Thus I reached the top of
+the rock in safety, although my short ascent had caused almost
+intolerable pain in my sprained ankle, and when Rassak received me in
+his powerful arms above, I could not move the injured foot. I tried to
+stand up and to walk, but it was quite impossible. Rassak was forced to
+take me on his broad shoulders and carry me back to the dome. The
+Captain and Bela carried their lanterns in advance; without their light
+he could scarcely have made his way along the narrow path through the
+rocks. Franz was obliged to wait on the platform for some minutes
+before being drawn up.
+
+We found the Judge seated on a block of stone at the entrance of the
+rocky way beneath the dome. He sprang up as we approached.
+
+"Thank God, Herr Professor!" he cried, throwing his arm kindly about me
+for my support, as Rassak placed me on the ground. He pushed aside
+several large stones to make a comfortable bed for me. He even took off
+his coat and put it upon the rock that I might have a softer resting
+place. He was full of kind attention, far exceeding the Captain, who
+congratulated me in a few simple words and expressed his joy upon my
+escape; nevertheless I had a strange sensation, akin to fear, when he,
+with Rassak and Bela, returned through the narrow way to rescue Franz
+and I was left alone in the vault with the Judge. Involuntarily I put
+my hand in my breast pocket where was the trusty companion of all my
+excursions, my revolver. I could not but recall Franz Schorn's words on
+the platform, and the impression which they had made upon me was
+deepened when my hand met the small pieces of rope. I dreaded to see
+the fading light of the last lantern disappear in the narrow pathway. I
+was miserably uncomfortable in the spacious dark vault, where the light
+of a single lantern cast a ray of light so weak as only to enhance the
+black darkness of the place.
+
+The Judge seated himself close beside me, and when the Captain vanished
+in the narrow path he seized my hand.
+
+"Herr Professor," he said, modulating his voice to the lowest whisper,
+"I have been assailed by a horrible suspicion as I sat here. I feared I
+never should see you again. Was the accident which befell you
+occasioned by chance? If the rope was strong enough to sustain the
+heavy weight of Schorn, how could it break with the much lesser strain
+of your weight? Tell me, Herr Professor, does Franz Schorn know that
+you have told me of his meeting you in the forest on the day of the
+murder?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Then what I feared is but too certain. You saw him in the
+neighbourhood of the Lonely House on that day. The only witness against
+him must die. While he stood beneath us on the rocky platform he
+loosened the rope and cut it so that it parted as we were lowering you.
+We will examine the rope; there must be traces of a cut in it."
+
+Schorn had brought against this man the very accusation which was now
+brought against himself. He could have had no cause for his
+supposition, whilst the reason adduced by the Judge was not without
+probability.
+
+"Perhaps you will object," the Judge continued, "that he has saved your
+life; that without his aid you must have fallen into the chasm. He need
+not have stretched out his hand if he had wished to murder you. This
+thought also occurred to me, but, upon reflection, I find that my
+suspicion is only strengthened by your rescue. Perhaps his movement was
+involuntary--an impulse of the moment to seize a falling man--but,
+again, perhaps your rescue is only part of a cunning scheme. He makes
+sure that you never could decide to speak a word against the saviour of
+your life; he does not know that this word is already spoken. He
+thought, therefore, that he could save your life and yet attain his
+purpose without burdening his soul with a second murder. Indeed, should
+suspicion arise that the rope did not break accidentally, he might
+easily cast it upon another. Why else did he demand that I should take
+no part in drawing you up? He wished to arouse suspicion of me in your
+mind and in the Captain's. None could attach to him, were it discovered
+later that the rope had actually been cut, if he saved your life, and
+he will not fail to remind you that it was at the risk of his own. He
+is a thorough villain and incredibly cunning. I fear I shall have many
+difficulties to overcome before establishing the proof of his guilt and
+revealing him as the murderer of old Pollenz."
+
+The Judge's words produced a deep impression on me. Had not everything
+that he set forth actually happened? One thing was certain--the rope
+had been cut. Whose was the blame? The Judge's--who could have no
+interest in plunging me into the abyss? Why should he attempt to take
+my life? Franz Schorn's--who had saved my life at the risk of his own?
+However the Judge might endeavour to disparage the danger to which he
+had exposed himself, I knew better. I had felt him stagger as he leaned
+over beyond the rock and dragged me toward him. The success of this
+hazardous action was due to his physical strength and good luck; it was
+little short of a miracle that he had not been dragged down to the
+depths with me. Where lay the truth? In vain I pondered; I could not
+fathom it.
+
+Voices were heard coming through the narrow pathway, and the Captain,
+Rassak, Bela, and last of all, Schorn, appeared. Franz gave me a kindly
+nod; of the Judge he took not the smallest notice, but resumed his
+command and the guidance of the expedition. He directed the porters to
+strap together the ladders, of which we had hitherto made no use, and
+upon them placed the jackets of the men of the party, forming a litter
+for me. Rassak and Bela then bore me from beneath the vault to the
+entrance of the cave. I suffered intolerably; only when we had again
+entered the forest and my kind companions were able to make my litter
+softer with boughs and branches of trees did I find any relief from the
+torture I was enduring.
+
+In this melancholy wise we returned to Luttach, and thus ended my
+investigation of an unexplored Ukraine cave.
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XI.
+                           FORCED SECLUSION.
+
+
+I was confined to my lofty bed in my chamber in the inn for three days.
+The doctor insisted I must stay there with cold compresses upon my foot
+until the inflammation had entirely disappeared, and then a week at
+least must be spent in my room with the injured leg stretched out
+before me, nor could I dream of undertaking any further excursions
+until two weeks at least had elapsed.
+
+This was a melancholy prospect. Two weeks of imprisonment in the bare,
+low-ceiled guest-chamber No. 2; while out of doors the sun was shining
+and calling me to wanderings in the forest and on the mountains. But
+what cannot be cured must be endured.
+
+I could not complain of ennui. Of society I had more than enough; I
+sometimes longed to be alone for an hour to reflect upon my remarkable
+adventures, but I had visitors in unbroken succession, and until late
+in the evening I was not left for a moment to myself.
+
+All the gentlemen whom I had met about the round table in the
+dining-room came to testify in the friendliest manner their sympathy,
+and to beg me to relate my adventures, while Mizka and Frau Franzka by
+turns saw to my comfort, attending most carefully to the compresses
+upon my ankle. I could not have been more kindly and attentively cared
+for than in the Slavonic inn in Ukraine. But it was almost too much of
+a good thing. Their perpetual attention became burdensome, and the
+constant stream of visitors wearied me. To tell the same thing over
+and over again was not very amusing, especially as a number of my
+auditors--Weber, Gunther, Meyer, Mosic, and the notary, Deitrich--did
+not seem to give full credence to my story; that is, with regard to my
+rescue by Franz Schorn. They put all sorts of questions to me with
+regard to what had passed on the platform of rock, questions which I
+could not or would not answer, for, of course, I said not a word of the
+rope's bearing traces of having been cut, although this seemed to be
+just the very point to which they wished to lead me.
+
+Through the Clerk, Herr Von Einern, I at last learned the reason for
+their persistent questions. He expressed his indignation at the account
+which Herr Foligno had given on the evening of our adventure. It was
+eminently devised to arouse in his hearers a suspicion that in some
+manner Franz Schorn was to blame for my accident. He did not speak
+explicitly, but as unwilling to blame Schorn; he would leave that to
+me, who had sustained the injury; but in speaking thus he had contrived
+to increase the desire of those present to hear more.
+
+The Captain confirmed his statement, but was indignant not only with
+Franz Schorn, but with the conduct of the Judge himself. He would not
+forgive Schorn for accusing Herr Foligno to me, apparently without any
+reason, while he found the revenge taken by the Judge unworthy and
+mean. In his opinion there had simply been an unfortunate accident; the
+rope had been cut by some sharp projection in the rocks; Franz had
+certainly risked his life to save mine, but this did not justify him in
+what he had said of the Judge, which made Herr Foligno the direct cause
+of the fall.
+
+In the end I positively could not tell what to think of the affair. My
+harassing doubt was corroborated by a visit in the evening from the
+Judge. He had seen me during the day, but only for a few minutes at a
+time, to express his sympathy and to ask after my welfare, saying
+nothing during these short visits concerning my adventure; but in the
+evening he paid me a longer call, begging permission to bestow his
+society upon me for a while and to drink his wine in my room instead of
+in the dining-room below. He settled himself comfortably beside me,
+informing Mizka and Frau Franzka that he would assume the care of me
+during the evening and change my compresses. I tried to prevent this,
+but he would take no refusal, and rendered his services with assiduous
+precision. It was quite touching to see how careful he was to avoid
+giving me the least pain, and how he anticipated my every wish.
+
+I could not but be grateful, but I was not comfortable in his society,
+for as soon as Mizka and Frau Franzka had left the room he took the
+opportunity to express himself most clearly with regard to our
+adventure and Franz Schorn. He informed me that he had received a
+telegram from Laibach announcing that the investigating Judge and the
+Attorney General would visit Luttach on the morrow to conduct
+personally further inquiries, desirous of hearing from my own lips the
+manner of my meeting with Franz Schorn on the day of the murder. He
+coupled this information with the desire that I should not withhold
+from the gentlemen what I thought with regard to Franz Schorn's
+connection with my accident.
+
+When I refused point blank to do this and declared that I suspected
+Franz of nothing, that I was convinced that accident only had caused
+the breaking of the rope, he became very indignant at such ill-judged
+forbearance.
+
+"I cannot understand you, Herr Professor," he said angrily. "Suspicion
+is almost become certainty. Schorn has betrayed himself by superfluous
+caution. It is a common experience among lawyers that the criminal
+often furnishes the clue to his discovery by excess of caution, and
+this has been Schorn's case. To destroy all traces of a cut in the rope
+he has cut off both ends of the break and thrown them away in the cave.
+Perhaps they can still be found; but should this not be the case, the
+fact of his so disposing of them tells against him. What other aim
+could he have in thus destroying all traces of the cut?"
+
+"But he did not throw them away. He cut them off in my presence and
+gave them to me. Here they are," I replied, taking the ends of rope
+from my breast pocket.
+
+I spoke and acted without thought, as I felt the moment the words were
+out of my mouth and I perceived their effect upon my hearer. He started
+from his chair as if from an electric shock and took instant possession
+of the ends of rope.
+
+"He gave them to you," he cried, "and why? Ah! now I understand it all.
+Conscious of his guilt, he feared discovery, and bethought himself, in
+his over-caution, to inform you of what had been done. Suspicion must
+be thrown upon another, and I was that other. Tell me frankly, Herr
+Professor--I have a right to ask it--tell me, did he not hint to you
+that I had cut the rope?"
+
+I had acted like a fool and was now painfully embarrassed. I was
+obliged to confess to him that his suspicion was correct. He instantly
+grew excessively angry.
+
+"What doubly detestable villainy," he cried, "refinement of
+rascality--to throw suspicion on me and to adduce as proof the cut
+which his own knife had made, and which, of course, he knew well enough
+where to find! Of course I know that his words did not make the
+smallest impression on you. Nevertheless they anger me beyond
+expression. I did not credit even the villain that he is with such
+rascality, but it shall react upon himself. These two fragments shall
+bear witness against him. I shall give them to the Attorney General
+to-morrow."
+
+"Indeed you will not," I replied firmly. "I owe my life to Franz
+Schorn. Without his aid I should now be lying dead in the depths of the
+cave. I do not know whether a knife or a sharp stone worked the
+mischief, but I do know that Schorn risked his own life for mine. This
+is solely my affair. My life was imperilled and I surely have the right
+to demand that no evil shall be said of him who preserved it."
+
+"Will you deny me the right to clear myself from all suspicion? This
+can be done only by proving that Schorn himself cut the rope."
+
+"No one has suspected you except Franz Schorn, and to me alone has he
+expressed his suspicion. I am sure that the breaking of the rope was an
+accident. I shall not allow suspicion to attach to any one, either to
+you or to Schorn. I require of you to return to me the pieces of rope
+and to be silent to the Attorney General concerning the whole matter;
+the affair concerns myself alone."
+
+Herr Foligno made many objections to my demand. I found it difficult to
+soothe him; he was so indignant with Schorn for showing me the ends as
+proof against him. He burned with the desire for revenge for such an
+insult, and I succeeded only with great trouble and much entreaty in
+persuading him to be silent and to return to me the ends of rope.
+
+He remained until far into the night--a civility I could easily have
+dispensed with. I was not comfortable in his society. I tried in vain
+to talk on indifferent subjects; he persisted in returning to the
+adventure in the cave and always with an attempt to cast further
+suspicion upon Schorn. His hatred for Franz and his indignation at what
+Franz had said to me was so great that he could think of nothing else.
+He would have tormented me, I believe, until daybreak with his
+accusations and his discussions of the matter; but at last I frankly
+told him that I had need of repose, and then he bade me good-night.
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XII.
+                               AN ARREST.
+
+
+I had to undergo a long examination. The investigating Judge and the
+Attorney General came from Laibach. Immediately after receiving Herr
+Foligno's deposition, they determined to take the very uncomfortable
+journey to Luttach to hear for themselves from witnesses on the spot
+all that was known regarding Franz Schorn's actions and whereabouts
+during the last few weeks. The investigating Judge told me of this with
+all the courtesy of an Austrian official. With entire lack of reserve,
+he informed me that although Herr Foligno's carefully prepared paper
+was quite sufficient to attach suspicion to Schorn, it did not at all
+suffice to convince him of the young man's guilt. He requested me to
+tell everything that I knew of Schorn and to hold back nothing out of
+regard for the man who, as he had already heard in Adelsberg, had saved
+my life. It was my duty to tell not only the truth, but the whole
+truth.
+
+The Judge was a handsome, kindly man, so courteous that he would not
+have me summoned for my examination to the court house, but took down
+my deposition in my room. Yet with all his amiability and in spite of
+the sympathy which he apparently felt for Franz Schorn, his inquiries
+were frightfully searching; he forced me to tell him more than I wished
+to.
+
+I had intended at this hearing to confine myself to what I had dictated
+in the Judge's deposition, but I could not keep my resolution. When the
+Judge asked me if Franz Schorn, of whom I had seen much in the last few
+weeks, had never told me his reason for avoiding me in the forest, I
+could not reply in the negative, and I was forced to assent, and to
+relate the conversation I had had with Franz and his betrothed. I could
+not conceal that each had requested me to say nothing of the meeting in
+the forest. Such an interview as this of mine with the Judge is very
+curious. The witness knows that every word he utters is upon his oath,
+and also that it may decide the fate of a fellow mortal. Every
+consideration vanishes before such a responsibility, and I could have
+none for the Judge. I had to acknowledge to my examiner that Anna and
+Franz had given as a reason of the request for my silence that the
+Judge's hatred of the young man was so intense that he would surely use
+my meeting with Franz as evidence against him.
+
+The Judge shook his head thoughtfully on hearing this; he evidently did
+not credit their explanation. Had I cherished no suspicion? Had it
+never occurred to me as odd that Franz Schorn should have wounded his
+hand? I could not deny that such a suspicion had occurred to me, but I
+could declare with a good conscience that it had vanished entirely
+after I had come to know Schorn better.
+
+What was the reason that after this first awakening of suspicion I had
+not informed the authorities of my meeting with the young man in the
+neighborhood? Why had I withheld this information until the day before
+yesterday? This keen questioning forced me to an exact reply. I told of
+how I had desired to give information immediately of my meeting with
+Schorn, and I gave Herr Foligno's reason for begging me not to insert
+it in an official deposition, and as a natural consequence I related
+the reasoning by which he had induced me to render to him my official
+statement.
+
+"Strange; very strange," said the Judge, more to himself than to me.
+"Herr Foligno has allowed personal considerations, personal feelings to
+influence his official action. Very unjustifiable!"
+
+He was silent for a while and then questioned me further with continued
+and frightful thoroughness. I did not wish to speak of the adventure in
+the cave, but when the interview was over, I had told everything that I
+knew about my fall, my rescue, and the accusations made by Schorn and
+the Judge with regard to the cut ends of rope. After the official paper
+had been read to me and I had signed it, the Judge offered me his hand.
+
+"Your testimony has been of the greatest importance, Herr Professor,"
+he said gravely. "You have so far confirmed suspicion against Schorn
+that the young man's arrest is an unavoidable necessity, but at the
+same time you have proved to me that an influence has been at work in
+this unfortunate affair which I must investigate further. Whatever may
+be the true history of the strange adventure in the cave, Schorn
+undoubtedly saved your life and you owe him gratitude for it. If you
+wish to testify this, you can do so by preserving profound silence with
+regard to your testimony of to-day as well towards the friends as to
+the foes of Herr Schorn, and, of course, to Judge Foligno. He has
+nothing to do further with the official investigation; he must in his
+turn appear as a witness, and it is especially desirable for the
+establishment of the truth that your testimony with regard to him
+should remain unknown. May I hope that you will promise me inviolable
+secrecy towards Herr Foligno, Herr Professor?"
+
+"Certainly, most willingly; but what am I to reply when Herr Foligno
+questions me? He wanted to send you an account of the adventure in the
+cave, and only desisted at my express desire."
+
+"Do not let this consideration influence you. It is of the greatest
+importance in the investigation that the Judge should know nothing of
+your testimony with regard to the adventure in the cave. If he asks
+you, tell him the simple truth; it is unlawful for witnesses to discuss
+together their testimony, and he is henceforth a witness like yourself.
+Tell him that I told you this, and that I enjoined it upon you to
+refuse even the slightest information with regard to your testimony."
+
+With this counsel, which I determined to follow implicitly, the Judge
+took his leave. He left me in an indescribable agitation, which
+increased when the District Judge paid me a visit immediately after. He
+came, as he told me frankly, to learn how the investigating Judge had
+received my testimony. When I told him of the promise which I had
+given, he was greatly surprised.
+
+"I! A witness like all the rest?" he cried indignantly. "These
+government officials are so puffed up with pride and self-conceit that
+they don't know what they are about. They owe to me, to my activity, to
+my research, every ray of light cast upon the darkness of the crime,
+and now they push me aside, rob me of the reward of my discovery, and
+regard me as a simple witness; but they shall not succeed; I will not
+submit; and you, too, Herr Professor, you need not feel yourself bound
+by a promise which no one had a right to exact from you; you may
+without fear tell me anything that you desire."
+
+"I do not know whether I should be justified in doing so or not," I
+replied, shrugging my shoulders. "I do not know the Austrian laws, but
+I am well aware that if I have undertaken no legal responsibility, a
+moral one rests upon me not to speak of my testimony after the promise
+which I have given. You must pardon me, Herr Foligno, if I preserve
+absolute silence."
+
+He looked at me angrily and evilly. "As you please; I shall make no
+further request of you," he said after a little pause. "One thing I
+have a right to demand of you in a matter which concerns me personally.
+Have you----"
+
+"I regret that I can make no reply to any question, whatever it may be.
+My promise to be silent was given unconditionally."
+
+He cast at me a glance full of rage and left the room without saying
+farewell. I had deeply offended him by my persistent refusal. I sat
+alone with a heavy heart, discontented with myself. I had offended the
+man who had been so kind and courteous to me during my stay in Luttach,
+and I had also placed him in a perilous position by my testimony to his
+superior. This was a very disagreeable thought. He was not aware of it,
+but when he learned it, would he not have a right to be angry with me
+and to accuse me of a breach of confidence? I had strengthened
+suspicion against Franz Schorn, the saviour of my life. It was my fault
+that the young man was now threatened with the loss of his liberty. I
+was provoked with myself for my imprudent and frank expressions, and
+yet again, when I reflected on the late examination and the questioning
+I had undergone, I could not have answered differently in accordance
+with the truth. I had surely only fulfilled my duty as a witness. In
+the deepest anxiety and with torturing impatience I awaited further
+developments. It was desperately hard to lie there and have cold
+bandages on my sprained ankle. I would have given anything to be able
+to do something, or that the visitors whom I had found so tiresome
+yesterday would return to-day, but I was, and remained, alone, confined
+to my bed.
+
+Two hours passed. At last quick footsteps approached my door. Mizka
+entered breathless, her cheeks crimson, her eyes glowing, to tell me of
+what was the talk at present of all Luttach. Franz Schorn was the
+murderer of old Pollenz. The gentlemen from Laibach had been searching
+Schorn's house at his farm outside the town, and had found quantities
+of money, banknotes, and stock, and government bonds and other papers
+of value, all the wealth of the murdered man. Nevertheless Franz had
+denied everything, declaring that he was innocent, but his brazen
+falsehood had done him no good; he had been arrested, his hands
+fettered, and thus manacled had been brought between two gendarmes to
+Luttach. As he passed the house of the doctor, his betrothed was
+sitting at the window. She had seen him and had rushed down into the
+street. She had embraced him before everybody--he, the murderer of her
+father! The gendarmes were obliged to unclasp her arms. She had not
+wept a tear; she had looked up at him with sparkling eyes when the
+gendarmes bore him away.
+
+"Do not despair, Franz," she had called after him. "God will not suffer
+the innocent to be condemned."
+
+Then she had quietly gone with the doctor, who led her back into the
+house. Franz, however, had walked on between the gendarmes, his eyes
+cast gloomily on the ground. He had replied not a word to the abuse
+which was showered on him from all sides.
+
+"Murderer!" "Dog of a German!" and other insulting epithets had been
+hurled after him by an increasing crowd of common people. He did not
+seem even to hear them. The people were so excited against him, so
+infuriated that the gendarmes had the greatest trouble in shielding him
+from their attack, and could hardly have succeeded in doing so if the
+Judge himself had not protected him from a couple of savage fellows,
+two labourers who had been dismissed from Schorn's farm and would
+gladly have revenged themselves upon their former master for their
+dismissal. By earnest admonition and threats of punishment the Judge
+had succeeded in quieting the mob, assuring the people that the
+murderer would not escape justice. He accompanied the prisoner to the
+court house, receiving no thanks from him for his protection. Not a
+word did Franz address to him.
+
+Upon an order from Herr Foligno, Herr Gunther provided a vehicle and
+horses, and, accompanied by the two gendarmes, bore off the manacled
+prisoner. The Judge said he would be taken to prison in Laibach and
+kept there until the court assembled, when he would be certainly tried
+as a murderer and hanged.
+
+All this Mizka detailed to me in the greatest agitation. Evidently she
+felt much satisfaction in the discovery of the murderer, and that it
+should be precisely Franz Schorn, whom every one hated, who was now
+delivered over to the law. Not a word of sympathy did the girl, usually
+so good-humoured, have for the unfortunate man; not a doubt of his
+guilt stirred within her; with a triumphant smile she left me after she
+had told her news.
+
+"The voice of the people is the voice of God," the Judge had once said.
+The doctor had replied, "The people's gossip is the voice of the
+devil." Was the Judge now proved to be right? The proof of Schorn's
+guilt seemed to grow clearer, and yet, strangely enough, my doubt of it
+grew stronger with every hour. My reason told me that there could be no
+room for doubt, now that upon searching his house the booty had been
+discovered, but my heart rebelled against even this proof. I felt for
+the first time that I had taken more than a fleeting interest in the
+young man, that there had been between us a heartfelt sympathy which
+forbade me in the face of all proof yet adduced, to believe in the
+possibility of his guilt.
+
+I was not long left to my melancholy reflections. A visitor interrupted
+them. The Burgomaster came, not only to inquire after my welfare, but
+to tell me of the discoveries made with regard to Schorn and of all
+that had been going on in the town while I lay bedridden. He had not
+yet left me before another visitor appeared, and he was followed by a
+third and a fourth. All the evening cronies of the round table made up
+for their absence in the morning, and through the entire afternoon I
+was not again alone. All my visitors brought melancholy confirmation of
+what Mizka had told me. Even the Captain and the Burgomaster were now
+convinced of Schorn's guilt, and acknowledged their conviction openly.
+The search in his house had brought much to light; so much money had
+been found that it was impossible to believe Franz had come by it
+honestly. His very conduct told against him--his bare-faced denial, as
+well as his unbroken silence when no credit was given to his words.
+There was but one opinion as to his guilt, and also as to the behaviour
+of the Judge. Even the Judge's opponents declared that Franz owed his
+escape from the indignant mob to his magnanimous protection. There was
+also but one voice with regard to the conduct of the Laibach court. It
+had been admirable, particularly that of the investigating Judge, who
+in a single day had discovered every particular concerning Schorn's
+life during the last few weeks. Almost all the gentlemen and a number
+of other people besides, as well as Bela and Rassak, had been examined
+by him. The officials had said nothing of the result of their evidence,
+and had enjoined the strictest silence upon the witnesses, who,
+however, were at liberty to declare that they considered Franz Schorn
+guilty, and they did so. The Clerk alone, Herr von Einern, prudently
+withheld his opinion in the matter.
+
+Did the doctor also believe in Franz Schorn's guilt? He and the Judge
+were the only ones who paid me no visit on this day. The Judge probably
+could not forget my refusal to answer his questions, and was still
+offended. I was at heart very glad that he did not come. His visit
+could have given rise only to unpleasant discussions; but the doctor I
+should like to have seen, partly to obtain medical advice for the
+night, and partly to learn his opinion of the discoveries concerning
+Schorn. My wish was fulfilled late in the evening, when it was nearly
+nine o'clock. The doctor came, but he was not alone. To my great
+surprise he was accompanied by Anna Pollenz. My astonishment when I saw
+the lovely Anna enter the room on the arm of her old friend must have
+been mirrored in my face, for Anna blushed, and the doctor, with his
+characteristic short laugh, which I was always glad to hear, said:
+
+"You wonder at this strange visit so late in the evening, Herr
+Professor. Well, you are right. This little girl might as well have
+come to you to-morrow morning, at a more fitting time; but she gave me
+no rest until I complied with her wish and brought her to you. If I had
+not consented she might perhaps have come all alone, and have given
+occasion for all sorts of gossip in Luttach. The entire population of
+the town has run mad; even the most sensible are infected with the
+nonsense which is heard on all sides. I could not have believed it, but
+since Franz's arrest and removal to Laibach, even the Captain and the
+Burgomaster have lost faith in him and consider him guilty, and yet
+everything adduced against him is thorough, unmitigated bosh. Not a
+word of it is true. The gentlemen from Laibach are principally to
+blame, with their arrest. They would hardly have proceeded to such
+extremities if the Judge had not taken care that they should hear from
+all sides the falsehoods invented by himself. This poor little girl has
+had a frightful day. Not only has her Franz been arrested--that is not
+the worst, for he will very soon be free again--but all the world, with
+the exception of the Clerk and myself, believe in Franz's guilt, and
+people are not ashamed to declare this openly. This makes my little
+Anna desperate. 'The Herr Professor, who loves Franz so much, cannot
+think him guilty,' she said, and insisted upon coming to you. I could
+not but do as she asked, and here we are. Well, perhaps it is all
+right; the poor child will not speak here to deaf ears, and will be
+soothed to see that every one does not consider Franz a murderer and
+thief. Sit down, my child, here in this chair, and pour out your heart
+to the Herr Professor. He will listen to you kindly."
+
+I had been observing Anna during this long introduction. Her colour
+changed from red to pale and then to red again as the old doctor
+continued. Her eyes sparkled as she turned to me, and she gazed at me
+with an imploring expression in them. She was wonderfully lovely. My
+heart gave a throb. Was I altogether free from blame?
+
+Anna seated herself at her old friend's bidding beside my bed and gazed
+at me with a long, searching look in her dark eyes, as if to read in my
+face the possibility of my thinking her Franz guilty.
+
+"You cannot mistrust him, Herr Professor," she said, "he has such a
+regard for you, and he saved your life."
+
+There was not much logic in these words, but they made me ashamed of
+myself nevertheless. Franz could not be guilty unless she were his
+accomplice, and I had almost believed in his guilt. I could not endure
+the look of those pure, clear eyes; my own dropped before them. I was
+ashamed.
+
+"If all the rest think him guilty," she continued in a tone of firm
+conviction, "you cannot. You believe in him, and you must feel it your
+duty to do everything you can to prove his innocence, for he saved
+your life. Therefore I come to you; I wished to speak to you before
+to-morrow. I shall sleep quietly, for I know that you will stand by me.
+Franz told me yesterday evening that the Judge had tried to take your
+life; that he is your worst enemy. You will counsel me truly when I
+have confided to you a secret which I have kept until now, a suspicion
+which I have not ventured to utter even to my dearest friend and
+relative."
+
+"Speak, dear child," I replied, taking her hand and pressing it
+cordially. "I assure you that I have no dearer wish than to establish
+the innocence of the saviour of my life."
+
+"I know it and will trust you," she replied frankly. "You and my kind
+friend, the doctor, both of you shall counsel me," she continued,
+clasping my hand in one of hers and extending the other to the doctor.
+
+"What do you mean, you strange child?" the doctor cried. "If you have a
+secret upon your soul, you ought to have told me of it long ago. If you
+needed counsel, you could always have had it from me."
+
+"I did not dare to. Franz forbade me. Franz himself did not believe me
+until yesterday evening. He is innocent. He always said that my fear of
+Herr Foligno and my detestation of him misled me."
+
+"Of whom are you speaking, child!" asked the doctor.
+
+Instead of answering, Anna turned to me.
+
+"When you reached the Lonely House on that terrible day, Herr
+Professor, did you not see in its neighbourhood another man beside
+Franz?" she asked.
+
+"No. No one."
+
+"I did not mean near the house itself, but on the upper path, the one
+leading along the rocks to Luttach?"
+
+"I saw no one there either."
+
+"You did not see him? I am sorry. Franz was sure yesterday that you
+did."
+
+"But who in all the world should the Professor have seen!" asked the
+doctor curiously.
+
+"The Judge," Anna replied. "I was sure I saw him, but I would not say
+so decidedly, and Franz, until yesterday, thought I might be mistaken
+and would not allow me to found an unjust suspicion upon an uncertain
+fact."
+
+The doctor was as astonished and startled as was I by Anna's words. He
+desired to know more from her, and when I begged the young girl to give
+us her full confidence and to tell us all that she knew and believed,
+she yielded to our request and related what had lain so long upon her
+heart.
+
+When on that dreadful day Anna had left home and was going down the
+path with her old Johanna to Luttach, she looked up by chance where the
+oaks grew thin and saw on the upper pathway a man approaching the
+Lonely House. She thought she recognized the Judge, but she could not
+be certain, for she had seen the figure only for a moment and had taken
+no trouble to recognize it, since she attached no importance to what
+she saw. The Judge had often gone to her father and had usually taken
+the upper pathway, wherefore she did not think of it again. Only upon
+hearing the terrible news of the murder of her father was the strange
+suspicion suddenly aroused within her that the Judge was the murderer,
+and this suspicion had been gradually confirmed. To hardly one other
+human being except to his friend the Judge, would her father have
+opened the locked front door. While he was alone he would have admitted
+no other. The Judge had known that her father had large sums of money
+in the house and was quite familiar with the place where they would be
+found.
+
+"But had I a right upon such slight grounds to found a suspicion of a
+respectable man? I asked myself," Anna proceeded. "I answered no, but
+in spite of this 'no' I could not combat my thoughts, and it was most
+terrible for me that I myself was partly to blame for my father's death
+if my suspicion were correct. The day before the Judge had come to
+visit my father, and had not found him at home. My father had left
+word, however, that he would soon return, and I thought I ought to tell
+this to the visitor because it might have provoked my father to know
+that I had turned away his friend. The Judge then begged my permission
+to wait, and when I gave it reluctantly, he sat down by me in my room
+and began a conversation. During this conversation I told him that my
+father had gone to Luttach to get papers of value from the post. He
+would not send old Johanna because the sum in question was too large to
+be entrusted to so old a woman. The Judge knew also from me that my
+father had much money in the house, and that I was going on the
+following day to visit my Aunt Laucic in Luttach, when Johanna would
+accompany me, so that after eleven o'clock he might see my father
+alone. All this I told him, and it all recurred to my mind. I had
+myself told the murderer when his victim would be alone and when he
+could commit the deed."
+
+In her distress Anna went on to say that she did not venture to mention
+her suspicion to the Captain--he was a friend of the Judge's--and only
+to her betrothed, from whom she kept no secrets, did she tell what was
+in her mind. He begged her, however, not to confide in any other human
+being. Franz declared that the Judge was not capable of such villainy.
+He tried to prove to her that her suspicions were groundless. "Does not
+he often climb about the rocks?" he asked. "Even had he been in the
+neighbourhood of the Lonely House, that ought to be no ground of
+suspicion against him, for I myself was met by the Herr Professor in
+the forest, as I was prowling about in hopes of meeting you." When her
+lover said this, Anna was seized with a dreadful anxiety lest he might
+really be suspected, and Franz, too, could understand that he was in
+peril. He knew how he was disliked, and how any opportunity would be
+seized to do him harm.
+
+Franz had insisted, however, that the Judge was incapable of the
+murder, and he had forbidden Anna to say one word further upon the
+subject. "Because he is my enemy," he told her; "because he is always
+circulating damaging reports of me behind my back, we must take care
+not to be unjust towards him." He had spoken thus until yesterday, but
+when he returned from the expedition to the cave and told Anna of his
+adventure there, he had suddenly changed his opinion with regard to
+what she had always thought. "It is beyond doubt," he said, "that the
+Judge cut the rope. What reason could he have for such an act! He
+wished to plunge the Professor into the abyss. I am now convinced that
+the Professor saw him also in the neighbourhood of the Lonely House.
+You were not deceived when you recognized him on the upper pathway. He
+fears that the Professor may betray him, and wishes to put so dangerous
+a witness out of the way. There could be no other reason for his
+infamous attempt upon the life of the kind old man, whose friend he
+pretends to be. He planned a murder, and now I can believe also that he
+is the murderer of your father. Let him take care; I shall speak to the
+Professor. I will tell him of your suspicion; he will tell me whether
+he saw the Judge that day." But Franz soon after was arrested and Anna
+felt it her duty to do what he had wished to do.
+
+"That is why I am come to you, Herr Professor," she concluded; "you
+must counsel me. You must help me to discover the real criminal and to
+set an innocent man at liberty."
+
+While Anna had been speaking, the doctor, who had also seated himself
+beside my bed, had been continually getting up and sitting down again,
+possessed by a feverish restlessness, although listening in silence to
+every word spoken by the young girl. Now that Anna had finished, he
+exclaimed:
+
+"Do you want to drive two old men crazy with your deuce of a story?
+Child, have you had such thoughts in your head and heart for weeks and
+never said a word of them? Think of what might have been done in those
+weeks! Think of how suspicion might have been turned in other
+directions! You are sure, Herr Professor, that you did not see the
+Judge on the rocky pathway?"
+
+"I am sure of it."
+
+"But may he not have been there without your seeing him, or are you
+sure that he was not there?"
+
+"I believe that he was there."
+
+[Illustration: "You must help me!"]
+
+"And what reason have you for your belief? Out with it, Herr Professor!
+The scales are falling from my eyes. I begin to see clearly. This deuce
+of a girl has enlightened my stupidity, but what is the use of my
+seeing? Franz and the child have both shown confidence in you, and you
+must justify it. Out with what you know without any reserve!"
+
+He was right; I could not be silent. The half promise which I had once
+given to the Judge to protect him from any chaffing to which he might
+be subjected with regard to the pocket handkerchief found where it had
+been could not bind me. I told of my finding the bloody handkerchief
+and of the Judge's explanation.
+
+"It is he! It is he and no other!" exclaimed the doctor, quite beside
+himself. "Did I not always say that the murderer must have been an
+intimate friend of the old man? Oh, blind fool that I have been! Why
+did I not think of him, when for two weeks he wore a black glove on his
+right hand? He had good reason to wish to see you vanish in the abyss.
+You, who could bring such evidence against him. And you fell into his
+trap, and have been silent all this while, without harbouring any
+suspicion of him! For shame, Herr Professor! No, you need not be
+ashamed of yourself, you kind, old, unsuspicious man; but I could tear
+my hair for being such a fool and letting him lead me by the nose as he
+has done."
+
+"Are you sure now that you are not deceiving yourself?" I asked very
+gravely. My heart was beating violently. There is something fearful in
+such a suspicion. Suddenly as it had arisen, it had now entire
+possession of me; but had I not entertained the same, and perhaps with
+more reason, of Franz Schorn? Could I trust myself since I had once
+deceived myself?
+
+No such reflections troubled the doctor:
+
+"I am so convinced," he said, clapping his hands as if in triumph,
+"that I would myself condemn the fellow to be hanged, if it lay in my
+province to do so. Hanged he shall be, I promise you, little girl, and
+we will take your Franz in triumph from the prison in Laibach and carry
+him home. How it is to be done, I do not see at present; but, rely upon
+it, I will do it. I will follow the murderer's tracks like a
+bloodhound. He has no idea that he is suspected, and that I have
+discovered his plots. He shall find it out, but only when we are taking
+Franz from prison in Laibach. Until then not a word to anybody, Herr
+Professor."
+
+"Is it not our duty to inform the court in Laibach of what we suspect
+and of our grounds for doing so?"
+
+"Not a word in that quarter. With all due reverence for the gentlemen
+in Laibach, the Judges and the Attorney General; before they can make
+up their minds to believe that a colleague, a District Judge, is a
+common murderer and thief, the proofs must be as clear as daylight.
+Only when we deliver him over to them, and they must do their part, can
+we be sure of them. I would sooner confide in our Clerk; he would throw
+all forbearance to the winds; but should we admit him to our confidence
+now, we should be placing him in a very embarrassing position, for the
+District Judge is, after all, his chief. Therefore, not a word, Herr
+Professor, until we have further proofs against the scoundrel. Now that
+we are on the scent, it will, I hope, not be long."
+
+I was obliged to admit that the doctor's plan was the right one, and my
+admission flattered him.
+
+"Do you not remember how day before yesterday evening the Judge said
+with a sneer, 'A great criminal lawyer is lost in you, doctor'? I will
+prove to him that he was right. Only trust me, Herr Professor; you
+shall not repent it. But be sure to follow a piece of advice which I
+must give you. Remember that it is to the Judge's interest to be rid of
+you; therefore, beware of him. It will do no harm to have your revolver
+where you can reach it in a moment, day or night."
+
+I promised to follow his advice. We talked on for half an hour very
+pleasantly. The doctor was in the best humour in the world, and the
+charming little Anna was now so full of hope for a speedy reunion with
+her Franz that she almost forgot her grief at his imprisonment. She was
+indeed a lovely child, and as she talked on so heart-free and
+confidentially with us two old men, I was really in love with her
+myself. Upon their departure the doctor promised me that he would allow
+me to leave my bed on the following day, and Anna promised to pay me
+repeated visits so long as I was confined to my room. Thus we parted in
+the most friendly manner. The doctor turned as he was about to close
+the door behind him and said:
+
+"Do you know, Herr Professor, what comforts me in this cursed affair?"
+
+"What?"
+
+"That Foligno is no Slav, but an Italian. Believe me, a Slav would be
+incapable of such villainy. Good-night, Herr Professor."
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER XIII.
+                             AN OLD CHEST.
+
+
+Three very wearisome days ensued. To be sure, I was allowed to leave my
+bed and was no longer forced to apply cold bandages to my sprained
+ankle, but I was a prisoner on a very uncomfortable sofa, whereon my
+leg was stretched out, and therefore condemned to intolerable,
+tedious idleness. I could not even move sufficiently to prepare my
+treasures--the butterflies and beetles--for my collection. My beautiful
+_Cćcigena_ caterpillars had to be fed by Mizka, and I was obliged to
+congratulate myself that she undertook what must have been a very
+humdrum task with amiable readiness.
+
+For three days the doctor had decreed that I must keep a recumbent
+position; thereafter I might sit up on the sofa and move about the room
+a little. I looked forward to the expiration of this time with
+unfeigned longing, for such enforced idleness is intolerable for a
+healthy man. Visitors were not lacking during those endless three days.
+The gentlemen of Luttach took pains to entertain me, but their visits
+were more of a pain than a pleasure, for the subject of their
+conversation was forever the same--the assured guilt of Franz Schorn.
+No one had the least doubt that he was the criminal. The Judge had
+shown them so many proofs of it that they were almost provoked with me
+because I would not join in the universal condemnation of the man, but
+declared that it was our duty to believe in the possibility of his
+innocence as long as he was not officially condemned. More than this I
+could not say, after my promise to the doctor, therefore I was
+compelled to listen silently when the alleged proofs of Schorn's guilt
+were discussed, which were downright fabrications. I looked forward
+with some dread to a visit from the Judge. It would have been almost
+impossible for me to appear unembarrassed in his presence. But the duty
+of playing the hypocrite and feigning friendship was fortunately not
+enforced upon me. He not only did not call upon me, but sent an excuse
+by Mizka. He was forced to go to Görz for a few days, and had so much
+to do before his departure that he had not a quarter of an hour to call
+his own. Upon his return he hoped to find me entirely recovered.
+
+The doctor was irritated by this journey. It deranged his schemes. He
+wished to have an opportunity to watch the man narrowly, which it would
+be impossible for him to do in Görz, the doctor was not, therefore, in
+a very good humour, and his visits would have contributed but little to
+my enlivenment had not the charming little Anna always accompanied him.
+The lovely young girl crept further and further into my heart with
+every visit. While we two old men were feverish with impatience to act,
+she bore this state of anxiety with angelic patience and admirable
+serenity. She was firm in her pious faith in Divine justice; she was
+sure that we should succeed in rescuing the innocent and in bringing
+the guilty to punishment. This conviction made it possible for her to
+wait patiently.
+
+At last the tiresome three days were over. On the fourth day the doctor
+gave me permission to sit up on the sofa, and as long as my foot did
+not pain me, to take several steps about my room. I breathed more
+freely. Now I could occupy myself. Before my accident I had collected a
+wealth of material which had all to be arranged. My _Lepidoptera_ were
+to be mounted, my _Coleoptera_ prepared, some doubtful species named,
+etc. Thus I had an abundance of work for several days and need fear no
+ennui.
+
+Of course, I wished to begin work immediately, when an obstacle
+presented itself which I had never thought of. I had no place to spread
+out my entomological treasures, or where I could put my boards for
+mounting the butterflies, which were now packed together in my trunk,
+but would take considerable room when spread out to receive the
+precious insects. Hitherto I had found the lack of furniture in my
+simple room not inconvenient, but now it became so. If I could only
+have a bureau with two or three drawers in which I could lay the boards
+for the accommodation of my spoils, all would be well and I should be
+quite content.
+
+Perhaps Frau Franzka could help me. There must be some such bureau in
+Luttach. Frau Franzka was summoned. The word "bureau" she did not
+understand, but when I described to her the piece of furniture that I
+wished, she exclaimed joyfully:
+
+"Ah, the Herr Professor means a chest! That is easily procured.
+Upstairs in the Judge's sleeping-room there is a large old chest with
+four drawers. It is not beautiful, but very roomy. If the Herr
+Professor would like it, I will gladly have it brought down."
+
+Its lack of beauty was of no consequence to me, in consideration of the
+space it afforded, but I did not like to take the chest from the
+chamber of the Judge. I preferred not to ask of him the smallest
+favour. I said so to Frau Franzka, but she made light of my scruples,
+saying:
+
+"The Herr Foligno never uses the old chest. He used to put his linen in
+it, but now he keeps it in a very fine new chest which I bought for
+him, and which stands in his parlour. The old chest is empty; the Judge
+will be glad to have it taken out of his room."
+
+"But Herr Foligno is still away. You cannot ask his permission."
+
+"It is not necessary. The chest belongs to me. Herr Foligno, besides,
+owes me a great deal of money, and he cannot object to my bringing down
+for the Herr Professor an old chest which he does not use."
+
+I tried to make objection, but Frau Franzka was a resolute lady, and
+persisted in what she had once decided upon. She called her husband and
+a servant, and sent them up into the Judge's sleeping-room to bring
+down the chest, and in a few minutes, against the long bare wall of my
+room there stood a large, old-fashioned bureau, not elegant, indeed,
+but painted black, and with four drawers which gave abundant room for
+my requirements.
+
+"There is the old chest," Frau Franzka said with satisfaction. "The
+Herr Professor need not fear; I will take it upon myself to settle
+matters with the Judge; but I must see if he has left anything in the
+drawers. I don't think so, but if it should be the case, I can easily
+transfer them to his new chest."
+
+She tried to draw out the topmost drawer by its metal handles, but it
+would not open.
+
+"That is strange," she said. "The wood must have swelled so that the
+drawer sticks."
+
+"Perhaps it is locked," I remarked.
+
+"Oh, no, certainly not. The Judge never locks his chests; he always
+leaves them open, and, besides, I do not know whether he had any
+key, but we can soon see. There is just such another chest in our
+sleeping-room; my husband has the key and we can see if it will open
+it."
+
+She said several words in Slavonic to her husband, and he took a queer
+little key out of his pocket and handed it to her.
+
+The key fitted in the lock and turned. Frau Franzka then opened the
+topmost drawer without difficulty. She glanced inside it and recoiled
+with a slight scream.
+
+"Oh, Holy Virgin!" she cried, clasping her hands. "What is all this? A
+shirt, a summer suit, a silk pocket handkerchief, all spotted with
+blood, and oh, blessed Maria, who would have thought that Herr Foligno
+had so much money hid away in this old chest!"
+
+Instantly I was possessed by a strange foreboding. There lay the money
+which the murderer had stolen from his victim. I sprang up from the
+sofa without thinking of my sprained ankle and walked hastily across
+the room, never heeding the pain.
+
+Yes, there lay the stolen money. Several packages of banknotes of a
+hundred gulden each, and beside them a bundle of papers of value, the
+topmost of these showing the same dark spots, traces of the blood from
+the wounded hand of the murderer, who had taken no care to avoid
+staining them. Here, hidden away in the old chest, were the proofs of
+the murderer's guilt; the bloodstained clothing which he had worn when
+he committed the deed; and the handkerchief which I had given to him
+was there also. If there had been any doubt until now as to the
+identity of the criminal, it vanished on the instant. Link by link in
+an indestructible chain the proofs were clearly here for the conviction
+of the District Judge. In fancy I saw him contemplating his murderous
+scheme, walking up the rocky path towards the Lonely House. He knew
+that he should find the old man alone there; he had been told this on
+the day before. Anna had thoughtlessly informed him that her father
+would be alone in the afternoon. Her account of the considerable amount
+of money which the old man had received by the morning's post had
+begotten the murderous scheme. He reaches the house, no one having seen
+him on the rocky pathway. He looks about him. No human being is near
+who could observe him. He does not dream that Anna has seen him. He
+knocks. The old man opens the door and conducts him to his room, where
+a struggle ensues, a struggle in which the murderer wounds his hand,
+but from which he comes forth victorious. The crime is committed. The
+murderer with his bleeding hand has taken the banknotes and papers from
+the desk which he knew so well; in his excitement he has hardly noticed
+that he was wounded. He is suddenly conscious of pain in his hand, and
+the thought occurs to him that his wound might betray him. With terror
+he perceives that his dress, his shirt, his waistcoat and trousers, all
+wear bloody traces of the struggle. He tries to remove them with his
+handkerchief, but in vain. How can he explain these stains when he
+returns to Luttach? He devises one means--to declare that he fell among
+the rocks and wounded his hand. Every one knows that he frequently
+climbs about among the rocks and how easily such an accident might
+occur. If he can bring back to the old naturalist a rare plant which
+usually grows upon almost inaccessible rocks, his story of a fall will
+be all the more credible. The _Ophrys Bertolini_ grows in the
+neighbourhood; except himself no one knows the locality. It is easily
+reached; he hastily plucks the beautiful flowers, losing his
+handkerchief as he does so, but without noticing it he hurries away
+from the neighbourhood of the Lonely House.
+
+Fortune favours him. No one meets him; no one sees him when he reaches
+the inn and hastens to his chamber. There he locks himself in; he must
+change his clothes; but what shall he do with his bloodstained apparel?
+Suddenly the old bureau occurs to him; it stands unused in his
+sleeping-room. He could not have a better, a more secure hiding place.
+He conceals the clothes and his plunder in the top drawer, locks it,
+and puts the key in his pocket. Now he is safe; no suspicion can
+possibly fall upon him, the Judge, the most prominent official in the
+town. There can be no searching of his room. He himself would
+superintend whatever search there might be. The bloodstained clothing,
+the banknotes and the papers could be nowhere more safe from discovery
+than in the locked drawer of the old bureau. He breathes more freely.
+There is a knock at the door. The old Professor asks for admission. He
+is obliged to receive him. This will give him an opportunity of
+relating the story of his fall among the rocks. He is dismayed at
+learning that the murder has been discovered sooner than he
+anticipated, but he composes himself, and when he hears that Franz
+Schorn has been seen in the vicinity of the Lonely House, he devises a
+plan for throwing suspicion upon him, his mortal enemy, and with
+vindictive cunning proceeds to carry it out, using every circumstance
+that could lead step by step to the consummation of the crime without
+exposing himself at any point. Thus he feels perfectly safe, when
+suddenly he makes the terrible discovery that there exists a witness
+against him. The old Professor has found his bloody handkerchief near
+the Lonely House. He finds it easy to deceive the unsuspicious old man.
+He succeeds in convincing him that Franz Schorn is the murderer, but as
+long as the Professor lives, the danger of detection hangs over his
+head. He induces the foolish old man to undertake expeditions among the
+most dangerous rocks, in the hope of his falling a victim to some
+accident, but when this scheme fails, he determines to efface all trace
+of the first murder by a second. The exploration of the cave, in which
+he asks to join, furnishes a means to do so. The Professor must die,
+but before his death he must send the official deposition which is so
+essential for Schorn's conviction.
+
+Here also his murderous design fails, but he manages to cast suspicion
+upon Franz Schorn in the matter of cutting the rope, and the young man
+is arrested. The murderer triumphs.
+
+Then by a marvellous chance the old chest is opened during his absence
+from home, and the clear proofs of his guilt are discovered by the very
+man whom he wished, as the only witness against him, to remove from his
+path.
+
+I stood paralyzed before the open drawer. All the past, which it has
+taken minutes to relate, flashed upon my mind with the speed of
+lightning. The proofs of the murderer's guilt which the doctor had been
+so anxious to obtain were now before me. Chance had placed them in my
+hands. What was I to make of this chance was the next question.
+
+"We must not touch these things," I said to Frau Franzka, who with her
+old husband stood speechless with astonishment, gazing at the money in
+the drawer. They had never in their lives seen so much at a time. "The
+Judge might suspect us of having taken some of his heap of money. Lock
+the drawer again, Frau Franzka; we will give the key to the Clerk, and
+the doctor shall be witness that we do so. We three, you, your husband
+and I, will stay here until Mizka fetches the doctor and the Clerk, and
+we can each testify that none of the money has been taken."
+
+"So much money! And he owes me over five hundred gulden, with all that
+pile in his drawer!" exclaimed Frau Franzka, who was reluctant to lose
+sight of the banknotes, but on my reiterated request, she locked it up,
+and then called Mizka, telling her to go immediately for the Herr
+Einern and the doctor, begging them to come as quick as possible to the
+Herr Professor in the "Golden Vine."
+
+We had not long to wait. The doctor came first. Mizka met him in the
+street near the house. I drew him aside and told him in a whisper of
+the contents of the upper drawer of the bureau. He was beside himself
+with joy.
+
+"We have him! We have him!" he exclaimed aloud, with what was almost a
+leap in the air. Only when he saw the stare with which Frau Franzka and
+her husband regarded him--they might well have supposed he had lost his
+wits--he grew calmer, and I told him that I had sent also for the
+Clerk.
+
+"Quite right," he said. "We must tell him everything. Now that we have
+such positive proof of the Judge's guilt, he can act, and he must act.
+He is a brave and honourable man. He will fulfil the promise he once
+made to our little Anna. Here he comes. I hear his step on the stair."
+
+The Clerk entered the room. He seemed surprised on finding the doctor
+and my host and hostess. Frau Franzka hurried towards him. She had been
+silent so long that she was eager to pour out her heart. In a burst of
+Slavonic, of which I did not understand one syllable, she talked away
+to the Clerk, who listened with the deepest attention. I would not
+interrupt her, for I could easily perceive from her gestures what she
+was relating. The Clerk's face grew darker and darker as Frau Franzka
+continued. At last she paused and delivered to him the key of the
+bureau. He then turned to me and said very gravely:
+
+"Frau Franzka has told me of the remarkable discovery which she has
+made in that bureau. Before I examine its contents I wish to hear what
+you have to say, Herr Professor. I assume that you have summoned me
+hither, not as your friend of the evenings about the round table, but
+as the Clerk, the only representative of the law in the Judge's
+absence. I shall therefore receive what you have to say, not as the
+testimony of a friend, but officially. Frau Franzka, you will retire to
+another room with your husband, while I hear what the Herr Professor
+has to tell. I warn you to say not one word to any one--I repeat, to
+_any one_--of what you have discovered in the drawer there. You will
+expose yourself to grave penalties if you should refuse to follow my
+direction. Wait quietly until I send for you. Very shortly I will
+summon you and your husband to swear to whatever you have to say. Now
+go. Do you desire, Herr Professor, that the doctor should withdraw
+also?"
+
+"No. On the contrary, I desire his presence during my deposition, which
+I must make to you. He can complete what I have to say."
+
+I waited until the host and hostess had obediently withdrawn, and then
+I addressed the Clerk.
+
+"On the day on which the miserable old Pollenz was murdered, it was to
+you that his daughter turned, enjoining upon you the duty of
+discovering the murderer and delivering him to justice. I heard the
+young girl's moving appeal and was a witness of your silent promise to
+her. I now desire from you the fulfilment of that promise."
+
+"I will fulfil my duty. The guilty man, whosoever he may be, shall not
+escape punishment if proof sufficient can be adduced of his guilt."
+
+"This proof I am prepared to give, and so clearly that no doubt can
+remain in your mind. Listen."
+
+I had imposed a hard task upon myself--that of succinctly informing the
+Clerk of all the facts which sufficed to weld a chain of proof against
+the murderer; the part he had played towards me, arousing in me
+suspicions not only of Franz Schorn, but of the lovely Anna, in order
+to procure my signature to the deposition which he made out and sent to
+Laibach. I recalled as well as I could the words which the murderer had
+dictated to me; every one of those words seemed to form a link in the
+chain of proof; and, in conclusion, I described to him the contents of
+the old bureau, saying:
+
+"This is the accumulated evidence which I hand over to you, and I
+demand that in virtue of your office the true criminal shall be
+delivered to the authorities in Laibach, so that an innocent man may
+not wear disgraceful fetters an hour longer than is absolutely
+necessary."
+
+"You impose a fearful responsibility upon me, but I shall not refuse to
+accept it," the Clerk replied with a profound sigh. "What you have just
+told me confirms a horrible suspicion which I have had ever since the
+day of the murder. I never believed in Schorn's guilt. I always had a
+secret doubt of the Judge, but I dared not give expression to it; it
+was impossible to gather the smallest evidence against him. I take upon
+myself great responsibility in proceeding against my chief, in
+arresting him, and transferring him to Laibach, but it must be
+done as soon as he returns from Görz. I will employ this day in
+examining all the testimony you have here given me, as well as the
+witnesses--yourself, Fräulein Anna Pollenz, Frau Franzka and her
+husband--and then I will send to Laibach all the material I have
+collected, with the bloodstained clothing and the banknotes. The
+Attorney General there will do his duty. I transcend my powers perhaps
+in thus forestalling my chief. I will----" he paused, listening.
+
+A vehicle rolled through the narrow street and stopped before the
+house. The doctor hurried to the window.
+
+"The Judge," he cried, "has just descended from the carriage and has
+entered the house."
+
+The Clerk started and grew pale.
+
+"He comes too early," he said. "I have no officially confirmed evidence
+against him. I have no right to arrest him."
+
+"Will you give him time to escape?" cried the doctor. "If he goes to
+his chamber and misses the old bureau, he will know that he is found
+out."
+
+"You are right. I will dare all. Let me have paper, pen and ink, Herr
+Professor, as quickly as possible, for at this moment I am the
+representative of the law in Luttach. The Judge has not yet exhausted
+his leave of absence; he has not yet resumed the duties of his office."
+He wrote a few lines hurriedly. "This order must go immediately to the
+captain of the gendarmes. Will you undertake to carry it, Herr Doctor?"
+
+"With all the pleasure in life. In five minutes I will be here again
+with the gendarmes. The bird shall not escape," cried the doctor, as he
+snatched the order from the Clerk's hand and rushed away without a
+moment's delay. He could hardly have reached the front door, when from
+above came the voice of the Judge, calling:
+
+"Mizka! Mizka!"
+
+Mizka replied from below in a few Slavonic words, and a loud, brief
+conversation ensued in that language.
+
+"He has missed the bureau and Mizka is telling him that it has been
+taken down to your room because you needed it, Herr Professor," the
+Clerk whispered to me.
+
+The Judge overhead uttered a wild Slavonic curse. We heard his
+resounding tread as he rushed down the stairs and then, without
+knocking, threw open the door of my room and entered. When he found
+that I was not alone, but that the Clerk was with me, he started back,
+and remained for a moment on the threshold gazing at the Clerk and
+myself with a keen, searching look, which afterwards flashed round the
+room as if in quest of something. When it rested on the blackened, old
+bureau, he fell into a rage, and, coming up to me, demanded in a
+furious tone:
+
+"How dared you have my furniture removed from my room in my absence and
+placed here for your own use?"
+
+As he spoke these words he was ghastly to look upon; his pale lips
+quivered, his dark eyes glittered in his sallow face, and were again
+riveted with an indescribable expression upon the old bureau.
+
+His insolence aroused my indignation, but I forced myself to reply to
+him calmly.
+
+"I must beg you to speak more courteously," I answered, suppressing my
+detestation. "If you conceive that there has been an infringement of
+your rights, it is not to me that you must appeal, but to Frau Franzka.
+She told me that this old bureau was never used by you, and that you
+would be glad to have so superfluous a piece of furniture removed from
+your room. Only upon her assurance that this was the case did I consent
+to have it brought hither."
+
+My reply seemed to quiet him somewhat. He lowered his voice as he
+continued:
+
+"You see that I do use it. The upper drawer is locked."
+
+He went up to the bureau and pulled the metal handles of the upper
+drawer. Upon finding that it would not open, he breathed more freely
+and turned to me again, with a wholly different expression of
+countenance.
+
+"Excuse my rude manner," he suddenly said, in a very friendly way; "I
+was angry. It irritated me that the furniture of my room should be
+meddled with. The old bureau serves me as a receptacle for old clothes.
+I must therefore beg that it be returned to me."
+
+"It was delivered to me by its owner, Frau Franzka. I have no authority
+over its removal."
+
+"You refuse?" he said, flaming up again; but he mastered himself, only
+giving me a sinister look, as he opened the door and called loudly into
+the hall:
+
+"Frau Franzka! Frau Franzka!"
+
+The host and hostess had been waiting in another room for the summons
+of the Clerk. They now appeared, Frau Franzka with a very embarrassed
+countenance, where the consciousness of guilt was openly to be seen.
+Now that the Judge was present, any command of the Clerk would avail
+nothing with her. She must reply to whatever the Judge should ask.
+
+"How dare you have that chest taken from my room! It must be carried up
+again immediately."
+
+Shyly and trembling with fear Frau Franzka gazed at the angry man.
+
+"Do not be so angry, Herr Foligno," she said. "I thought the chest was
+quite empty. I should not have brought it down here if I had known that
+you had so much money in it. But we did not touch it. Herr von Einern
+has the key."
+
+The effect of these words upon the man was terrible. He staggered back
+as if struck by a sudden blow, staring from Frau Franzka to the Clerk.
+He bit his lips without feeling that he drew blood and that a drop
+trickled down his chin. Frau Franzka's simple words had revealed all;
+his secret was betrayed; his guilt discovered.
+
+Only for a second did terror paralyze him. He quickly collected
+himself, seeing that the only possibility of escape lay in maintaining
+absolute calmness, and with wonderful self-control he said in a
+menacing tone:
+
+"You presumed to open the chest with a master key, and you, Herr von
+Einern, have this master key in your possession. I demand that it be
+instantly delivered to me."
+
+Hitherto the Clerk had stood with folded arms, a motionless spectator
+of the scene before him. A contemptuous smile played about his lips. He
+made no reply to the Judge's demand.
+
+"You do not answer me. You refuse to obey my orders?" the Judge
+continued. "I shall hold you accountable for this. Do not forget, sir,
+that this forcible breaking open of my property with a master key is a
+crime for which I hold you responsible. I leave you now to take instant
+steps for the enforcement of my right."
+
+He turned towards the door, but before he had advanced a step the Clerk
+laid his hand upon his shoulder and said with grave decision:
+
+"You can leave this room only as a prisoner, Herr Foligno. You are
+arrested."
+
+[Illustration: Then Began a Struggle, a Fight for Life and Death]
+
+The Judge's eyes flashed fire. His right hand sought his breast pocket
+and he drew from it a knife, but before he could use it the Clerk had
+seized him by the wrist, and then began a struggle, a fight for life
+and death between these two powerful men.
+
+Frau Franzka screamed with terror; her husband stood trembling beside
+her, not venturing to come to the help of the wrestling pair; but I
+summoned all the physical force that I possessed--my foot pained me
+terribly as I sprang up, but I did not heed the pain--and I was just in
+the nick of time; the Judge had torn his hand loose and had raised it
+for a deadly lunge with the knife. I seized his wrist from behind; the
+Clerk clutched him by the throat, and our united strength succeeded in
+overpowering him, throwing him on the ground, and holding tight his
+right hand, which still held the knife. It was a terrible moment; my
+strength was all but gone, for the desperate wretch made frantic
+efforts to tear himself loose, but help was at hand. The doctor rushed
+into the room with three gendarmes following him. Without a thought the
+active little man threw himself upon the Judge, kneeled upon his chest
+and helped me to hold down the hand that held the knife.
+
+"Seize and bind the monster!" he cried to the gendarmes, "or he will do
+more mischief with his knife."
+
+The Judge could not but see that all further resistance was vain. He
+dropped the knife, which I seized and hurled to the end of the room.
+
+"Let me go," he said sullenly. "You see that I can no longer defend
+myself."
+
+We arose; first the Clerk, then I; I limped back in positive agony to
+my sofa; my help was no longer required. The Judge, too, arose, and,
+panting, stood between the Clerk and the doctor. He had given up all
+hope of escape, for the three gendarmes blocked all egress from the
+room, but his feverishly active mind devised new food for hope.
+
+"Captain," he cried to the captain of the gendarmes, "captain, I call
+you to bear witness to the maltreatment I have received from these
+madmen, who have attacked me. I command you to stand by me--me, the
+District Judge. I order you to arrest these people, the Clerk, the
+doctor and the German Professor. I take all the responsibility upon
+myself."
+
+The captain's martial countenance betrayed embarrassment. He looked
+dubiously, first at the Judge, then at the Clerk.
+
+"I do not know what I ought to do," he said, turning to the Clerk. "You
+command me to arrest Herr Foligno; he commands me to arrest you. After
+all, he is the District Judge."
+
+The Clerk hastily approached the old, dingy bureau, took a key from his
+pocket and opened the upper drawer.
+
+"I command you to arrest a murderer," he said. "He, and not Franz
+Schorn, committed the murder in the Lonely House. Here are the
+proofs--his bloodstained clothing and the banknotes which he stole. The
+responsibility is yours if the murderer escapes and you disobey my
+commands."
+
+One look into the drawer, and the captain hesitated no longer. An hour
+afterwards, between two gendarmes, the murderer was driven to Laibach.
+Half the entire population of Luttach crowded about the court house to
+see him driven away. The report had circulated throughout the little
+town with incredible swiftness that not Franz Schorn, but the District
+Judge was the criminal. When the prisoner was led from the court house
+to the carriage a fierce shout of rage greeted him. The gendarmes were
+obliged with their weapons to keep off the indignant populace in order
+to shield the prisoner from their violence. He, on his part, was now
+pale and trembling with cowardly fear; curses and execrations followed
+him as the carriage drove through the crowd.
+
+But at that moment the lovely little Anna was seated on my sofa,
+thanking me over and over again, her eyes shining with joy--and what,
+after all, had I done to deserve her thanks?
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XIV.
+                  THE END OF THE PROFESSOR'S HOLIDAY.
+
+
+The doctor, the Burgomaster and the Captain had driven to Laibach to
+require personally the instant liberation of Franz Schorn, whose
+innocence no one longer doubted. The doctor had promised to inform me
+by letter of the result of his efforts, and he kept his word. On the
+second day I received a long letter from him. There had been a
+tremendous commotion in Laibach when the District Judge of Luttach,
+manacled like a common criminal, had been received at the prison. The
+ultra Slavonic newspapers had hitherto triumphed in the announcement
+that the only German agitator in Luttach was nothing more or less than
+a miserable, ordinary criminal, and now they suffered a terrible blow
+in that the German agitator was no murderer; the criminal was a man
+who, although of Italian descent, had always laboured in the Slavonic
+cause. The Slav party, on the other hand, were half-inclined to swear
+to the innocence of the Judge and to stake all on the guilt of the
+hated German. But the doctor took good care that every scrap of
+evidence against the true murderer should be well known; he was himself
+a zealous Slav, but so conscientious and honest a man, and so well
+known as prizing justice far above national prejudice, that he forced
+the newspapers of his party, by his truthful declarations, to advocate
+the cause of Franz Schorn, which they reluctantly did, although not
+very enthusiastically. They, as well as the doctor, found consolation,
+however, in the fact that District Judge Foligno was no true Slav, but
+in fact an Italian. Of course all national prejudices were powerless to
+influence the court at Laibach. The doctor wrote with real enthusiasm
+in regard to his reception by the investigating Judge, who had frankly
+informed him that suspicion of the District Judge had arisen in his
+mind while he was investigating the matter in Luttach, suspicion which
+was now substantiated by the admirable report of the Clerk, and that
+the evidence had created conviction. A most disagreeable task lay
+before him in having to investigate the actions of his superior in
+office, but he would unflinchingly follow his duty. The Attorney
+General, who had hitherto been firmly convinced of Schorn's guilt,
+could not but admit the evidence of his innocence and the proof of the
+Judge's criminality, and the honourable liberation of Schorn from
+imprisonment must take place immediately. It depended only upon certain
+formalities. If the Judge could be brought to confess, Schorn's freedom
+would be on the instant.
+
+This hope, however, of bringing the criminal to an open confession was
+not destined to be fulfilled. He maintained his innocence with brazen
+effrontery until his hearing before the court, asserting that he was
+the victim of shameful intrigue. All the evidence which I, the German
+Professor, had brought against him was founded, he declared, partly on
+lies, partly on prejudice. It was not true that I had found his
+bloodstained handkerchief in the neighbourhood of the Lonely House, for
+the handkerchief found in the drawer he had never lost. The blood on
+his handkerchief, his waistcoat, and his trousers came from the wound
+in his hand due to a fall among the rocks on the morning of the day of
+the murder, and of which he had innocently informed the Professor. He
+declared that I had found him changing his dress when I came to inform
+him of the discovery of the murdered man in the Lonely House. He had
+locked up the bloody clothing in the upper drawer of the chest in his
+sleeping apartment in my presence, and, of course, I knew where it was.
+How the money and banknotes came in the drawer he did not know, but he
+suspected that during his absence I had placed them there myself, or
+had bribed Frau Franzka to put them into the chest in order that the
+farce might be played of the removal of the chest to my room and the
+discovery of the bloody articles, which would clear Franz Schorn of the
+guilt of the murder and throw it upon himself, the District Judge. He
+would not venture to assert that I was Schorn's accomplice in the
+crime, although it was possible, but I was certainly his accomplice in
+the theft of the money. Either to be rid of this accomplice, or to
+ensure his silence by saving his life, Schorn had cut the rope in the
+cave.
+
+When the investigating Judge pointed out to him the improbability, nay
+the evident falsehood of this clumsy invention, the prisoner stoutly
+maintained its truth, and even asserted that I had come to Luttach, on
+the pretense of pursuing natural history researches in Ukraine, in the
+interest of the German clique there, and to this end I had entered into
+close relations with Schorn, having as their result this scheme to ruin
+him. The Judge displayed an eloquence and keenness of intellect in
+proving the truth of his statements which the investigating Judge could
+not but admire; but, upon perceiving that he failed entirely in making
+any impression upon the impartial official, who was himself a Slav, he
+lost courage, and, declaring that he was too exhausted to endure
+further questioning, begged to be again conducted to prison.
+
+An hour later the investigating Judge was informed that the prisoner
+had committed suicide in his cell. How he had contrived to procure the
+knife with which he stabbed himself to the heart could not be
+discovered. The bitter opponents of the government and of the court in
+Laibach maintained that it had been conveyed to him for the purpose of
+suicide, in order that the court might be relieved from the necessity
+of presenting before a jury a Slavonic patriot and fellow-countryman as
+a murderer.
+
+"Since the Judge's suicide may be regarded as a confession," the
+doctor wrote, "we are momentarily awaiting the liberation of our Franz.
+We--the good Burgomaster, the Captain and myself--are burning with
+eagerness to conduct the liberated man in triumph to Luttach. I will
+tell you by telegram when we may be expected."
+
+The lovely little Anna was paying me a visit when I received the
+doctor's letter. We read it together. Tears of joy filled her eyes as
+we came to the end.
+
+"I would rather," she said, "have Franz come back quietly, without any
+public demonstration; but the good doctor is right; there ought to be
+some atonement for the unjust disgrace of his arrest, and this must be
+made by an honourable reception."
+
+All the men of the round table in the "Golden Vine" were of the same
+opinion.
+
+In the evening, more carried than supported by Mizka and Frau Franzka,
+I ventured to leave my room and to take my place once more at the round
+table. I was received with extravagant delight. When I read aloud to
+the company there assembled the letter from the doctor, they declared
+unanimously that all Luttach must combine in making brilliant amends to
+Franz. It was remarkable how one single day had changed the mood of
+every one. Mosic, Weber, Meyer, Gunther, and Dietrich, hitherto the
+most violent opponents of "the German," were now the most zealous to
+obliterate all remembrance of their opposition. They could not praise
+Franz sufficiently, and gravely maintained that they never had believed
+in his guilt.
+
+The telegram arrived on the morning of the next day, announcing that
+our friends would arrive in Luttach towards noon. I sent it to the
+Vice-Burgomaster, who had begged me to give him the earliest
+intelligence, that he might spread it through the town.
+
+The time for festal preparation was short, but it was used diligently
+in bringing loads of oaken boughs from the grove on the Rusina, in
+making wreaths and garlands wherewith Schorn's house and the "Golden
+Vine" were decorated, for Franz was to be conducted first to the
+"Golden Vine," where in the garden a cask of the best wine was to be
+broached, and the Vice-Burgomaster was to welcome him in the name of
+his Luttach fellow-citizens and to express the joy that all felt in his
+return, as they drank to his health and welfare. And thus it verily
+happened. All Luttach was astir by ten o'clock. There were crowds on
+the road to Adelsberg and on the square before the court house and
+in the street before the "Golden Vine." When the carriages--two of
+them--at last came in sight, Franz was sitting in the first with the
+Burgomaster, while in the second the doctor drove with the Captain.
+They were greeted with deafening applause and the crowd rushed towards
+them, all striving to be the first to extend a welcome to Franz Schorn.
+It was impossible for the carriage to proceed through the crowded
+streets, when suddenly a stentorian voice exclaimed:
+
+"Make way!"
+
+It was the voice of the gigantic Rassak. He dextrously unharnessed the
+horses, and, seizing the pole himself, assisted by two savage-looking
+fellows--the very ones who, a couple of days before, would have been
+willing to kill the "murderer" and the "German dog"--on they went to
+the "Golden Vine." A dozen men helped to pull and push the vehicle,
+while Franz kept bowing and smiling in grateful acknowledgment of the
+shouts of welcome. The carriage stopped before the gateway of the
+hotel. Franz would have descended, but strong arms lifted him to
+Rassak's shoulders, and thus he was carried into the garden. The
+doctor, the Burgomaster and the Captain followed, laughing. The festal
+programme was carried out in the garden, except that the Burgomaster's
+speech and one cask of wine did not suffice. Speech followed speech,
+and I should have had a fine opportunity of admiring the Slavonic
+eloquence, if I could have understood a word of it all, but,
+unfortunately, the words were all Slavonic, even those in which Franz
+thanked the assembly for its sympathetic welcome. I could only guess at
+what he said from the shouts of applause. It was a stormy occasion and,
+after a fashion, a brilliant one, but it was not exactly a comfortable
+festival. This we had in the evening at the house of the doctor. My
+presence there, pretty little Anna declared, was quite indispensable,
+and so Rassak carried me thither on his burly shoulders. I could not
+possibly have walked. The doctor had invited only the Burgomaster, the
+Captain, the Clerk and myself to share in the joy of this first evening
+of the reunion of the betrothed pair and to be the witnesses of their
+happiness.
+
+I certainly never passed a more delightful evening. It was a positive
+delight to me, old man that I am. It warmed my heart to behold the
+handsome couple so full of bright anticipations for the future. The
+merriment in our small circle was not loud; we were all somewhat under
+the influence of the very recent events, but we all quietly rejoiced in
+being delivered from our depressing anxiety. The doctor himself
+proposed the health of the young couple, and in a short speech
+congratulated us all upon the happy chance which had terminated the
+fearful episode. I noticed that as he spoke the beautiful young girl
+shook her head as if in disapproval. The toast was drunk with
+enthusiasm, and Anna joined in it; but, turning to the doctor and
+looking at him very gravely, she said:
+
+"It was no chance that saved my Franz. It was God's own doing. In order
+to hide his first crime, the Judge attempted a second; he cut through
+the rope in the cave and, as a result, Franz saved the Professor's
+life. If Franz had not thus ventured his own life, he would have been
+lost. The truth would never have come to light. If the Judge had not
+cut the rope, the Herr Professor would not have sprained his foot, and
+he would not have been forced thereby to keep his room, nor would Frau
+Franzka have tried to procure him space for his collection. Was this
+chance! No; it was an answer to my prayer. God ordained that Franz
+should risk his life to find his life."
+
+"There is logic in your words, child," the doctor said with a smile;
+"it is the logic of pious, grateful faith, of which I would in nowise
+deprive you. But you need not frown, little girl, if I speak of a
+chance which we must all bless. Chance or Providence, the words express
+the same idea, that of strangely combined circumstances leading to a
+certain end. Was it chance or Providence that brought our dear Herr
+Professor to Luttach to catch butterflies, and that the Captain sent
+him on the very first day up to St. Nikolas, whence he returned,
+thirsty, to the Lonely House? Keep your pious belief, child; it will be
+a source of hope and happiness for you while life lasts."
+
+                           *   *   *   *   *
+
+Two weeks after this delightful evening, I left Luttach to return to my
+northern home. I should have liked to have stayed longer in the
+charming little town, with people who had grown so dear to me, but my
+holidays were at an end, and the summer heat is so enervating at my
+age, that I did not dare to stay longer. I took leave of my dear ones
+there, but I have promised to return next spring, for I would not have
+the marriage of the happy couple celebrated without me.
+
+
+
+                                THE END.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Lonely House, by Adolph Streckfuss
+
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@@ -0,0 +1,5936 @@
+<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
+<html>
+<head>
+<title>The Lonely Huse</title>
+<meta name="Author" content="Adolph Streckfuss">
+<meta name="Publisher" content="J. B. Lippincott Company">
+<meta name="Date" content="1907">
+<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1">
+<style type="text/css">
+body  {margin-left:10%;
+       margin-right:10%; background-color:#FFFFFF;}
+
+
+
+p.normal  {text-indent:.25in; text-align: justify;}
+p.center   {text-align:center; margin-top:9pt;}
+
+
+p.right          {text-align:right; margin-right:20%;}
+
+p.continue       {text-indent: 0in; margin-top:9pt;}
+.text10           {margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:10%; margin-right:0px; font-size:90%;}
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+.dateline        {text-align:right; font-size:90%; margin-right:10%; margin-top:24pt; margin-bottom:24pt}
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+
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+               color:black;}
+
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+               color:black;}
+
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+hr.W90        {width:90%; margin-top:12pt; color:black;}
+
+p.hang1        {margin-left:1em; text-indent:-1em;}
+p.hang2        {margin-left:1em; text-indent:0em;}
+
+.poem {
+  margin-top: 24pt;
+  margin-left: 10%;
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+
+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Lonely House, by Adolph Streckfuss
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Lonely House
+
+Author: Adolph Streckfuss
+
+Illustrator: Charlotte Weber-Ditzler
+
+Translator: A. L. Wister
+
+Release Date: January 11, 2011 [EBook #34917]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LONELY HOUSE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Charles Bowen, from page scans provided by the Web Archive
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<p class="hang1">Transcriber's Note:<br>
+1. Page scan source: http://www.archive.org/details/lonelyhousefrom00wistgoog</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2>The Lonely House</h2>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<p class="center"><a name="div3_01">
+<img border="0" src="images/lonely01.png" alt="Franz and Anna"></a><br>Franz and Anna</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h1><i>The</i><br>
+Lonely House</h1>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h4>From the German of</h4>
+<h3>ADOLF STRECKFUSS</h3>
+<h4>Author of &quot;Too Rich,&quot; &quot;Castle Hohenwald,&quot; etc.</h4>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h4><i>By</i></h4>
+<h3>MRS. A. L. WISTER</h3>
+<h4>Translator of &quot;The Old Mam'selle's Secret,&quot; &quot;Gold Elsie,&quot; &quot;The<br>
+Second Wife,&quot; &quot;The Happy-Go-Lucky,&quot; etc.</h4>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h3><i>WITH ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOR BY</i><br>
+CHARLOTTE WEBER-DITZLER</h3>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h3>PHILADELPHIA &amp; LONDON<br>
+J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY</h3>
+<h4>1907</h4>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h5>Copyright, 1907
+<span class="sc">By J. B. Lippincott Company</span></h5>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h5>Published October, 1907</h5>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<p class="center"><i>Electrotyped and printed by J. B. Lippincott Company</i><br>
+<i>The Washington Square Press, Philadelphia, U. S. A</i>.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<div style="margin-left:30%; margin-right:30%">
+<p class="continue">I TAKE PLEASURE IN INSCRIBING THIS TRANSLATION--THE LAST I SHALL EVER
+COMPLETE--TO THE CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN OF THOSE WHO SO KINDLY
+WELCOMED THE FIRST, PUBLISHED A LIFE-TIME AGO.</p>
+
+<p style="text-indent:20%">ANNIS LEE WISTER</p>
+</div>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<p style="margin-left:8px; text-indent:-8px; font-size:80%">&quot;Lindenshade,&quot;<br>
+Walungford, Pa.<br>
+September, 1907</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2>Contents</h2>
+<br>
+<table cellpadding="10" style="width:80%; margin-left:10%">
+<colgroup><col style="text-align:right"></colgroup>
+<tr>
+<td>CHAP.</td>
+<td></td>
+</tr><tr>
+<td>I.</td>
+<td><a name="div1Ref_01" href="#div1_01">The Professor's Persistence</a></td>
+</tr><tr>
+<td>II.</td>
+<td><a name="div1Ref_02" href="#div1_02">The Professor's First Excursion</a></td>
+</tr><tr>
+<td>III.</td>
+<td><a name="div1Ref_03" href="#div1_03">The Professor's Return</a></td>
+</tr><tr>
+<td>IV.</td>
+<td><a name="div1Ref_04" href="#div1_04">The Investigation</a></td>
+</tr><tr>
+<td>V.</td>
+<td><a name="div1Ref_05" href="#div1_05">The Investigation Continued</a></td>
+</tr><tr>
+<td>VI.</td>
+<td><a name="div1Ref_06" href="#div1_06">Two Wounded Hands</a></td>
+</tr><tr>
+<td>VII.</td>
+<td><a name="div1Ref_07" href="#div1_07">The Two Requests</a></td>
+</tr><tr>
+<td>VIII.</td>
+<td><a name="div1Ref_08" href="#div1_08">Quiet Weeks</a></td>
+</tr><tr>
+<td>IX.</td>
+<td><a name="div1Ref_09" href="#div1_09">An Exploring Party</a></td>
+</tr><tr>
+<td>X.</td>
+<td><a name="div1Ref_10" href="#div1_10">An Accident?</a></td>
+</tr><tr>
+<td>XI.</td>
+<td><a name="div1Ref_11" href="#div1_11">Forced Seclusion</a></td>
+</tr><tr>
+<td>XII.</td>
+<td><a name="div1Ref_12" href="#div1_12">An Arrest</a></td>
+</tr><tr>
+<td>XIII.</td>
+<td><a name="div1Ref_13" href="#div1_13">An Old Chest</a></td>
+</tr><tr>
+<td>XIV.</td>
+<td><a name="div1Ref_14" href="#div1_14">The End of the Professor's Holiday</a></td>
+</tr></table>
+
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2>Illustrations</h2>
+<br>
+<table cellpadding="10" style="width:80%; margin-left:10%">
+
+<tr>
+<td><a href="#div3_01">Franz and Anna </a><i>Frontispiece</i></td>
+</tr><tr>
+<td><a href="#div3_02">&quot;You Must Help Me!&quot;</a></td>
+</tr><tr>
+<td><a href="#div3_03">Then Began a Struggle, a Fight for Life and Death</a></td>
+</tr></table>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h1>The<br>
+Lonely House</h1>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2>CHAPTER I.</h2>
+<h3><a name="div1_01" href="#div1Ref_01">THE PROFESSOR'S PERSISTENCE</a>.</h3>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">Ukraine! Ukraine! For years I had longed to spend some weeks in
+Southern Ukraine. The descriptions I had read of its wonderful
+mountains had greatly attracted me; I was certain of adding there
+many valuable specimens to my collection; that section of country had
+been so rarely visited by entomologists that I might even hope to
+enrich our German fauna with a new species. Some years before a
+butterfly-collector from Vienna had discovered there the caterpillar of
+the beautiful <i>Saturnia cćcigena</i>, found previously only in Dalmatia.
+Why might I not hope for something equally interesting!</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The scenery of Southern Ukraine is not thought to be very fine: the
+mountains are much less imposing than in other Alpine districts, but
+the Carpathian range is said to have many very interesting caves, and
+strange formations of rock, while for the naturalist its fauna and
+flora offer a rich field for investigation in its mountain fastnesses
+and deep valleys.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">If travel in that section of the country were only not attended with
+such risk and inconvenience! Travellers who seemed thoroughly familiar
+with its political and social condition warned me seriously not to
+attempt going thither. The only tolerable accommodation for strangers,
+they said, is to be found in the larger towns--Laibach, Adelsberg,
+etc., and on the high road followed by tourists; as soon as the
+traveller attempts to penetrate the interior he finds only wretched
+inns, no comfort of any description, and a poverty-stricken peasantry,
+speaking the dialect of the country, and understanding not one word of
+German. All expeditions into the valleys are fraught with discomfort
+and even hardships. Nevertheless, little alluring as were the accounts
+given me of the country, the prospect of adding to my collections--I am
+a naturalist--an entomologist--was so tempting that when I had a longer
+vacation than usual I determined to fulfil a long cherished desire and
+to pass a spring in Southern Ukraine.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">And then the question arose as to what place I should make my
+headquarters. A naturalist cannot travel hither and thither like an
+ordinary tourist; he must establish himself somewhere, and make
+excursions into the surrounding country, which he must investigate
+thoroughly or he can hope for no results from his labours; moreover,
+the paraphernalia of his profession are too bulky to be moved easily
+from place to place.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Unfortunately all the guide books were too incomplete to give me the
+least assistance; I had recourse to the admirable maps of the Austrian
+Government, and in them I found a small town--Luttach--which seemed
+well fitted for my purpose. It is situated in a deep valley in the
+midst of the Carpathians, at the foot of a long spur of Mt. Nanos on
+the road from Adelsberg to Görz--a road once much travelled, but fallen
+into disrepair since the intrusion of the railroad. From Luttach the
+topmost peak of Mt. Nanos could be reached in a few hours, and in the
+valley itself there was sure to be a mingling of the southern fauna and
+flora with those of the Alps proper. I might promise myself rich
+additions to my collections. Moreover the many German names of the
+surrounding villages, and indeed the German name of the town itself,
+were very attractive for me, giving me hopes that there might be German
+elements mingling with the Slavonic civilization.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Luttach it should be then. My two huge travelling trunks were duly
+packed and I was provided with every requisite for collecting. The last
+of April I left Berlin full of pleasant anticipations.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In Vienna, where I stopped for a day as I passed through, I called on a
+friend; he gravely shook his head when he heard that I had chosen
+Luttach for a stay of some weeks. &quot;I never heard before of this
+God-forsaken hole,&quot; said he; &quot;I should not risk going there, but since
+you are determined to go, provide yourself at least with a good
+revolver, for without it you never ought to venture among the dreary
+deserts of the Carpathians, or to wander in those primeval woods and
+forests. It is dangerous for an elderly man like yourself. You know
+besides that there are still bears and wildcats in the forest on Mt.
+Nanos, not to mention those two venomous reptiles native to the rocky
+retreats of the Karst range--the cross-adder and the sand-viper. More
+to be feared than all these, moreover, is the human beast of prey whom
+you will surely meet in your wanderings there. You had really best
+relinquish your plan of visiting so inhospitable a region. But if you
+insist upon it, pray be cautious. Go well armed, and do not venture too
+far among those desert fastnesses.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I cannot say that I was agreeably impressed by my friend's warning. I
+was not formed in an heroic mould and I do not willingly court danger.
+At sixty, after a life spent principally in study, there is small
+desire for perilous adventure. Although I am not deficient in personal
+bravery, as I had opportunity to prove in my student-days, and
+afterwards in political embroglios, it is not my nature to seek for
+perils. Bears and wildcats, and even venomous serpents, caused me no
+alarm--the beasts are rarely dangerous in summer, and I knew well how
+to manage the reptiles; I had frequently encountered them in my
+excursions in the Swiss Alps and even in Northern Germany. The danger
+from human beasts of prey appeared to me far more serious, but even
+this could not deter me from carrying out the plan I had contemplated
+for so long. In Vienna I purchased an excellent revolver with the
+necessary ammunition and started the next morning for Görz, where I
+wished to visit an old friend and fellow-student, who, dwelling so near
+the frontier, would, I hoped, give me a less alarming account of the
+country I wished to explore. But my hope was vain; he was even more
+emphatic than my Vienna friend had been, although he laughed at the
+story of bears, wildcats, and snakes. He shook his head and said: &quot;I
+know nothing of Luttach and the surrounding country, except that on
+Nanos the <i>Saturnia cćcigena</i> was formerly to be found. You will
+probably make some good additions to your collections, although I doubt
+your making as many as you hope, since in the rocky parts of the
+mountains insect life is sparse, and where the mountain sides are
+clothed with trees, they form an impenetrable primeval forest. I doubt
+also whether the richest harvest you can reap will compensate you for
+the hardships, the discomforts--yes, the dangers to which you will
+expose yourself. The greatest of these lies in the fact of your being a
+German. The unhappy strife between nationalities in Ukraine has so
+embittered the inhabitants there that all kindly feeling is extinct.
+The Slav considers hatred of the German his first duty; it is his
+greatest delight to annoy--even to maltreat--a German. Whether you can
+defend yourself with your revolver from such maltreatment is more than
+doubtful. You could not use it against any single peasant who should
+meet you in the forest, and insult you, or even against three or four,
+who might amuse themselves by annoying you in countless ways. There
+certainly is danger of encountering robbers in those wilds; your
+revolver might serve you there--to me danger from the determined
+hostility towards Germans seems far greater.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This was encouraging! I almost wonder now that I was not deterred from
+my undertaking. If my respected colleague had not expressly stated that
+I should find <i>Saturnia cćcigena</i> on Mt. Nanos, I should probably have
+followed his advice not to go to Luttach, but my passion for collecting
+outweighed every other consideration. I refused to be intimidated, and
+started upon my journey the very next day, arriving at four o 'clock in
+the afternoon at Adelsberg, whence I could reach Luttach in four hours
+by a carriage road. So desirous was I to attain this goal of my wishes
+that I resisted the temptation to visit the world-renowned Grotto at
+Adelsberg, postponing this pleasure until my return. I hired a vehicle,
+large enough to accommodate myself and my two huge travelling trunks,
+and in half an hour I was on my way to Luttach.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The road was excellent, leading through an attractive mountain region
+among low hills, although loftier eminences bounded the horizon. I
+should have liked to know the names of those giant mountains, but my
+driver was a genuine Slav, who could not understand a word of German,
+and who was too stupid to comprehend signs, so all intercourse with
+him was impossible. We drove swiftly, almost as swiftly up-hill as
+down-hill, through a charmingly varied landscape, through forests, past
+meadows and cornfields, with only a glimpse of the desolate Karst range
+now and then in the distance, until we rapidly approached the bare gray
+rocks of Mt. Nanos--which, as we descended by a winding road to the
+valley of Luttach, stood out boldly against the sky.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Time passed rapidly during the long drive; there was so much to see,
+and everything that I saw was distinctly in contrast with what I had
+been led to expect in Southern Ukraine. The numerous villages through
+which the road ran were entirely different from the ruinous Polish
+hamlets with which I was familiar in Upper Silesia; they consisted
+mostly of flourishing farms, with very few straw-thatched cottages. The
+peasants whom we met greeted me as we passed along with friendly
+courtesy--they could not recognize me as a hated German--and the inns
+as we drove by them, so far from presenting pictures of dirt and decay,
+were most attractive, and invitingly clean.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">And when in the valley we drove among meadows bright with the luxuriant
+growth of spring--past vineyards where each vine showed careful culture
+and was just putting forth its tender leaves--along a road bordered on
+the left by hillsides under full cultivation, where countless white
+cottages in the midst of blossoming orchards betokened a numerous
+population, I could hardly fancy that I was in the midst of the
+ill-reputed desolate Karst range, in a corner of the world of which
+scarce a hint was to be found in the guide books. The bald rocky mass
+of Mt. Nanos alone, clothed at its feet only with a forest of oaks, and
+the bare peaks of the high range that seemed to close in the valley in
+the distant west, showed that vegetation was not as luxuriant
+everywhere in the Karst range as I found it on the hills to the left
+and in the valley itself.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Luttava!&quot; my driver called out, nodding to me and pointing with his
+whip towards a little town near at hand, nestling at the very foot of
+Nanos, its white houses seeming to cling to the rocks. In a few minutes
+we had reached it, and after driving along a street too narrow for more
+than one vehicle, turned into the gateway of a large building, before
+which a tall pole supported a sign whereon a golden grape vine declared
+it to be the inn recommended to me before I left Adelsberg.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The carriage stopped beneath the dim gateway before a door opening
+directly into a spacious kitchen, where in the huge chimney-piece a
+bright fire was blazing. Through the door I could see several men, some
+standing, some seated upon low benches, about the fire, all of whom
+regarded the newcomer with curiosity. A plainly clad but spotlessly
+clean dame busied herself on the hearth, moved a steaming pot to one
+side, and hurried out to receive me, opening the carriage door to help
+me to alight.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Can I have a room!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Certainly! If the gentleman will kindly go upstairs,&quot; was the reply,
+delivered in excellent German, although with a strong accent. &quot;Mizka,
+show the gentleman up to Number Two.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Mizka, a pretty slender girl, tripped lightly before me up the stairs
+leading up two flights directly from the kitchen to a wide entry, where
+she threw open the door of Number Two, and courteously held it open for
+me to precede her.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The room was large, low, and square, with two small windows, looking
+out upon the street. It probably looked larger than it really was from
+the absence of much furniture along its walls. Between the two windows
+there was an old-fashioned sofa covered with gay chintz, and above its
+high back hung an oval mirror in a black varnished frame, while before
+it stood an extension table, which if pulled out to its fullest
+capacity would have accommodated twenty-four persons. A tall cedar
+clothes press, a washstand, six chintz-covered cushioned chairs, and a
+huge bed which had to be clambered into by the help of a chair,
+completed the furniture of the room. The walls, painted light green,
+were adorned with four gaily colored prints, each portraying a quarter
+of the earth in the guise of a very ugly and scantily clothed dame,
+whose distorted limbs reclined upon a fantastically shaped couch.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This was Number Two, my room. It certainly did not look inviting for a
+long stay; it was too bare, but it as certainly possessed the
+unexpected attraction of perfect cleanliness. Not a speck of dust lay
+upon the few articles of furniture, the bare floor was spotless, and
+the creases in the white bed linen bore testimony to its freshness.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Will the gentleman take his supper here, or below in the dining-room?&quot;
+Mizka asked me in very good German.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I will come down as soon as I have washed,&quot; was my reply.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I will bring fresh water immediately;&quot; and she hurried away, returning
+presently with a can of crystal-clear water, and a supply of fresh
+towels, and followed closely by two gigantic porters, each of whom bore
+upon his shoulders one of my heavy trunks. Assuredly thus far I could
+not complain of lack of promptitude in the service of a Slav inn.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When I had freed myself from the dust of travel, and had changed my
+coat, I went down to the dining-room; the way led through the kitchen,
+where several men were sitting or standing around the hearth, talking
+familiarly with the hostess, who was busy meanwhile with her cooking.
+All greeted me politely as I passed through the room.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When Mizka showed me into the spacious dining-room, I took it all in
+with a rapid glance. Its arrangement could not be called elegant, but
+the cleanliness of the scoured tables atoned for its simplicity. There
+were but a few persons present. At a table near a window a young man
+sat alone, apparently absorbed in a newspaper. He looked up for a
+moment as I entered, disclosing a singularly handsome face, which was
+immediately hidden behind his paper. The face was thoroughly German.
+Such deep blue eyes, such fair, close curls are to be found nowhere
+save in Germany. He was certainly handsome, but his expression was too
+grave, perhaps even too stern and hard to allow of his being thoroughly
+attractive.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As far from this young man as the size of the room would permit, at a
+large round table near the tall stove, sat six or eight men, smoking
+long cigars, with glasses of wine before them. They evidently saw me
+enter and look about for a seat, and one of them instantly rose and
+motioned courteously with his hand, placing a chair at the table, while
+the others moved aside to give it room.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I was amazed at so polite a reception in this notoriously hostile Slav
+country, and I was not quite pleased. I should have liked to observe
+the magnates of Luttach, who were apparently here assembled, from a
+distance, at my leisure, before making their acquaintance, whereas now,
+when I accepted their invitation, and introduced myself as a German, a
+Prussian, and worse than all, from Berlin, whose citizens are never
+popular, their amiability might decrease. &quot;Permit me to present myself
+to you, gentlemen,&quot; I said, &quot;as Professor Dollnitz from Berlin, who
+hopes to spend some weeks with you here in your beautiful country,
+collecting plants and butterflies, beetles and chrysalids. I am an old
+naturalist who looks forward to much gratification here in your richly
+endowed Southern Ukraine.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I observed a fleeting smile pass around the circle upon hearing that I,
+so old a man, was running after butterflies and beetles, but I am used
+to that; all sensible men regard us old entomologists as cranks, and
+sometimes jest rather rudely at our expense; but this was not the case
+here; the gentlemen, as I could see, suppressed their smiles at my
+butterfly mania; they rose very politely and formally introduced
+themselves as the District Judge Foligno, his Assistant Herr Einern,
+Burgomaster Pollenz, a retired Captain Pollenz, a landed proprietor,
+Gunther by name, Herr Weber, a merchant, and Herr Dietrich, a notary.
+Strange! All German names save that of the district judge.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Chance had surely brought me among Germans. I was strengthened in this
+belief by finding that they all spoke excellent German, not merely with
+me, but among themselves; only now and then was there heard a brief
+remark in Slavonic. I soon found out my mistake, however, when in the
+course of conversation I mentioned that I had been warned in Vienna and
+in Görz not to visit the Ukraine on account of the hostility of the
+Slavs to Germans. The Burgomaster Pollenz, a reverend old man, made
+reply, speaking with emphasis, and so loudly that even the young man
+sitting by the window at the other end of the room could hear every
+word distinctly: &quot;That is unfortunately a widespread error which has
+brought our good Ukraine into ill-repute. We are all Slavs, and are
+proud of being so. Our ancestors were Germans, but we are not. The
+Ukraine is our home. Whoever is born here and lives here must feel
+himself a genuine Slav. Those only do we hate among us who are disloyal
+sons of their native land, who would rob us of our language, our
+customs, and make Germans of us; we have no hatred for Germans born.
+There are none of them dwelling among us; our entire population is
+Slavonic, and you will soon find that as a native-born German you will
+be kindly received everywhere. It is not so in Laibach, or where, as
+there, the population is mixed, and national prejudice has free sway,
+causing constant strife, but even there the Slavs are seldom the
+aggressive party.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Then you think I can chase my butterflies alone among your woods and
+mountains without fear of insult? I was expressly warned in Vienna not
+to leave the house here without a loaded revolver in my pocket to
+protect me from robbers.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I was answered by a burst of laughter. &quot;I assure you there is no tract
+of country in the realm of Austria as perfectly safe as ours,&quot; the
+Burgomaster replied. &quot;We have had no robbery here for many years and I
+will guarantee you as a German against any insult, unless, indeed,&quot; he
+raised his voice again, and spoke very loud, &quot;you should consort with
+the only Slav among us who is disloyal to his country; friendship with
+him would cause you to be suspected of hostility to our nation.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The young man by the window had hitherto seemed heedless of our
+conversation; now he arose and approached us. His flashing eyes seemed
+to defy each member of the circle, but their expression grew gentler as
+he addressed the Burgomaster. &quot;I cannot be angry with you, Herr
+Burgomaster,&quot; he said gravely, but not unkindly. &quot;Your words were
+offensive, but I know that you mean well by me and by the strange
+gentleman. You have called me a disloyal son of my country, which I am
+not! I am a whole-souled Austrian, but one also who can never forget
+that he is sprung from German and Austrian blood. You have all of you
+forgotten this; I am true to the German tongue and to German customs.
+You are the faithless ones, not I!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Do you want to pick a quarrel with us all, Franz?&quot; asked the
+Burgomaster, regarding the young man disapprovingly.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;No, but I cannot allow you to give the strange gentleman a false
+idea of me. Moreover, you need not fear that I shall force my
+friendship upon him. I know too well that it might cause him annoyance.
+Good-night!&quot; He turned upon his heel and left the room without
+bestowing a further glance upon the company.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When the door had closed behind him, the District Judge said: &quot;Franz
+Schorn always was and always will be a most disagreeable fellow. He
+deserves a thrashing for his insolence in calling us all faithless.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Your cane is just beside you in the corner; why did you not use it!&quot;
+the Captain asked with a sneer. &quot;In fact, Franz is not altogether
+wrong. My brother irritated him unnecessarily; he would never have
+forced his company upon the Herr Professor. He lives so quietly and is
+so reserved that he cannot be accused of officiousness.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;'Tis natural that you should espouse the cause of your future cousin,&quot;
+remarked the District Judge with a contemptuous emphasis upon the word
+&quot;cousin.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I should be glad to have him for my cousin; he is a thoroughly brave,
+honest fellow.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But a German.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I am half German myself, and at all events I should prefer a German to
+an Italian cousin. The Italians are always squinting over at Italy, and
+Franz is, as he says, a German-Austrian at least.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Leave off bickering,&quot; the Burgomaster admonished his brother. &quot;What
+will the Herr Professor think of us, if we quarrel so before him over
+our wine?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">During this short skirmish of words I took occasion to observe the two
+antagonists narrowly. I liked the Captain's frank, manly face and
+bearing, but the District Judge Foligno produced a very unpleasant
+impression upon me. He was a man of about forty, with a worn, sallow
+countenance. His features were regular; he might have been accounted
+handsome but for some ugly lines about his mouth, half hidden though
+they were by a glossy black moustache, and a false, unsteady expression
+in his piercing black eyes. Before his war of words with the Captain he
+had taken no part in the conversation, but had sat gloomily silent,
+with downcast eyes, smoking his long cigar and drinking far more than
+the others. In the short time that I had been present Mizka had twice
+filled his tall glass.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The Burgomaster's efforts to restore peace were unavailing; the
+District Judge renewed the quarrel by a malicious remark about old army
+officers who no longer knew what nation they belonged to. The Captain
+retorted angrily, more bitter words ensued, the other gentlemen
+presently took part in the dispute, which principally concerned the
+character of young Franz Schorn. The Burgomaster alone was silent; of
+the rest only the County Clerk, Herr Einern, sided with the Captain.
+While the others all agreed with the District Judge's abuse of Franz
+Schorn as a rough, arrogant fellow, a recreant Slav, who was detested
+and despised all through the countryside, and were unanimous in
+declaring that &quot;old Pollenz&quot; was perfectly right in forbidding Franz to
+hang around the Lonely House watching for pretty Anna, that it was the
+old man's patriotic duty to shield his charming daughter from Schorn's
+advances, the Clerk and the Captain warmly espoused his cause. The
+Clerk, in fact, did not mince matters, but frankly characterized as
+exaggerated and unjust his chief's tirade against Franz. The boldness
+that he showed in doing this without in the least overstepping the
+bounds of civility impressed me very favourably.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I was soon tired, however, of listening to a discussion which became
+more and more heated as time went on, concerning people of whom I had
+no knowledge, and therefore when I had finished my supper--an excellent
+one, by the way--and had emptied my glass of wine, I rose to retire,
+pleading fatigue from my journey.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The gentlemen probably suspected that their quarrel had driven me away,
+and they fell silent in some confusion while the Burgomaster said
+kindly: &quot;You have chanced upon an unfortunate evening, Herr Professor.
+Do not suppose that such a disturbance is frequent in our little
+circle, and I pray you pardon any harsh words you may have heard with
+regard to Germans. I can assure you that we have no quarrel with any
+Germans, save those who should be Slavs. That we have no dislike for
+Germans or Germany you may see for yourself, since you hear us all
+speak your language among ourselves, and pray do not let this evening's
+experience prevent you from joining our circle in future. You will
+always be an honoured and welcome guest.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I pressed the good man's hand cordially and followed Mizka, who stood
+with lighted candle ready to show me to my room.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I thought it not indiscreet to gossip a little with pretty Mizka while
+she was arranging my bed, and to learn from her something regarding the
+gentlemen whose acquaintance I had made below, and with whom I should
+probably have daily intercourse during some weeks to come. I could not
+have sought information from a better source.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Mizka had been born in Luttach; she knew all about every inhabitant of
+the town, and she felt highly honored by &quot;the gentleman's&quot; desire to
+converse with her. In her gratitude she detailed all that I wished to
+know. I learned that the Burgomaster, Herr Pollenz, was the owner of
+the &quot;Golden Grapevine,&quot; which Mizka's aunt, Frau Franzka, or rather,
+her husband, rented from him; he was now a guest in his own house,
+occupying with his brother, a pensioned captain, the entire second
+story.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Mizka was eloquent in praise of the two brothers, whom she described as
+the best and truest of men. No one could be as thoroughly kind as the
+Burgomaster; he was, in fact, too kind, for he was sometimes really
+pinched for money himself, because he could not refuse to give or to
+lend to the poor, and there were evil-disposed people who abused his
+benevolence. He was very wise, too, and learned. Whoever in all Luttach
+stood in need of good counsel could be sure of finding it from the
+Burgomaster. He and the Captain were much respected, not only in
+Luttach, but throughout the countryside.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Mizka gave unstinted praise also to the County Clerk, Herr von Einern,
+for whom every one in Luttach had a good word, regretting that he was
+not District Judge and Foligno the Clerk; he was too young for a Judge
+as yet, but he was sure of promotion, for he belonged to a very old
+Luttach family--his father was a general--although he never prided
+himself upon his position, but was kind and courteous to the very
+poorest, whereas the Judge was often rude and harsh to poor people in
+court.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Mizka had nothing pleasant to say of the Judge. He was out-and-out
+Italian although his grandfather had settled in Luttach and he himself
+could not speak Italian fluently; but an Italian was always an Italian;
+he never could be a true Slav. Yet he was not temperate, like most
+Italians; he drank too much, and was not content with the good Luttach
+wine, but always wanted some special kind for himself. That was why he
+was always needing money. Eighteen hundred gulden was a good salary;
+many a Judge could live comfortably upon it with a wife and children,
+whereas he, though a bachelor, was always in debt. He already owed Frau
+Franzka nearly five hundred gulden, and Mizka could not understand why
+her aunt would go on lending to him. He had the best two rooms in the
+upper story--Number Twelve, just above the Herr Professor's Number Two,
+and Number Thirteen--but he had paid nothing for them for a year, and
+yet he behaved as if he was the greatest guest in the house; nothing
+was good enough for him. He often drove to Görz, where he consorted
+with the officers, and 'twas said that he had sometimes lost at play
+more than a hundred gulden in one evening. He had long since squandered
+all the property he inherited from his father; he had a house in
+Luttach, but not a stone of it really belonged to him; he had mortgaged
+it all to the wealthy old Pollenz, the Burgomaster's cousin, and
+whoever got into the clutches of that old man never got free until he
+had lost his last penny; for old Pollenz, who lived in the last house
+on the mountainside--it was called &quot;the Lonely House&quot;--was a
+hardhearted usurer.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Old Pollenz now owned forests, vineyards, meadows, and farmlands, for
+which he exacted the highest rents; all his money had been made by
+usury, and woe to the peasant to whom he had lent any--he was sure to
+be obliged to sell all that he possessed to satisfy his creditor's
+demands. The man was a hateful old miser; in spite of his wealth he
+hardly dared to eat, and never entered an inn to drink a glass of good
+wine. He lived with his daughter, pretty Anna, and an old servant maid,
+apart from everybody, in the Lonely House; its windows barred with
+iron, because he was constantly in dread of robbers, although there had
+never been a robbery or burglary in all the countryside within the
+memory of man. But the old fellow was so afraid of thieves that he
+would let no one enter the house whom he did not know well, and he
+always went armed with a couple of pistols and a big knife.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He was most afraid of Franz Schorn, and had often said of him: &quot;If he
+should meet me alone, he'd be sure to do me a mischief, but I'll be
+even with him. I'll shoot him like a mad dog sooner than let him attack
+me.&quot; The old man's dread in this case was not quite without cause, for
+Franz was a rough fellow, who might well assault a mortal enemy, and
+the two had been mortal enemies ever since two years before, when old
+Pollenz drove Franz from his door with curses.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The old man was a bitter foe of the Germans, and had fallen into a
+terrible rage when some one had told him that Franz was sneaking around
+his house courting pretty Anna. And so, when one day Franz did not
+sneak around the house, but boldly entered it and asked for pretty Anna
+for his wife, the old man became almost insane with fury; he drove the
+young fellow out of doors with blows and curses, although Anna wept and
+entreated, saying that she would rather die than give up her Franz.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Just at that time the Judge, who certainly had need of a rich wife,
+asked old Pollenz to take him for his son-in-law. The old miser said
+&quot;yes,&quot; thinking to make an end of pretty Anna's love affair with Franz.
+He told his daughter that she must marry the Judge, but Anna refused.
+To all her father's threats she answered, &quot;I'd rather die! You may drag
+me to the altar, but you cannot compel me to utter a 'yes'!&quot; And so the
+Judge got the mitten in spite of the father's consent. Ever since then
+he had been a deadly enemy to Franz Schorn; every child knew how he had
+got the mitten in the Lonely House; he had often been teased about it,
+and the malicious Italian would never forgive Franz Schorn because of
+it.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Such, in brief, was the sum of Mizka's information; she would gladly
+have talked on, but I was afraid she might be wanted in the room below,
+so I dismissed her with a &quot;Goodnight.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I admit that she had interested me much with her gossip. I now
+understood many words and phrases that had escaped the gentlemen below
+in the heat of their quarrel, and I perfectly comprehended the
+bitterness of the Judge's hostility to Franz Schorn. A love story in a
+Slav village! But what did it all matter to me? What possible interest
+could an old naturalist, sixty years of age, take in the love affairs
+of a young fellow whom he did not know, and the disappointment and lack
+of money of a very disagreeable District Judge? There was absolutely no
+reason why I should mix myself up with such matters, or even bestow a
+thought upon them. That was not why I was in Luttach, but for the
+purpose of collecting plants, butterflies, and beetles, which I
+resolved to begin to do the next morning, oblivious of all love
+affairs, German or Slav.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I undressed, mounted a chair and made a bold leap which landed me in
+the midst of the maize straw with which the bed had been stuffed. It
+was not a luxurious couch, but fatigue sleeps well even upon a poor
+one. I had scarcely extinguished the candle on the table beside my bed
+when I fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2>CHAPTER II.</h2>
+<h3><a name="div1_02" href="#div1Ref_02">THE PROFESSOR'S FIRST EXCURSION</a>.</h3>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">The sun shining brightly into my room awoke me about five o'clock. I
+got up, dressed myself quickly, and went down to the kitchen, where
+Mizka had already kindled a bright fire on the hearth. She assured me
+that my coffee would be ready in a quarter of an hour and that she
+would bring it out to me in the garden. There I met the Captain, who,
+enjoying his morning pipe, was walking to and fro between the flower
+beds. Now and then he would stop before an opening rose, regarding it
+with eyes really full of affection. He greeted me cordially.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You are an early riser, Herr Professor,&quot; he said with a smile. &quot;I
+thought all those who lived in large cities never rose before eight
+o'clock, but I am glad that you are an exception, for the mornings and
+evenings with us are the most delightful time of the day. At noon the
+sun is far too hot and glowing to enable us to enjoy the beauty that
+lies about us here. Only look at these rosebuds, how beautiful they
+are, each one with a diamond dewdrop in its breast! Are they not
+enchantingly lovely?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He chattered on, pointing out to me every blossom that delighted him,
+and taking positive joy in all. He conducted me through the garden,
+which was not very large, and at the end of it he unlatched a gate that
+was not locked.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Now I must show you the only thing perhaps that we have worth showing
+in Luttach. Pray follow me,&quot; and he walked before me through the open
+garden gate. After a few steps we reached the banks of a broad,
+brawling brook, which seemed in all its breadth and force to come
+directly from out the rocky wall before us. The rock must certainly
+have been thoroughly undermined. From countless smaller and larger
+openings the crystal-clear water streamed with such power that the
+numerous jets instantly formed a broad deep brook.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;This is the Luttach. On the north side of Nanos the raging Voyna
+rushes through a savage rocky vale, suddenly vanishing without a trace;
+the mountain engulfs it. They say that the Voyna in the interior of
+Nanos forms a deep unfathomable lake and from this lake in the interior
+of the mountain it flows on, breaking through the rocks, to come to
+light again here as the Luttach brook. This may be possible, for Nanos,
+like the whole Karst range, is absolutely riddled with caves. The
+famous Adelsberg Grotto would not be the unparalleled wonder that it
+is, if our population were not too indolent to explore the hollow
+openings and grottoes in our side of the mountain. Why, in the
+immediate neighbourhood of Luttach there are two caves, the depth of
+which is known to none, for no one has ever taken the trouble to
+explore them, except for a few yards.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What absolutely unconscionable neglect!&quot; I rejoined. &quot;If you could
+succeed in finding here a spring, a mineral spring as wonderful with
+its grottoes as that of Adelsberg, think of how it would attract
+travellers and what a goal it would be for all tourists.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The Captain shrugged his shoulders. &quot;I really do not know whether our
+Luttach population would desire this. They certainly feel no wish for
+it at present. Besides, it is questionable if our grottoes are really
+very large in extent, and it is probable that their exploration would
+be attended with some difficulty and perhaps indeed danger. I have
+never thought of making an attempt to explore one or the other of
+these, but, if you desire to do so, Herr Professor, I shall be very
+glad to accompany you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I joyfully accepted the Captain's offer. Under all circumstances the
+exploration of a cave, hitherto unknown, possesses for me extraordinary
+interest; in the depths of these caves in the Karst range are found
+rare cave beetles, the species is confined entirely to such places. It
+might well be possible to discover in the Luttach grotto a species
+hitherto unknown. Such a prospect made me forget the threatened
+difficulty and danger.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The Captain smiled when he heard the reason for my interest. That a
+human being should be ready to subject himself to inconvenience and
+even to danger that he might discover a new beetle appeared to him
+extremely ridiculous, but he was too polite to make this evident. He
+promised to look about for some strong, courageous men, who, armed with
+torches, ladders, and ropes, should accompany us into the caves.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I hope,&quot; he said, &quot;that you will reap a rich harvest of rare cave
+beetles, but even if you do not succeed you will be abundantly repaid
+by the beetles and butterflies which you will find on the slopes of
+Nanos. A naturalist from Vienna, who was here about ten years ago and
+spent six weeks in Luttach, was thoroughly enraptured by the richness
+of his discoveries. I was then at home on leave and frequently talked
+with him. His best and rarest caterpillars he found near the Chapel of
+St. Nikolas, I believe, upon the leaves of beeches and oaks.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Here was an important piece of news! The caterpillars of the <i>Saturnia
+cćcigena</i>, the rare Dalmatian butterfly which had lured me to Luttach,
+lived upon beech and oak leaves. I immediately determined to seek the
+neighbourhood of the Chapel of St. Nikolas this very day. To St.
+Nikolas my first excursion should be made.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I asked the Captain the way thither. &quot;You cannot miss it,&quot; he answered;
+&quot;there are two paths, each very easy to find. The first, which is
+perhaps fifteen minutes the nearer, is steep in its beginning, and even
+dangerous for unaccustomed mountain climbers. Part of it you can see
+from here. It begins there at that elder bush and leads directly up the
+rocks by steps partly natural and partly artificial, most of them,
+however, giving space only for one foot. A false step, a slip, might be
+disastrous, therefore I can hardly advise you to take this nearer path
+over the rocks. It is not long; in five minutes you would reach a very
+pleasant, gently ascending footpath, which in fifteen minutes more
+would lead you past the Lonely House, to reach in another quarter of an
+hour the Chapel of St. Nikolas in a direct line. The second path, just
+as easy to find, is very charming, beginning at the last house of
+Luttach and leading to the left from the road to Adelsberg, winding
+through meadows and through oak forests, and ascending gently, past the
+scattered houses of the village of Oberberg. After perhaps half an hour
+you reach a large crucifix at a fork of the pathway. The path to the
+left leads to the Lonely House, that to the right directly to the
+Chapel of St. Nikolas without going near the Lonely House; you cannot
+miss it. I advise you to take the longer path. The shorter is seldom
+used even by the inhabitants of Luttach, because it is certainly
+dangerous in descending. The District Judge alone, who is very fond of
+flowers, often climbs up the steep rocks, in search of rare, beautiful
+plants.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The advice was well meant, and I determined to follow it, although the
+mention of the rare and beautiful plants allured me. Still, I do not
+willingly expose myself to danger. We returned to the garden, where our
+coffee awaited us in a pretty arbour covered with wild grapevine.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I hurried my breakfast, for I was burning with impatience to find near
+St. Nikolas my entomological treasures. Scarcely a quarter of an hour
+had passed before I started on my way thither, supplied with a cane and
+a large umbrella, my tin box upon my back, my pockets filled with
+glasses for beetles and boxes for caterpillars and butterflies.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The Captain had described the path to me so exactly that I really could
+not miss it. He had called it charming, but it was more than that. It
+was wondrously beautiful. It was a joy to ascend the mountain quietly,
+while fresh beauties of the landscape revealed themselves at every
+step. At my feet lay the pretty little town of Luttach, framed in
+emerald green meadows, bounded by the steep rocky wall against which it
+leaned. On the summit of this bare rock, majestically enthroned, were
+the remains of a ruined old castle, whose knightly possessor had in
+former times probably ruled over the rich valley of the Luttach.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Wherever the eye turned, whether downward to the houses and cottages in
+the valley, surrounded with blooming orchards, or to the distant view
+where the mighty mountain range bounded the horizon, its rocky peaks
+glowing in the sunlight--everywhere, it filled me with rapture.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">And then, the fresh, delicious morning! It was a joy indeed to wander
+thus in the mountains.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The crucifix on the path was very quickly reached. I turned to the
+right, and soon the little Church of St. Nikolas lay before me.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Hitherto I had sturdily strode on without being detained by my desire
+to collect. But now, when the goal of my wanderings was reached, I
+began to search. Once more I turned on the steps of the church to feast
+upon the wonderful view above the tops of the oaks growing in the
+valley below, and then I began my work. I could have scarcely found a
+piece of ground more adapted for my purpose than this around St.
+Nikolas. The church lay in the midst of a forest of tall oaks; around
+them there was a rich undergrowth, and where their trunks were more
+rare, there spread a carpet of charming wildflowers, above which
+countless butterflies fluttered from one blossom to another. The wood
+above the chapel consisted partly of ancient trees and shrubbery,
+climbing the gentle slope of Nanos until it reached the bald rock which
+showed no trace of vegetation.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">My first attempts at collection were rewarded by an astonishing result.
+I found upon the leaves of an oak a caterpillar entirely unknown to me.
+When I examined it more closely, it recalled to me the description
+which I had seen of the <i>Saturnia cćcigena</i>. My dearest wish was
+fulfilled.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Only a naturalist can form an idea of my joyful emotion, my delight,
+and the passion for collecting which this first specimen aroused in me.
+I forgot everything: the beauty of the landscape, to which I now paid
+no attention; the difficulty of finding my way in the forest without a
+guide, the danger of treading upon one of the poisonous reptiles native
+to the Karst range--in short, I wandered about animated only by the
+desire to procure more specimens of this rare and beautiful insect, and
+the more I found, the more the desire increased. I never noticed that
+hours had passed, that the refreshing morning had given place to an
+intensely hot noon, and that the exertion of climbing and searching had
+caused the perspiration to stream from my forehead. But at last my
+sixty years asserted their right. I began to be tired and to feel very
+thirsty, as the sound of church bells ascended from the valley. I
+looked at my watch; twelve o'clock! More than six hours had I passed in
+unbroken labour, and surely a man of sixty had the right to be a little
+tired and to think of home, especially since all my boxes were well
+filled.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I found myself in a dense forest at a considerable height above the
+little Church of St. Nikolas, but whether to the right or to the left
+of it I could not say, since I had walked along searching here and
+there, without a thought of the direction in which I was going. I might
+have informed myself as to this if I could have obtained a view of the
+valley, but the tall undergrowth made this impossible. There was
+nothing for it but to walk in the direction of Luttach, keeping to the
+right, down the mountain, and endeavouring to avoid any precipices,
+hoping thus to find the path in a roundabout way.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">If it were not so oppressively hot! The oaks, covered with the early
+foliage of spring, hardly afforded any depth of shade. They could not
+protect me from the burning rays of the midday sun. The thirst which
+tormented me grew more intense with every minute, and almost
+intolerable. I longed for one swallow of water. Surely I could not be
+far from some cottage. Fortunately, in the morning the Captain had
+taught me the most important word in the Slavonic tongue, <i>woda</i>,
+&quot;water.&quot; This word formed my entire Slavonic vocabulary, but it would
+suffice to inform any Slav of my need.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I strode on sturdily, keeping to the right down the mountain, and by
+good fortune encountered no precipice. After a little more than a
+quarter of an hour, I struck a footpath which wound about gently in the
+direction of Luttach. I pursued it, and I had proceeded but a few steps
+when in a little turn of the way I perceived a solitary pedestrian
+coming towards me. I immediately recognized the young man about whom
+there had been so lively a discussion in the Golden Grapevine, Franz
+Schorn. He was ascending the mountain path slowly, with eyes fixed
+gloomily on the ground. He did not see me until, when I was scarcely
+thirty steps from him, he suddenly raised his head as if listening.
+Then he started violently upon perceiving me. For a moment he seemed
+undetermined as to what he should do. He paused, regarded me darkly,
+then turned away, without a greeting, and in a moment more had vanished
+in the thick undergrowth of the forest.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A very strange fellow! He need not have considered himself so strictly
+bound by his promise not to press his friendship upon me. He need not
+have grudged me a kindly greeting and a word or two. I should have
+liked to ask him about the nearest cottage where I could perhaps get a
+drink of water, but there was no help for it; I could not run after him
+and must find my way for myself.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I pursued the footpath further. To my joy I soon found myself in the
+neighbourhood of a house, but as I approached it my joy turned to
+disappointment. All the windows--not only those of the ground floor,
+but those of the first story--were provided with strong iron bars, and
+I made sure that I had reached the <i>Lonely House</i>, whose possessor, old
+Pollenz, according to all that I had heard of him, could hardly be
+expected to show any civility to a hated German. Should I ask him for a
+drink of water? It would not be pleasant to be rudely refused so modest
+a request. If I had not been tortured with thirst, I would rather have
+continued upon my path to Luttach instead of asking any favour of the
+old usurer; but he could at most only return me a surly &quot;No,&quot; so I
+determined to try it. On reaching the house, contrary to my expectation
+I found the front door wide open, although Mizka had told me that old
+Pollenz almost always kept it locked and would not open it until
+continued knocking had removed all suspicion of thieves.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Uncertain whether or not to enter, I stood before the open door; it
+looked into a spacious hall running through the entire house, ending in
+another door which probably led into the courtyard. That I confronted
+the Lonely House was made certain by the huge iron bolts with which the
+door towards the courtyard was secured. A steep staircase leading to
+the upper story led from one side of the hall. Opposite the staircase
+was a door; and two other doors, one to the right, one to the left of
+the entrance, led into the inner rooms of the house; they were all
+closed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I entered and knocked modestly at the door on my left. No reply; no
+&quot;Come in.&quot; I listened; there was not a sound to be heard; an uncanny
+stillness reigned throughout the house. I knocked again, more loudly,
+and then, after a pause, more loudly still for the third time. The
+sound of my knocking was so loud that it surely must have been heard
+within, but it met with no response. I waited in vain.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A strange and uncomfortable sensation overcame me. I dreaded the Lonely
+House, where everything seemed dead. What folly! An old man should have
+more sense. I was ashamed of this strange and disagreeable sensation
+and turned towards the door on the right of the entrance. Perhaps my
+knock here might have a better result. No longer as modestly as before,
+I knocked loudly, and the door, which happened to be only ajar, opened
+slowly of itself. I cast one look into a spacious room, and staggered
+back, overcome by intense horror.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">There, almost in the centre of the apartment, a motionless figure lay
+upon the floor in a pool of blood, which had stained the white boards
+dark red. Such horror, such intense dread, seized me that my first
+thought was of flight as swift as my feet could carry me from this
+terrible sight; but the next moment I was ashamed of such cowardly
+fear. Perhaps the unfortunate man who lay there in his blood still
+lived. Perhaps I might help him. I overcame the paralyzing terror and
+entered the room.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">All that I saw there only increased my horror. No mortal help could
+avail the unfortunate man whose stiffened corpse lay before me. He had
+either killed himself, or had been horribly murdered. His throat was
+cut, and from the gaping wound dark drops of blood were still
+trickling. The pale, bloodless, distorted countenance was that of a
+dead man.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Had there been a murder here! Had the old man's foreboding, always
+dwelling upon burglars and murderers, been fulfilled! Perhaps the
+murderer was still in the house. The horrible crime could not have been
+committed for long, for the blood had not yet congealed; some drops
+were still trickling from the wound.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Horror seized me afresh. I looked timidly about me. It seemed to me the
+murderer might be near. Hastily I drew from my breast pocket my loaded
+revolver; I was safe from any attack and could look about me with less
+agitation.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">There was no doubt that a horrible crime had been committed here. There
+upon the floor, at some distance from the dead man, lay a bloody knife,
+near a large cabinet, the folding doors of which stood wide open.
+Several drawers had been drawn out and papers lay scattered upon the
+floor. The murderer had apparently been searching the cabinet for money
+or valuables, and had scattered about these papers.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Had he been startled by my knocking and escaped! If so, he must have
+passed through the door which led on the left to an adjoining room, for
+the windows here were barred.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I summoned all my courage to follow him, but there was no need, for the
+door leading outside was bolted and no one could have left the room by
+it. He must have escaped before I entered; he might be concealed
+somewhere near; but, again, he might have left the house, and, in his
+hasty flight, have forgotten to close the front door.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">What should I do? Ought I not to search the place? Yet if he were not
+there, all search would be unavailing, and if I found him, it would be
+foolhardy to wander about these unfamiliar rooms merely to expose
+myself to an attack. The murderer might deal a blow from behind which
+would make me and my revolver useless.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It suddenly occurred to me that old Pollenz did not live alone in the
+house; that he had a daughter. Where was she! And where was the old
+servant of whom Mizka had told me? They had not heard my knocking, and
+yet it had been loud enough to resound through the entire building. Had
+they, in their endeavour to escape from the murderer, concealed
+themselves? Or--oh, horrible thought!--had they also fallen victims to
+the monster! On this point I must have certainty. If the assassin were
+still in the house, I could not leave the two women unprotected. My
+cowardly fear must be overcome; I must pursue the wretch. Humanity made
+my duty clear. With my revolver held ready and with a beating heart, I
+turned back to the bolted door, which I opened easily. I entered a
+spacious, dreary room. A bed against the wall, a table, a couple of
+wooden chairs, and two large closed wardrobes formed its entire
+furniture. Evidently it was the old man's sleeping room--a sordid
+apartment. Here I found nobody, and I continued my search. A second
+door in the room was unlocked. Through it I again entered the hall.
+Beneath the staircase was a door which evidently led to the cellar; it
+was closed by a massive bolt. Two other doors led from the hall to
+rooms on the left. I went to the first of these--the one at which I had
+knocked so loudly--opened it, and entered a large apartment much better
+furnished than the rooms which I had hitherto explored. It gave an
+impression of more comfort, and I was struck by its great cleanliness.
+By the window there was a work-table, upon which lay some sewing. A
+couple of flowers blooming in earthen pots stood on the window sill. A
+bed with snowy curtains stood against the wall opposite the window.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Undoubtedly this was the sitting-room and bedchamber of the fair Anna,
+the daughter of the murdered man. Without delay I continued my search.
+A door opposite the bed was unlocked. Through it I entered the kitchen.
+Here also I found no one, and I returned to the hall.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The four rooms of the ground floor had now been searched without
+result. With a calmer mind I mounted the steep staircase to the second
+story. Here I found rooms similar to those below. They were all
+unlocked and appeared to be used partly for old rubbish. In one of them
+there was a bed, probably that of the old servant.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I had found nothing. It seemed useless to ascend to the garret, so I
+went down to the room in which the murdered man lay, to consider what
+steps I should take next.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">My fear lest the daughter and the maid had been the murderer's victims
+had proved groundless. Neither of them was in the house. The monster
+had probably profited by their absence to kill and rob the old man,
+whom he knew to be alone. Any longer stay in this terrible abode seemed
+useless. Of course I must inform the proper authorities of the murder,
+and it was my plain duty to do this as soon as possible. I ought not to
+linger longer in the Lonely House. Everything must be left lying as it
+was to await the legal investigation. I could do no good to the dead
+man by remaining. I ought to proceed to Luttach as quickly as my feet
+could carry me to inform the District Judge of my terrible discovery.
+On, then, to Luttach and the District Judge! Suddenly, by a strange
+chain of ideas, the memory awoke in me of Franz Schorn as he was coming
+from the Lonely House, with eyes gloomily downcast, in the forest path;
+of how he started when he saw me before he fled away through the
+undergrowth. Franz Schorn came from the house of his mortal enemy. I
+shuddered. Had I met the murderer fresh from the cruel deed? Had not
+the old man who lay there in his blood always feared him? Had not Mizka
+yesterday evening told me that Franz was a rough, morose fellow, who
+might be readily suspected of taking the life of his mortal enemy?</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This was a dreadful suspicion, but not without foundation; and, at all
+events, it seemed to be my duty to inform the Judge as quickly as
+possible of my meeting with Franz Schorn. I hastily left the scene of
+the crime, not casting another glance behind me. I breathed more freely
+when I emerged from the gloomy hall into the brilliant sunshine. No
+longer under the spell of the ghastly spectacle, I could consider more
+calmly what was to be done. My first determination, however, remained
+unaltered. It was my plain duty to hasten to Luttach by the nearest way
+and there report to the District Judge. The nearest way, as the Captain
+had told me in the morning, was by the rocks. I could not miss it; I
+saw it clearly before me. A broad, well-worn path went directly from
+the Lonely House probably to the outlying cottages of the village of
+Oberberg. Another, narrow and overgrown, led in the direction of
+Luttach, and, at first, in a gentle incline down the mountain. This
+must be the footpath, then, which further on became the narrow way,
+over the rocks leading directly to the inn, which the Captain had
+described to me as perilous. Ought I to expose myself to the danger of
+a fall! The descent was more difficult than the ascent. The rocky way
+was at least the nearer by fifteen minutes. I had certainly climbed up
+and down more dangerous places among rocks in order to procure a rare
+caterpillar. I was now upon a far more important errand, and ought to
+reach Luttach quickly. It is foolish to expose oneself to unnecessary
+danger, but the man who shuns it when something important is at stake
+is a miserable coward. I delayed no longer. One glance over my shoulder
+I cast. The door of the Lonely House was wide open. Any passer-by might
+enter. Surely it was wrong to leave it open for more than an hour
+without any guard. Could I lock it! The key might still be in the lock.
+I approached it once more, I confess with great reluctance. The silence
+as of the grave which reigned within filled me with horror, but I
+overcame this weakness. My expectation was confirmed; the large house
+key was still there. I locked the door, and taking the key could now
+pursue my way, sure that for the next hour no passer-by could enter. I
+hurried down the narrow way leading to the rocky abyss; it was a
+charming path. The view of the valley was enchanting; I had no eyes for
+it; I saw nothing of the wealth of rare mountain plants blooming on
+either side, nothing of the gorgeous peonies which now and then
+projected their red blossoms almost from the very rock. My thoughts
+still clung to the Lonely House and the gloomy room where lay the dead
+man. I encountered not a single human being as I hurried along. At
+length the little town lay directly below me. I must descend over the
+dangerous rocks. I looked about me searchingly; it was not easy to find
+the narrow, untrodden footway, but it soon became plain to my practised
+eye. Without hesitation I strode down from stone to stone, partly
+leaping, knowing that a false step would cost me my life; but my
+training among the mountains made my footing sure, and after a few
+minutes I stood at the garden gate of the inn.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2>CHAPTER III.</h2>
+<h3><a name="div1_03" href="#div1Ref_03">THE PROFESSOR'S RETURN</a>.</h3>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Dinner has been waiting for you ever so long, Herr Professor,&quot; called
+Frau Franzka to me as I entered the kitchen, but hardly had I
+approached her before she clasped her hands above her head with &quot;Holy
+Virgin, how you look! How pale! How distressed, and how dripping with
+perspiration! Why, large drops are falling from your hair; no one can
+climb about the mountains in the hottest part of the day. The District
+Judge----&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Is the District Judge at home!&quot; I broke in.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Yes; he came home about a quarter of an hour ago. I did not see him,
+but I heard him going upstairs. He is in his room and is probably
+dressing. The Herr Professor ought also to go to his room and dress.
+You will take cold in your damp clothes.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I scarcely heard the last words. I hurried up the three flights of
+stairs and in the passage looked about me for the door marked No.
+12--the District Judge's sitting room. I knocked at the door; no
+answer. I knocked more loudly; there came from within, as from an
+adjoining room, &quot;Who's there?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Professor Dollnitz. I must see you with regard to a matter of great
+importance, Herr Foligno.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I pray you just wait for a few minutes. I am dressing, but I'll be
+ready immediately.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I had to wait. Whilst I stood motionless before the door I suddenly
+became conscious of the intolerable thirst which, more than half an
+hour before, had driven me to the Lonely House. During my great
+excitement I had not been conscious of any physical need, but now in
+the first moments of quiet it attacked me with double violence. I was
+perfectly exhausted--almost fainting. Fortunately on the table in the
+passage there stood a carafe half filled with water. It must have been
+there for hours; the water was lukewarm, but I drank it eagerly and it
+gave me the refreshment of which I stood in need. I was as one new
+born.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I had to wait at least five minutes. The time seemed very long to me.
+At last the door opened and the District Judge appeared in a new and
+very elegant summer suit. His thin, sallow face had not attracted me on
+the previous evening, and now as he received me with a forced friendly
+smile I liked it still less.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Forgive me for keeping you so long, Herr Professor,&quot; he said, &quot;but I
+could not open the door before; I was, to speak frankly, entirely
+undressed when you knocked. I was obliged to change my clothes because,
+in your interest, I have had quite a fatiguing walk on the mountain. I
+am a little of a botanist--only a layman--but I am interested in
+botany, and I was desirous to surprise the learned Herr Professor with
+some rare plants whose habitat I knew. It cost me an effort to obtain
+them, and even a little danger; I had a fall which gave me a slight
+wound in my hand, but it is very insignificant, scarcely worth
+mentioning, since I have procured what I desired. Here they are.&quot; With
+his left hand (his right was wrapped in a white handkerchief) he took
+some orchids from the table before the sofa and handed them to me. They
+were of a beautiful and rare species, and at any other time would have
+given me the keenest delight, but at this moment I scarcely looked at
+them.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I must reserve my thanks for a time,&quot; I said gravely, &quot;the terrible
+intelligence which I bring to you, Herr Foligno, as the foremost
+official in the town, will admit of no delay. I come directly from the
+Lonely House--the scene of a horrible murder and robbery.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The District Judge recoiled as from a sudden blow. Pallor as of death
+overspread his sallow face. His mouth twitched; his eyes became glazed
+and fixed on me with a look wherein gleamed downright fear and absolute
+dismay.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You came from the Lonely House--a murder and robbery! Incredible!&quot; he
+stammered. Terror so mastered him that he could scarcely utter these
+few words.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What I tell you is only too true,&quot; I replied, and then in the fewest
+words I related what I had seen and how I had closed the open door and
+hurried to Luttach in order to make him, as the chief authority of the
+place, acquainted with the fearful crime.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">During my short narrative he was struggling to regain his composure and
+succeeded. He listened with his gaze fixed gloomily upon the floor.
+When I finished, he cast upon me a searching, piercing glance, and his
+voice trembled as he said, &quot;Did you find no trace of the murderer! Did
+you see no one in the neighbourhood of the Lonely House!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">On my way down the mountain it had been clear to me that it was my duty
+to report my meeting with Franz Schorn, but when the District Judge put
+this question to me, I suddenly felt a decided reluctance to inform him
+of it. This man was Schorn's mortal enemy. Ought I to make him a sharer
+of my suspicion, which had been aroused by nothing but a chance
+encounter?</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Still more searching and still more penetrating was the glance the
+District Judge bestowed upon me as I hesitated to reply.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Did you see no one in the neighbourhood of the house, or upon the path
+towards it!&quot; he asked once more.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As Judge he had a right to put the question and I ought to tell him the
+truth. As I reflected thus, I overcame my reluctance and replied.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I did encounter a man not far from the Lonely House in the forest, but
+I cannot think myself justified in suspecting him of evil.&quot; I then
+described accurately my meeting with Franz Schorn.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He listened in silence, his eyes still fixed on the floor. When I
+finished, he said with emotion, extending his left hand to me: &quot;I thank
+you, Herr Professor; your report may be of the first importance for the
+discovery of the murderer, but it may also subject an innocent man to a
+horrible suspicion. As long as there is no evidence against a man
+except that he was seen in the neighbourhood of the scene of a murder,
+nothing would justify his being suspected of what, even as a mere
+suspicion, might darken his whole future life. Therefore, let me
+request you to allow me to consider your account of your meeting with
+Herr Franz Schorn as a matter personal to myself and confidential, not
+official. I shall then not be forced to include it in a short account
+which I must write out of your information.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You surprise me, Herr Foligno.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I suppose so, and I owe you an explanation of my request. Herr Franz
+Schorn is my bitter enemy and I have never concealed my dislike of him.
+You were a witness yesterday evening of my quarrel with Captain Pollenz
+and my clerk. Precisely on this account I do not wish to include in my
+official paper a suspicion which I myself hold to be entirely
+groundless. I promise you that I will neglect nothing that will lead to
+the discovery of the murderer, that I will investigate every step which
+Herr Schorn has taken to-day, and will have him watched by a thoroughly
+competent detective. If he is guilty, I shall discover his guilt; but I
+do not believe he is so, and because I am his foe I will not attach any
+suspicion to him which, while the true murderer remains undiscovered,
+might ruin his life, merely because at the time of the murder he had
+been seen near the scene of the crime. Promise me, Herr Professor, that
+you will tell no one at present of your meeting with Franz Schorn.
+Should there be other and more important grounds for suspecting him, I
+shall request you to give me your account officially.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I pressed the Judge's hand cordially, and joyfully gave him the promise
+for which he asked. How unjustly I had judged this man! How I had
+misunderstood him! I was ashamed of the reluctance I had felt to tell
+him of my meeting with Franz Schorn.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I must now make out a short official account of your information,&quot; the
+District Judge continued. &quot;You can hardly believe how difficult this is
+for me. Your account has agitated me so profoundly that I can scarcely
+control myself. I was very familiar with old Pollenz. He had indeed
+many disagreeable qualities. Toward others he was often hard and
+unyielding, but I never had anything to complain of in his behaviour to
+me. He has often shown me favours. He was indeed almost a friend, and
+now I must prepare a paper which shall show him to be the victim of a
+horrible crime, which I must take the first steps to investigate. It
+must be done. It is my duty. In spite of the pain which my right hand
+gives me in writing, I will do it immediately.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He took a sheet of paper; pens and ink were at hand, and seated himself
+on the sofa behind the large table to write. His hand could not have
+been very painful, for it did not prevent his writing swiftly and
+clearly. Now and then, without interrupting his writing, he addressed
+some brief, leading question to me, and in scarcely ten minutes the
+paper was finished. He read it aloud to me. It was wonderfully concise
+and clear, without saying one word too much or too little, and I signed
+it without an alteration. After he had added his own signature, he
+said, &quot;I must now beg you, Herr Professor, to accompany me to the
+Lonely House. I shall immediately summon my assistant, as well as the
+District Physician and the captain of gendarmes, to inspect the
+premises. You, too, Herr Professor, must be present. You must testify
+that nothing in the house has been altered in your absence. This is
+important for further investigation. Can I count upon you!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Most certainly.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Then pray hold yourself in readiness. In half an hour, at the latest,
+I shall have notified the other gentlemen. The time of waiting, if I
+may advise you, should be employed by you in strengthening yourself
+with food and drink. Yon may not feel the need of refreshment at
+present, but we have some sad hours before us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">How kind and thoughtful! I certainly had cause to ask pardon in my
+heart of the District Judge for the prejudice he had created.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2>CHAPTER IV.</h2>
+<h3><a name="div1_04" href="#div1Ref_04">THE INVESTIGATION</a>.</h3>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">It was four o'clock in the afternoon when Herr Foligno called for me in
+the dining-room, where I was sitting with the Captain. It had taken him
+almost an hour to assemble those who were to inspect the scene of the
+murder in the Lonely House. I had informed the Captain, a near relative
+of the murdered man, of my terrible discovery, and he had been deeply
+moved. He said:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I was never intimate with old Pollenz, although he was my first
+cousin. He was a hard usurer and a miser. He loved no one in the world
+save his daughter, but that his end has been so horrible is certainly
+very sad. Poor child, my dear little Anna! How will she bear this
+fearful shock! I saw her about twelve o'clock here in Luttach with her
+old maid, Johanna. She had been paying a visit to an aged aunt, and she
+is probably still there. I must see if it be so. I do not willingly
+visit the malicious old gossip, but if Anna is still with her, I must
+go to prepare the poor child for the sad news that awaits her.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He sent Mizka to old Frau Lancic's, and in a few minutes she returned
+to say that Fräulein Anna had been with the widow, but that she had
+left about a quarter of an hour before to make some purchases in the
+village and then to return home.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Upon hearing this, the Captain determined to accompany the officials to
+the Lonely House, for which he received permission from the District
+Judge.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Soon after four o'clock we began our walk; not by the steep rocky path,
+which was rather too difficult for the old District Physician, and
+might prove dangerous, but in accordance with the Judge's directions,
+by the longer way past the village of Oberberg.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">We could make but slow progress, for the heat was still oppressive. The
+old physician gasped and panted as we ascended the mountain. The Judge
+with kindly consideration, begged him to walk slowly, although he
+himself was trembling with impatience to reach our goal.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">We met various people on the way. They greeted us politely and looked
+after us with surprise. Intelligence of the murder had not yet reached
+the village of Oberberg, and people could not imagine what so many
+persons, accompanied by the captain of gendarmes, could have to do in
+the little village. I walked first with the Captain. The Judge and his
+clerk followed, and, naturally, very little was said as we pursued our
+way; all were oppressed by a sense of what lay before them.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">We had turned into the path by the crucifix leading on the left to the
+Lonely House, and were but a short distance from the spot to which we
+were tending, when the Captain suddenly stood still and said in a
+faltering voice, &quot;There comes my poor little Anna.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">She came towards us hurriedly from the Lonely House. She was called
+pretty Anna in the country round, and indeed she deserved the name. I
+have scarcely ever in my long life seen so beautiful a girl. Even her
+expression of intense anxiety could not distort her charming face. When
+she recognized the Captain she flew towards him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Oh, uncle, my dear kind uncle, thank God you are here!&quot; she cried. &quot;I
+am dying with anxiety; my father will not open the door. For a quarter
+of an hour Johanna and I have been knocking in vain. Something must
+have happened to him, or he would hear us and open the door for us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The Captain put his arm round the lovely child and pressed a kiss upon
+her white forehead. &quot;My poor little girl!&quot; he murmured. His voice
+failed him; he could say no more; his eyes filled with tears; he tried
+to control himself, but the compassion which he felt for the girl in
+his arms was too intense; it mastered him; he could hardly utter a
+word.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Good heavens! What has happened?&quot; cried Anna, extricating herself from
+the Captain's embrace and gazing at him, her large black eyes dilated
+with horror. &quot;You call me your poor girl? There are tears in your eyes.
+For God's sake tell me what it means! Has anything happened to my
+father? Oh, answer me, uncle! I would rather hear the worst than suffer
+such suspense.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The Judge answered instead of the Captain, who could not control his
+voice. &quot;Compose yourself, Fräulein Anna,&quot; he said with grave
+kindliness, &quot;you need all your courage, all your self-control to endure
+the misfortune which God has sent to you. Unfortunately your anxiety is
+justified. Something has indeed happened to your father, my lifelong
+friend.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He is dead!&quot; the girl cried, with what was almost a shriek; overcome
+with grief, she tottered and would have fallen to the ground if the
+Captain had not thrown his arms about her. The Judge took her hand with
+deep sympathy, but she snatched it away and pushed him from her with a
+gesture expressive of the most profound aversion.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Do not touch me; I hate, I despise you!&quot; she cried, as she cast
+herself again into the Captain's arms. &quot;Uncle, my dear kind uncle, you
+tell me what has happened. I can hear the worst from you, but not from
+that man.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The Judge, thus rudely repulsed, was deeply offended, but was too
+magnanimous--his pity for the unfortunate girl was too profound to
+admit of his expressing his resentment by a harsh word.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You do me bitter wrong, Fräulein Anna,&quot; he said gently. &quot;I sympathize
+sincerely with your pain, but I will not thrust my pity upon you. I
+pray you, Captain, to inform her as mercifully as possible of what has
+happened.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It was a hard task for the Captain, but it was his duty to fulfil it.
+He motioned to the Judge and to myself to withdraw for a few steps, and
+then took Anna's arm in his and, walking on before us, spoke to her in
+the most sympathetic and loving way. He told me afterwards that in all
+his life he had never had so hard a duty to perform. He searched in
+vain for kindly words to soften the horror; he feared that the delicate
+girl could hardly endure the frightful truth which he was forced to
+tell her; but to his great surprise Anna showed a remarkable degree of
+composure. She had not succumbed, he said, to pain and grief; she had
+become ghastly pale and her dark eyes had gleamed with a strange
+flickering fire, as, almost in a whisper, not to him, but to herself,
+she had murmured, &quot;Foully murdered and robbed; murdered for the sake of
+his wretched money. He sacrificed his soul and now has given his
+life for money.&quot; She shed no tear; her grief was too great, too
+heart-breaking; but she trembled violently; her little hand shook as it
+rested on her uncle's arm, and as he put his arm round her and tenderly
+drew her to him, he could feel the violent beating of her heart. He
+told her everything that he had heard from me. When he had finished,
+she looked at him with flaming eyes.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The vile murderer will be discovered,&quot; she said in a hoarse voice; &quot;I
+trust in God's justice.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Her composure was really remarkable, and gave great cause for anxiety.
+I had lingered behind with the Judge and his clerk. We slowly followed
+the Captain and Anna about twenty steps in the rear.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I certainly am most unfortunately situated,&quot; said the Judge, turning
+to me confidentially. &quot;You heard the harsh words which the poor girl,
+half crazed with pain and horror, spoke to me. I know what those words
+mean. I am well aware that Fräulein Anna is prejudiced against me. She
+thinks that the hostility which her father showed to Herr Franz Schorn
+was partly my fault. That she does so is well known in Luttach, and I
+commit no indiscretion in telling you that there is an attachment
+between Fräulein Anna and Herr Schorn, of which old Pollenz
+disapproved. Fräulein Anna knows that Herr Schorn is my bitter enemy.
+She has sided with him against me, but that her prejudice is as intense
+as the words she has just spoken testify, I confess surprises me. Never
+before have I seen in her the least sign of dislike. Imagine my
+position. My official duty compels me to play the part of a
+disinterested investigator. I cannot spare her pain, but I shall have
+to subject her, with her old maid, to an examination. I must inquire
+how it happened that the Lonely House was left unlocked, perhaps by
+herself; every child in Luttach knows that old Pollenz always locked
+the front door securely. I would give much, very much, to spare the
+young lady this examination.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If you would depute me to make it, Judge, such an act on your part
+would be entirely justified by the peculiar relations in which you
+stand to Fräulein Anna Pollenz.&quot; The Clerk uttered these words very
+quietly and in a businesslike tone, but the District Judge was not
+pleased. He cast a sinister glance at the Clerk and asked, &quot;What do you
+mean by peculiar relations, sir?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nothing but what you yourself indicated, and what, to use your own
+words, every child in Luttach is familiar with,&quot; was the quiet reply.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You allude to the foolish gossip which makes me the young girl's
+rejected suitor? There is not one word of truth in it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Then old Pollenz lied, for he stated this, not as a secret, but quite
+openly, in Luttach. At all events, such a report does exist, and it
+will be confirmed unless you make use of your right to depute to me the
+examination of the young lady.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;No, that I will not do. My standard of official duty is too exalted to
+permit my neglecting it out of regard for my own feelings. I might
+perhaps take your advice if I were forced to play the part of examiner
+during the entire legal process, which must ensue upon this murder,
+but, fortunately, that is not so; only the preliminaries are our duty.
+Capital crimes,&quot; the Judge said turning to me, &quot;do not come within the
+domain of the District Judge. They are the business of the tribunal of
+the country. Subsequent investigations will take place in Laibach. The
+preliminary examination alone is my task, which, whatever it may cost
+me, I will fulfil.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The Clerk made no reply; he simply bowed in sign that he had no further
+remarks to offer. We now reached the goal of our wanderings. The Lonely
+House stood before us. The Captain and Anna were standing near the
+locked door, and upon a wooden bench beside it sat an old woman, old
+Johanna, &quot;The only servant of the house,&quot; the Judge whispered to me.
+The Captain had just told her of the murder of her master. Paralyzed
+with horror, incapable of speech, she was gazing up at him. When she
+tried to rise, she sank back helplessly. The Judge opened the front
+door with the key which I had given him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Scarcely had he done so when Anna released herself from the Captain's
+arm and would have been the first to rush into the house, had not the
+Judge barred her way.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Let me go,&quot; cried Anna. &quot;I must go to my poor father. You dare not
+hold me back.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">She would have pressed past him, but he prevented her from doing so,
+and with quiet resolve, in a perfectly judicial manner, said, &quot;You must
+not see your father yet, Fräulein Anna. My official duty compels me to
+exclude you from the room in which the crime has been committed until
+it has been thoroughly searched. The traces which the murderer has
+perhaps left behind must not be interfered with. You must either stay
+here outside, or, if you wish, wait in your own room until it is
+permitted you to see your father. Captain Pollenz, I pray you to remain
+with your relative and to prevent Fräulein Anna from making an attempt
+to disturb the investigation by going into the murdered man's room. I
+cannot permit it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Anna retired. As the Judge forbade our entrance into the house, her
+eyes seemed to flash with anger, but she controlled herself, only
+bestowing upon Herr Foligno a glance of dislike and antipathy.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I obey,&quot; she said, recovering her composure wonderfully. &quot;I will wait
+in my room with Johanna and my uncle. You shall have nothing to
+reproach me with. I pray <i>you</i>, sir,&quot; she said, turning to the Clerk;
+&quot;I entreat <i>you</i> to search, investigate. The blood of my poor father
+cries to heaven. I must doubt its justice should you not succeed in
+discovering the ruthless murderer.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Rest assured, Fräulein Anna, that I shall leave nothing undone----&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I did not address you,&quot; Anna interrupted the Judge; &quot;I entreat <i>you</i>,
+the assistant, to fulfil your duty; search for the murderer, whoever he
+may be, deliver him to the vengeance of the law. I trust you. You will
+not be influenced by fear or considerations of any kind. Do not answer
+me; I trust you; I know you will do everything to discover the
+criminal, even though you do not promise me. Come uncle, come Johanna,
+we will wait in my room.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">While Anna was speaking, Herr Foligno's expression was, strangely
+enough, that of timidity and embarrassment; his lips moved; he seemed
+to wish to reply but could not. He retreated silently, as Anna, without
+looking in his direction, passed him. She entered the room at the left
+of the hall, her own apartment, and the Captain and the old maid, still
+half paralyzed with terror, followed her silently.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The Clerk also made no reply to Anna's strange words; he had been much
+astonished by them, as were all who heard them. With a keen searching
+look he regarded the Judge. Not until the door had closed behind Anna
+and the Captain did he say, whispering so softly that only I and the
+Judge could hear, &quot;If you do not feel sufficiently well, Herr Foligno,
+to undertake the examination and will delegate me to conduct it, I am
+quite ready to do so.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;No, no,&quot; the Judge replied in as low a tone. Aloud he said, &quot;Follow
+me, gentlemen. We must begin our melancholy task.&quot;</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2>CHAPTER V.</h2>
+<h3><a name="div1_05" href="#div1Ref_05">THE INVESTIGATION CONTINUED</a>.</h3>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">Among all the tragic and even terrible recollections which live in my
+memory, and of which my life has perhaps had more than its share, the
+most terrible is that of the first few days of my stay in Luttach. Even
+now they sometimes disturb my sleep at night. In dreams, I am once more
+in the spacious, dreary room of the Lonely House, with the stiffened
+corpse of the murdered man before me on the floor. The sunlight through
+the window falls upon his pale face with its distorted features. I see
+the terrible wound, and the hard, rasping voice of the District
+Physician strikes upon my ear as with professional calmness he examines
+the wound and with all the indifference with which he would discuss the
+commonest affair of business, explains that any suspicion of suicide is
+out of the question, coldly pointing out to us bystanders, grouped
+about the body, our faces pale and awed, the numerous wounds of which
+any one would have been mortal, and endeavouring with perfect calmness
+to prove that the murderer had first attacked his victim from behind,
+and had finally cut the throat to make sure that the deed was complete.
+I still hear in dreams the clear, incisive words showing that the
+murderer must certainly have been intimately acquainted with the
+murdered man's ways, and that in order to avoid any possibility of the
+old man's divulging his name with his dying breath, he had inflicted
+the last gaping wound.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Fearful as had been the impression made upon me in the morning by my
+discovery, it had not so curdled my blood with horror as did this
+examination of the body. The necessity for action, the danger which
+possibly threatened me from the murderer concealed in the house, had
+strengthened and quickened me in the morning; but now, when I was
+forced to stand by, an inactive spectator of this terrible scene, the
+whole horror of the affair for the first time presented itself to my
+consciousness.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The absence of all emotion, the inflexible indifference of the District
+Physician, who, as I learned from the Clerk, had been the friend and
+physician of old Pollenz, deepened the impression which rendered me
+almost incapable of connected thought.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I was a prey during the entire investigation to intense nervous
+agitation. I saw and heard everything that went on around me so clearly
+that the smallest detail remains stamped upon my memory, but I was
+incapable of connected thought, of drawing conclusions from what I
+heard and saw. This I was able to do only later when removed from the
+spell thus thrown around me. The investigation produced a most
+agitating effect upon the Clerk also, and in especial upon the Judge,
+but they could not leave, and were obliged to fulfil their official
+duty. The Clerk was very pale, but quiet and composed throughout; but
+the Judge was obliged to exert all his self-control to conquer his
+excitement, while the physician, still handling the body, demonstrated
+with great clearness, almost as if he had been a witness of it, the
+manner in which the murder had been committed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But however intense his emotion, the Judge proved himself equal to the
+task his office imposed upon him. When the time came to search the room
+he displayed the greatest care and circumspection. The bloody knife
+lying upon the floor at some distance from the body was, of course, the
+first object of his notice.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;There lies the weapon with which the deed was committed,&quot; he cried.
+&quot;Fortunately, the murderer has left it behind. It may afford a clue in
+his detection.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But this hope proved to be unfounded. The Clerk testified that the
+knife was the same which old Pollenz had always carried as a weapon of
+defense. Whereupon the Judge confirmed what he said; he had seen the
+knife in his friend's possession, and recognized it, but doubtless it
+was the weapon with which the crime was committed. &quot;Most certainly,&quot;
+the Judge added, with keen observation, &quot;the murderer must have
+snatched it from the old man as he tried to defend himself, and in so
+doing caused a struggle; the knife must have wounded the murderer in
+the hand, since its handle is stained with blood. We shall undoubtedly
+find further traces of his bleeding hand there in the cabinet which he
+broke open, and from which he scattered the papers lying about.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The Judged supposition proved correct. Inside the cabinet, as well as
+upon the open drawers, there were distinct traces of bloody fingers,
+and they were also found upon some of the papers strewn on the floor,
+which the murderer had taken from the cabinet but tossed aside as
+useless.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It was in this cabinet, as the Judge and the physician both testified,
+that old Pollenz had kept his money and papers of value. The murderer
+must have been familiar with this place of deposit, for he had opened
+only those drawers used for the purpose. The others, which contained
+receipted bills and worthless papers, had not been opened. The closest
+search failed to discover either money or papers of value, such as
+promissory notes or similar documents. All such had been abstracted. On
+the other hand, an old gold watch, a heavy gold snuffbox, both articles
+of value, remained untouched.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The murderer is no common thief or burglar,&quot; the Judge said calmly.
+&quot;Such an one would not have despised valuable articles like these.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Certainly not,&quot; the physician added; &quot;my firm belief is that he was an
+intimate acquaintance of old Pollenz. None other would have opened
+those drawers unless they knew they would reward a search.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Unfortunately, this is the only hint we have to put us upon the trace
+of the criminal,&quot; the Judge said in a tone of disappointment. &quot;Our
+melancholy investigation has had no result of value.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This was indeed so. The murderer had left the Lonely House without
+leaving any traces except those of his bleeding hand. In spite of the
+most careful search, nothing further was discovered. The Judge set down
+in his deposition all that had been done. It was as clear and well
+composed as that which he had written previously in his room. I
+confirmed his report that I had found the Lonely House and in especial
+the room in which the crime had been committed in the same condition in
+which I had left it. It now remained for the Judge to fulfil the
+hardest part of his task. He was obliged to examine the daughter and
+the old servant of the murdered man. He evidently feared to meet with
+difficulties caused by the aversion to him which the fair Anna had so
+openly expressed, but it was necessary to make this examination in
+order to find some explanation of the surprising fact that the Lonely
+House, usually so carefully locked, should have been left wide open at
+midday.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The Judge's fear, however, proved to be groundless. He found Anna in
+her room, wonderfully quiet and composed. She immediately declared
+herself ready to be examined, and only asked that the Captain, the
+Clerk and myself should be the sole witnesses present. The Judge
+willingly granted this request, and every difficulty was removed. She
+testified that she had that day had her breakfast as usual with her
+father at eleven o'clock, and, close upon twelve, had left the Lonely
+House with Johanna to make some purchases in Luttach, and at the same
+time to visit her old aunt. Her father, as usual, accompanied her to
+the front door and locked and bolted it behind her. It was his custom
+when left alone in the house to bolt himself into his sitting-room.
+Whenever any one knocked at the front door, he always first made sure
+of his visitor by looking out of the window, and, when he was alone,
+never allowed a stranger to cross his threshold. Even acquaintances in
+whom perchance he did not repose entire confidence were always
+dismissed by him from the window. He did not even open the door for
+them. As to her father's property in papers of value and money, Anna
+knew nothing. Her father had never talked with her about his pecuniary
+circumstances. She could not possibly tell of how much he had been
+robbed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With perfect composure Anna gave her testimony, but, when in conclusion
+the Judge asked her if she had met any one upon her way to Luttach, the
+colour suddenly mounted to her cheek and as quickly left it, and her
+&quot;no&quot; was by no means so clear and decided as had been her earlier
+report. She blushed still more deeply when the Judge asked if her
+father had any special mistrust of any of his acquaintances, and
+assured her that what she should say would be entirely confidential,
+even if there should be nothing in her reply to arouse suspicion.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I will not answer this question,&quot; Anna replied, after she had stood
+for a moment with downcast eyes. &quot;No one in the world has a right to
+ask such a question, and you least of all.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">To this declaration she adhered, and the Judge was obliged to finish
+his deposition without learning anything further from her. The
+examination of old Johanna also produced no further result.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Thus the examination ended, and the Judge could no longer refuse to
+allow the daughter to see her father's body. Conducted by Captain
+Pollenz, Anna entered the old man's sleeping-room, where the captain of
+gendarmes and the physician had laid the murdered man upon the bed. The
+Captain afterwards told me that the composure shown by the young girl
+at the terrible sight had filled him with genuine admiration. She
+kneeled beside the bed on which the corpse had been laid. She took the
+cold, stiff hand in hers and kissed it, while tears rolled over her
+cheeks. The Captain would have said a few words to comfort her, but she
+interrupted him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Let my grief have way, uncle,&quot; she said sadly; &quot;you do not know what I
+have lost in him. He was harsh to every one else, but he loved me with
+all his heart, me only in the world, and I am perhaps the cause of his
+death. This it is that fills me almost with despair. The thought that I
+may be guilty of his death is almost unendurable.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;How can you think such a thing, my child?&quot; the Captain asked, much
+startled.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I cannot explain it to you, uncle,&quot; Anna continued, kissing the dead
+man's hand again and again. &quot;It is perhaps only a foolish thought, but
+it arose in my mind when I heard how cruelly my father had been
+murdered, and I cannot banish it. I dare not share it with any one, not
+even with you, my dear, kind uncle. I commit an injustice perhaps in
+not being able to banish it. I know nothing, nothing which gives me the
+right to entertain it. It is only a vague, fearful foreboding,
+oppressing my heart all the more because I must bear it all alone and
+can share it with no one in the world.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The girl refused all explanation of her mysterious words. For a long
+while she silently knelt by the bed, holding the dead man's hand in
+hers, but at last she rose and followed the Captain to her room,
+in which we--that is, the Clerk, the Judge, the physician, and
+myself--were awaiting her. During Anna's absence with the Captain we
+had been discussing the future of the young girl. It was impossible
+that she should remain with the old servant and the murdered man alone
+in the Lonely House. We had therefore determined to take her back with
+us to Luttach. The physician had kindly offered to give her an asylum
+as a guest in his house. His wife, he told us, was very fond of the
+fair Anna; she would rejoice most heartily to show any loving service
+to the unfortunate child. Anna could not possibly live with her old,
+peevish Aunt Laucic, who was even a greater miser than old Pollenz. She
+would find none of the sympathy and love of which she stood in such
+need with that old dragon.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The kindness and friendliness for the unfortunate young girl which
+prompted the words of the physician reconciled me to him. His
+businesslike indifference during the investigation had made me almost
+hate him, but now I acknowledged to myself that I had been unjust and
+that he was no cold and heartless man, but, on the contrary, a very
+kindly, benevolent old doctor.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">We had arranged everything as we thought for the best, but when Anna
+returned to us we found that our wise arrangements were entirely
+useless. She declared, with a decision remarkable in so young a girl,
+that she would not leave her father, but would stay beside him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In vain did we all entreat her, the Judge alone prudently refraining
+from doing so. We used our most eloquent powers of persuasion.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In vain did the Captain add his voice, and in vain did the physician
+explain to her what an insufficient protection old Johanna would be in
+the Lonely House during the next night.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If Johanna is afraid, she can go with you to Luttach,&quot; she said. &quot;I am
+not afraid to remain alone with my beloved dead.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As she was immovable, we were obliged to comply. We could not force her
+to go with us to Luttach, but we did not leave her alone in the Lonely
+House, for the Captain declared he would not leave her; if she stayed,
+he would stay also; they could make up a bed quite comfortable enough
+for an old soldier.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Anna was reluctant to accept this offer, but the Captain refused to
+withdraw it. He said he could be quite as obstinate as Anna herself,
+and thus he remained in the Lonely House, while we returned to Luttach.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2>CHAPTER VI.</h2>
+<h3><a name="div1_06" href="#div1Ref_06">TWO WOUNDED HANDS</a>.</h3>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">Both kitchen and dining-room in the &quot;Golden Vine&quot; were crowded with
+guests--a very unusual thing of a week-day. The report of the murder in
+the Lonely House had spread quickly, not only in the little town, but
+also in the surrounding villages, and, naturally, all were eager to
+hear further particulars, and could find no better place for gratifying
+this desire than in the inn, the home of the Judge, who was sure to be
+there in the evening.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the spacious kitchen, which was the gathering place of guests of the
+lower classes, peasants and small tradesmen, there was quite a crowd.
+Some were even obliged to drink their wine standing; all the benches
+and chairs were occupied. Here not a German word was to be heard; the
+talk was entirely in Slavonic; even around the hearth where Frau
+Franzka received her intimate friends, all spoke in that tongue.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Nearly twenty men, principally petty tradesmen from Luttach, were
+sitting and standing around the huge hearth listening respectfully to
+Frau Franzka's words, who, as she cooked and broiled, was obliged
+to give all the details of the terrible deed which the &quot;German
+fly-catcher&quot;--such was the name that had already been bestowed upon me
+in Luttach--had discovered. When I passed through the kitchen to go to
+the dining-room, I was most politely and kindly greeted by all present,
+while they looked at me with undisguised curiosity.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the dining-room there was a far larger assembly than usual. All the
+tables were occupied, but principally the great round one at which the
+Burgomaster presided. All the gentlemen to whom I had been presented on
+the previous evening were present, with the exception of the Captain.
+The District Physician, two gentlemen (strangers to me), and, oddly
+enough, Franz Schorn, were also there; the last sat next the Judge's
+assistant.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I had evidently been expected. A chair beside the District Judge had
+been reserved for me, and when I appeared--quite too late to suit the
+impatience of those present--I was cordially received. Even Franz
+Schorn rose from his seat, and when the other gentlemen offered me
+their hands, he held out his--not the right hand, but the left, like
+the Judge, who had protected his wounded hand with a black glove. I
+remarked that Franz Schorn did not use his right hand, but kept it
+concealed in the breast of his coat, which was closely buttoned.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The conversation was hardly interrupted by my arrival. Naturally it had
+been concerning the murder in the Lonely House, and it so continued
+after I had taken my place at the table. It was to me that all
+inquisitive inquiries were now addressed--to me instead of to the Judge
+or his assistant or to the physician. I was obliged to relate all that
+I had seen. I was questioned about the smallest details; the most
+insignificant interested every one.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The Judge, the assistant and Franz Schorn alone were silent. I could
+inform the two first of nothing new; there was no need for them to
+question me, and Franz Schorn probably did not wish to thrust himself
+forward with inquiries.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It was evident, however, that he listened with intense interest to
+everything that I related. As I spoke I narrowly observed the behaviour
+of the Judge and of Franz Schorn, the two rivals. Herr Foligno appeared
+scarcely to hear what I was saying. His eyes were fixed gloomily on his
+wineglass, and he seemed to take no part in what was going on, but from
+time to time as he looked up I could see that he heard every word that
+I said. Franz Schorn kept his eyes riveted upon me as I spoke. The
+description of my first discovery of the murdered man evidently
+horrified him; he was more agitated by it than any of my other hearers.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">After I had ended my narrative, and it had been completed by the
+physician, the question of course was discussed as to who the murderer
+could be, whence he had come, how he had entered the locked house,
+whither he had fled, and what had been the amount of his robbery. In
+this discussion, however, the Judge and his assistant and Franz Schorn
+took no part, although they listened with close attention.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The physician defended with much acuteness his own theory that only an
+intimate acquaintance of old Pollenz could have committed the crime; on
+the other hand, many present maintained that the murderer must be some
+Italian from Trieste, for neither in Luttach nor in the surrounding
+country was there a man capable of such a deed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">During this discussion, to which Franz Schorn listened very
+attentively, the physician accidentally pushed aside the left arm of
+his neighbour--Franz Schorn--who dropped the cigar which he was holding
+in his hand and stooped to pick it up. As he did so, he instinctively
+drew from his bosom his right hand, which had hitherto been concealed
+by his coat. It was bound about with a white bandage, upon which were
+several spots of blood. He thrust it quickly into his breast again, but
+not before the physician had noticed the spots on the white linen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ah, Franz! What is the matter with your hand?&quot; he asked kindly.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nothing,&quot; Franz replied curtly; &quot;a slight cut.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Slight! That can hardly be; if you have a bandaged hand and don't use
+it, it must be a tolerably deep cut. Of course, you have done nothing,
+as usual, but wrap a rag about it. You young people are incorrigible.
+You never reflect that the neglect of such cuts, which you consider
+insignificant, may cost you the hand itself. Take off the bandage; I
+want to see what it is.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is nothing; a trifle, not worth mentioning.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;All the more readily should you show it to me. You owe obedience to an
+old friend of your father's, you obstinate fellow; so off with your
+bandage; I wish to see the wound.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Certainly, if you insist,&quot; Franz replied, holding out his hand and
+unwinding the bandage. It did not come off easily, but adhered to the
+wound and a few drops of blood followed its removal.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;A couple of good cuts,&quot; said the physician, examining the hand; &quot;not
+dangerous; they will heal without any particular care if you spare your
+hand a little for a couple of days; but how did you get such strange
+cuts! Four fingers implicated, and another gash in the palm. It looks
+as if you had done it with a knife.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;And so I did,&quot; Franz replied. &quot;I was using a large knife in the
+vineyard to-day and laid it down upon a high wall; it fell and would
+have pierced my foot, if instead of shifting it, I had not foolishly
+grasped at the falling knife and seized the sharp blade instead of the
+handle. That is the whole story. Such slight cuts are not worth
+mentioning.&quot; He wrapped the bandage around his hand again and concealed
+it as before in the breast of his coat.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Such slight cuts are not worth mentioning,&quot; the young man had said,
+and it was true; they were insignificant. Nevertheless they aroused in
+me a chain of thought which filled me with dread. Involuntarily I
+thought of the bloody, dagger-like knife which I had seen in the Lonely
+House. If the murderer in his contest with the old man had endeavoured
+to take the knife from him and had accidentally seized it by the blade,
+his hand would have been wounded precisely as was that of Franz Schorn.
+Schorn had hitherto kept his right hand concealed. Why so? Did he wish
+to conceal the wound? An involuntary motion, an accident, had compelled
+him to show the bandaged hand, and it was with great reluctance that he
+had acceded to the physician's request.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I looked at the District Judge. The same suspicion which had made me
+shudder had been aroused also in him. I could read it in the lowering,
+searching glance which he gave to the hand as Franz was wrapping it in
+the bandage again. When he looked up afterwards and his gaze met mine,
+his eyes were more eloquent than his tongue could have been. He slowly
+raised his hand in its black glove as if in token of our understanding
+each other. Strangely enough, his motion and his look had the effect of
+instantly banishing the dark suspicion that had been awakened within
+me. I had no right to entertain it. Had not the Judge himself also
+accidentally wounded his right hand this very day? Might I not have
+seen him also near the Lonely House, since he had been climbing among
+the rocks in search of flowers? No, it would be rank folly to found a
+suspicion with regard to Franz Schorn upon such accidental
+circumstances. That the young man seemed even more gloomy and
+preoccupied than on the previous evening, and that he scarcely uttered
+a word, furnished no grounds for any suspicion with regard to him. Must
+he not be deeply agitated by the terrible death of an old man with whom
+he stood in such close, although hostile, relations? I blamed myself
+for being so carried away by my indignation as to be ready to find in
+insignificant trifles an undue importance. Besides, with the exception
+of the Judge, whose duty it was to investigate all grounds of
+suspicion, no other member of the company had thought of connecting
+Franz Schorn's wounded hand with the murder. They all continued to
+converse freely; even the physician, so acute in piecing out evidence,
+who might have entertained some vague suspicion, had none at all; he
+had thought no possible evil of Franz, and continued to address him now
+from time to time as kindly and unreservedly as before. Still, this
+evening I was very uncomfortable among them all. Their continued talk,
+always of the same details, always of the horrible crime, increased my
+nervous agitation to an intolerable degree. It was impossible to change
+the subject of the conversation; it always reverted to the murder in
+the Lonely House.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This perpetual return to the same horrible subject stretched me upon
+the rack; I could no longer endure it. As soon as I had finished my
+trout and my wine, I rose to withdraw to my room. The Judge followed my
+example, and rose also. After emptying his tall glass at a draught, he
+said he was tired and unhinged and needed to go to bed early after so
+terrible a day. His clerk and the physician, with several other
+gentlemen, courteously entreated me to stay at least for half an hour
+longer, it was so early. Without positive discourtesy I could not
+refuse their request, and ordered myself another glass of wine. The
+Judge followed my example, although no one had requested him to remain.
+In the short time that I stayed, barely half an hour, he drank two full
+glasses of wine, the last at a draught just as I arose and declined to
+remain longer.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Together we ascended the stairs. Mizka preceded us with a candle. When
+we reached the landing in the first story, the Judge offered me his
+left hand in farewell.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Good-night, Herr Professor,&quot; he said aloud, adding in a whisper, &quot;I
+fear I shall be obliged to ask you to-morrow to give me officially an
+account of your meeting with Herr Franz Schorn in the neighbourhood of
+the Lonely House.&quot; He looked around at Mizka, who was opening the door
+of my room, and as she entered it he continued, &quot;A ground of suspicion
+such as the wound in his right hand compels me to abandon all personal
+considerations.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Greatly startled, I replied, &quot;Mere chance, Herr Foligno; you, too, have
+wounded your right hand to-day.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">My innocent words made him start as if I had struck him a blow in the
+face. I could not see his features, it was too dark on the landing; a
+weak ray of light coming from the open door of my room was the only
+illumination; but the quiver in his voice as he answered me after a
+pause of a second, betrayed the disastrous effect of my words.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You are perfectly right, Herr Professor; it may be 'mere chance.' I
+shall not proceed against Herr Schorn. I will even try to combat my
+suspicion of evil in him, my enemy, but it is my duty to search for
+further grounds of suspicion against him. That must be done in spite of
+my hostile feeling towards him. Good-night, Herr Professor.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He pressed my hand once more, and we parted.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Mizka was already busy in my room putting everything in order for the
+night. She was obliged to do this as quickly as possible, for the
+number of guests below in the dining-room and in the kitchen depended
+upon her services; but she could not forego a little gossip. She told
+me that before I had entered the dining-room this evening there had
+been quite a quarrel between the Judge and his assistant. They had been
+seated at the round table when Franz Schorn entered the room and looked
+around for a place. All the tables were full, and the Clerk had invited
+Schorn to sit beside him at the round table. This made the Judge
+violently angry, but the Clerk declared that the Judge had no more
+authority than any other guest in the dining-room of the inn. Franz
+Schorn would have retired, but the Clerk detained him, and the
+physician, who had been an old friend of Franz's dead father, had
+declared that he himself would stay only on condition of Franz's
+remaining, and would never again take his place at the round table if
+Herr Foligno denied a seat there to Franz. The Burgomaster, too, and
+the other gentlemen, who were not always friendly to Franz, now took
+his part, so that the Judge was obliged to yield, and Franz, induced by
+their persuasions, took his seat; but neither the Judge nor Franz after
+the quarrel had exchanged a word.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">What strange occurrences were these in this little country town! Even
+here, the few cultivated people, so circumscribed in their social
+relations, were divided by hatred and prejudice. I undressed myself
+and, with a memory of the gymnastic feats of my boyhood, clambered into
+my lofty bed. I was sadly in need of repose. The agitations of the day
+had been too much for my old body. They had exhausted my strength, and
+yet excitement of mind conquered bodily weariness. I could not sleep. I
+tried in vain to banish the memory of the dreadful scenes through which
+I had passed. I tried to think of it all with indifference; but what I
+had seen in the Lonely House scared away sleep, of which I had such
+sore need. Hours and hours passed. The time seemed eternal before at
+last I closed my weary eyes.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">And the Judge had the same experience; he could not sleep that night.
+As long as I lay awake in bed I heard the sound of his footsteps above
+me, as he paced his room to and fro restlessly. Surely the same
+memories were agitating him which denied me the blessing of slumber.
+The investigation at the Lonely House had not been the mere fulfilment
+of a duty for him, any more than it had been for the physician. The
+horror of it all had impressed him as profoundly as it had myself. It
+did not lessen my opinion of him that he should thus have preserved in
+the midst of his official duties a warm, sensitive heart.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2>CHAPTER VII.</h2>
+<h3><a name="div1_07" href="#div1Ref_07">THE TWO REQUESTS</a>.</h3>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">Again I awoke early in the morning. I did not need much sleep for
+physical refreshment, and although it had lasted but a few hours, I
+felt quite fresh and well. The beautiful morning should serve me for
+another expedition, and I wished to start as early as possible; in
+Southern Ukraine only the early morning hours are suitable for mountain
+walks and climbing. As long as the dew still glitters on the grass,
+wandering in the Ukraine mountains is indescribably delightful, but
+when the glowing sun has absorbed the last dewdrops, when its direct
+rays are reflected from gray rocks, when no breath of air fans the
+climber's cheek, mountain-climbing becomes altogether too hard a task
+for an old man. I finished my breakfast before six o'clock and was all
+ready for a start. Whither should I turn my steps! The forest above the
+Chapel of St. Nikolas allured me. I had found such entomological
+treasures there on the previous day that I surely could do nothing
+better than go thither again. I could not collect too many specimens of
+the grub of the <i>Saturnia cćcigena</i>, for, unfortunately, I could not be
+sure that each larva would produce a butterfly. To St. Nikolas, then, I
+took my way and by the narrow path. I had succeeded in descending it
+without accident the day before, and it was surely not too dangerous
+for me to ascend it. I set out. The path certainly was better than its
+reputation. It had no danger for a climber not subject to dizziness,
+and was quite firm beneath the foot. I had often ascended far more
+steep and dangerous pathways in my search for some rare plant.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The easy footpath leading to the Lonely House was soon reached, and I
+strode forward sturdily. On the previous day I had hurried along it,
+only desirous to reach Luttach as quickly as possible. To-day I feasted
+my eyes with the view of the charming country upon which I looked down,
+while at the same time I scrutinized with the keenness of a collector
+the gentle ascent on my left where I might perhaps discover some
+treasure growing among the rocks. Not far from the Lonely House I
+perceived to my great joy in a spot which could be reached without
+difficulty many beautiful specimens of the very orchid <i>Ophrys
+Bertolini</i> which the Judge had brought to me yesterday. This was an
+unexpected delight. In yesterday's excitement I had neglected to put
+the charming flowers in water, and when I returned from the
+investigation they were so withered that they were not worth preserving
+for my herbarium. Now I could gather many glorious specimens without
+any trouble.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I left the path and easily climbed the rocks soon reaching the spot
+where the orchids grew. But no sooner had I arrived there than to my
+astonishment several trampled flowers showed me that another had been
+before me, who was also a collector, and had plucked many blossoms of
+the rare <i>Ophrys</i>.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">One spot showed me that whoever he was, he had been no true botanist; a
+true botanist would have taken the plants, roots and all, not the
+blossoms only. He who collected the flowers here must have been in a
+hurry; he had dropped several blossoms which lay wilted on the ground
+and had evidently been plucked yesterday.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Was this the spot where the Judge had collected the beautiful <i>Ophrys</i>
+for me! The specimens which he had brought me were without roots. I now
+recalled this circumstance, which had escaped my notice on the previous
+day; but he had said that it had cost him some trouble and even danger
+to reach the rare plants with the habitat of which he was acquainted.
+He had fallen in doing so and had lacerated his hand. It was impossible
+that he could have done so here; for here was no possible danger; no
+flowers on the mountains could be plucked with more facility than
+these.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">And yet here the Judge had been. He had certainly gathered the <i>Ophrys</i>
+for me here. I found one unmistakable proof of his presence. On the
+ground lay a red and yellow silk pocket handkerchief, just exactly such
+a handkerchief as the Judge had carried the day before yesterday. I
+remembered it perfectly. Of course he had lost it here while plucking
+the flowers.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Involuntarily I smiled at the good man's boast; in order to give his
+gift a higher value, he had talked of danger in procuring it. I would
+tease him a little for his bragging. When I returned his handkerchief I
+would expatiate on the terrible danger of the place where the <i>Ophrys
+Bertolini</i> was to be found.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Still the plucking of the flowers had not been entirely without danger
+for him. I could not comprehend how he could have fallen on this smooth
+spot and wounded his hand, but that he had done so the handkerchief
+testified. On the yellow silk there were several brown stains, which I
+recognized as blood. The hackneyed old saying, &quot;No fall so slight but
+may kill you quite,&quot; occurred to me. With a smile I put the
+handkerchief in my pocket to return it to its owner when I got back to
+the inn. I dug up a number of the beautiful <i>Ophrys Bertolini</i> growing
+here by hundreds, and then, walking on quickly, in scarcely five
+minutes I reached the Lonely House. I was going to pass it, but from a
+window of the upper story the Captain called, begging me to wait a
+moment and he would join me.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He came and greeted me with great cordiality. He had passed a
+melancholy night. Old Johanna had been half crazy with fear and was
+absolutely useless. He had tried to persuade her to occupy one of the
+two rooms on the right of the hall, but she had fled to her bed in the
+upper story and locked herself in. Therefore the Captain had earnestly
+entreated Anna to leave the Lonely House, but all his words had been in
+vain. Anna displayed wonderful composure in her profound grief, but at
+the same time a firmness of purpose bordering on obstinacy. She had
+declared that she would not leave the Lonely House as long as it
+sheltered her father's body. She could not leave it all alone there.
+She would stay with him until he was buried, and she watched beside the
+corpse for half the night. Morning had dawned before she betook herself
+to rest.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Anna is a strange child,&quot; said the Captain. &quot;There are odd
+contradictions in her character. She is gentle and yielding and at the
+same time absolutely firm, open to no persuasion; sometimes frank and
+confiding; at others reserved and almost suspicious even of me,
+although she has repeatedly assured me that she trusts no human being
+as she does me and my brother, the Burgomaster. With entire frankness
+she has given me a detailed account of all the misery and wretchedness
+which has existed here in the house ever since the day when Franz
+Schorn asked her in marriage of her father. Towards herself the old man
+was kind and caressing, although she declared to him that she never
+would forsake Franz Schorn, that she never would marry the Judge; but
+to every other human being, and particularly to Franz, he displayed
+positive hatred, regarding all with profound suspicion, even old
+Johanna. He was completely dominated by the fear that some day he
+should be attacked and murdered. Wherefore he always bolted himself
+into his room, and if he admitted any one was armed with a dagger-like
+knife. He kept this terrible knife in his hand even whilst old Johanna
+arranged his room; even from her he feared some secret attack. No
+entreaty of Anna's could induce him to moderate his savage hatred of
+Franz. She, on her part, declared that she never would forsake Franz as
+long as she lived. This had led to continual strife between herself and
+her father, for she had told him frankly that he must shut her up in a
+close prison if he wished to prevent her from seeing Franz, and she had
+seen him almost daily; when her father locked himself up in his room
+after the midday meal to sleep for an hour, she always left the house
+to see Franz, who awaited her beneath the large oak not far away. Her
+father knew this, but had done nothing to prevent it, after she had
+declared to him that she should continue to do it, and if he locked her
+in the house, she would try to break the locks. The strange girl told
+me all this with reckless frankness, while at the same time she refused
+me any explanation, although I begged her to give it, of what she meant
+yesterday when she declared that she perhaps was guilty of her father's
+death. My little Anna is a riddle to me,&quot; the Captain thus closed his
+long account, &quot;but I love her none the less and I shall stay here to
+protect her. I will not leave her all by herself in the Lonely House.
+Now you can do me a favour, Herr Professor. When you return at midday
+from your excursion to St. Nikolas, stop here before the Lonely House
+once more, and I will give you some directions to take to Luttach for
+my brother, the Burgomaster. He must provide a suitable home for Anna
+in Luttach if she refuses to accept the doctor's invitation after her
+father's funeral, for which he must also give directions. I will put
+all this down in a letter, which you will have the kindness to give to
+my brother yourself.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I at once promised what he asked, and we parted the best of friends.
+The Captain returned to the Lonely House to write his letter, which, as
+he said, was quite a task for an old soldier unaccustomed for many
+years to hold a pen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I continued my walk and soon reached the little Church of St. Nikolas.
+Again I fed my eyes on the charming prospect and then proceeded to
+collect. I scrambled about in the forest, hither and thither, for some
+hours; then up on the bald rocky side of Nanos, and not until my
+bottles and boxes were so full that I could accommodate no more
+treasures, and the heat had become oppressive, did I take my way back
+towards noon by the same path which I had followed yesterday. In a
+little while I reached the footpath leading to the Lonely House, and on
+the very same spot where I had yesterday encountered Franz Schorn I
+found him again to-day, but he did not avoid me; he awaited me. He was
+not alone; beside him, with his arm around her waist, stood pretty
+Anna. They were a charming pair. I delighted in the sight of the two
+beautiful young people. Franz was certainly a handsome fellow. Now, as
+he looked down on his lovely companion, with eyes full of the tenderest
+affection, the beauty of his features, which a gloomy expression had
+hitherto concealed, was plainly visible.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When the young man observed me, a shadow crossed his brow. Without
+releasing his companion, with his left hand he took off his straw hat
+in greeting. Then Anna, too, saw me, and with a blush beckoned to me
+kindly. She made no attempt to release herself from the embracing arm
+of the young man.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We were awaiting you here, Herr Professor,&quot; said Franz, as I reached
+them. &quot;Captain Pollenz informed my betrothed that you, in coming from
+St. Nikolas, had promised to stop, towards noon, at the Lonely House;
+therefore we came to meet you to make a request of you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Which I shall certainly comply with if possible,&quot; I replied, regarding
+the young girl with genuine delight. She blushed, but looked up with
+kindling eyes at Franz as he uttered the word &quot;betrothed.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is a request that may seem strange to you, Herr Professor,&quot; Franz
+continued, &quot;but, nevertheless, I will make it; I am convinced that you
+would not wish to cause annoyance either to myself or to my dear
+betrothed.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Most certainly not. Pray tell me quite frankly what you wish.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is not much. I would only ask you not to mention to any one our
+meeting yesterday here in this place.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The request in itself seemed trivial enough, but the look which
+accompanied it was far from meaningless. It betokened intense anxiety
+as to whether or not I would accede to what he asked.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In truth, the young man's request was a strange one. Involuntarily my
+eyes turned to his wounded right hand. All diverse thoughts ran riot in
+my brain. I remembered the large double-edged knife with its bloody
+handle lying on the floor of the room in the Lonely House, and then
+came the memory of the cut on a brown hand and the doctor's voice
+saying, &quot;That looks as if you had grasped a knife by the blade.&quot; Again
+I saw Franz turn from me to hurry through the undergrowth, and again I
+saw him with eyes gloomily cast down as he listened to the physician's
+words. I recalled his bitter hostility to old Pollenz, and the old
+man's words, &quot;That fellow will kill me one of these days.&quot; Hitherto I
+had entertained no downright suspicion of the young fellow, but it
+suddenly stirred within me.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Why do you wish me not to mention our meeting?&quot; I asked in reply.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Because I begged Franz to ask you this,&quot; Anna replied for the young
+man, whose features as I spoke resumed their wonted gloomy expression.
+&quot;Franz told me that yesterday he turned away from you because he wished
+to avoid any meeting with you. He feared it might cause you annoyance,
+if you had happened to be seen by any chance passer-by walking with
+him. He had been waiting for me a long time in vain beneath the old oak
+where we are used to meet every day at noon. I could not come because
+my father had sent me down to Luttach. Franz was in a very bad humour
+when he met you, and so, to avoid greeting you, he turned away into the
+forest.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Anna's words had a peculiar effect upon me. They strengthened my
+suspicions. If he were not guilty, would Franz have thought it
+necessary to have the young girl explain to me why he was in the
+neighbourhood of the Lonely House at noon, and why he had turned away
+from me with such sullen looks?</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You have not yet told me why I should not mention my meeting with Herr
+Schorn,&quot; I replied.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I will explain that to you myself,&quot; Franz said hurriedly, &quot;my
+betrothed thinks that if Foligno should learn that I was seen yesterday
+here in the neighbourhood of the Lonely House, the malice and hatred
+with which he regards me would find expression in vile suspicion of
+me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It would certainly be so. I entreat you, dear Herr Professor, do not
+tell a human being that you met Franz yesterday.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As she spoke the young girl looked up at me with such entreaty in her
+beautiful eyes that my heart was softened. I was in an awkward
+position. Ought I to tell her that I could not comply with her request,
+because I had already informed the Judge of my meeting Franz? This I
+could not do. I could not warn Franz without perhaps injuring the
+investigation; but, on the other hand, I certainly could not make a
+promise which it was already impossible to keep.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I can promise nothing,&quot; I replied guardedly; &quot;in an official
+examination one is bound to conceal nothing.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Oh, Herr Professor, I beg, I entreat you----&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Franz interrupted her, and, casting at me a look which was almost
+menacing, exclaimed, &quot;Do not say another word, Anna; the Herr Professor
+is right; it was folly, yes, wrong, for me to yield to your desire and
+make this request of the Herr Professor, who ought not to comply with
+it. If that scoundrel, Foligno, suspects me, I know how to meet his
+suspicion. Come, Anna, we ought not to detain the gentleman any
+longer.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He lifted his hat by way of farewell, and walked towards the forest
+with the young girl. My mind was filled with contradictory thoughts.
+Can that proud, self-assertive young man be a miserable criminal! I
+would so gladly have banished all suspicion of him, but--how terrible
+it was that so lovely and charming a girl had perhaps bestowed the
+wealth of her affection upon her father's murderer!</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I walked slowly towards the Lonely House, where the Captain, sitting
+before the door, was awaiting me. He handed me the letter for his
+brother, gave me various verbal commissions, and I left with a promise
+to visit him shortly in the Lonely House.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Shall I bring the Herr Professor's lunch into the garden?&quot; Mizka asked
+me as I entered the kitchen of the Golden Vine on my return from my
+excursion. &quot;The Judge has been lunching in the garden, and is sitting
+with his coffee beneath the great linden.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The <i>Ophrys Bertolini</i> occurred to me. I smiled at the remembrance of
+the Judge's boast and was pleased at the idea of teasing him. Of course
+I ordered my lunch in the garden and betook myself thither.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The Judge was sipping his coffee and smoking his long cigar at the
+round table beneath the spreading linden. He seemed sunk in a profound
+reverie, leaning his head upon his hand and with downcast eyes. I was
+struck with his pallor and with the sallowness and the drawn look of
+his features. At my first words he started violently, and for a moment
+gazed at me with terror, almost as if awaking from an oppressive dream,
+but in an instant he recovered his self-control, and greeted me with a
+smile.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I think I was dozing,&quot; he said; &quot;the terrible heat makes me sleepy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Why should he have told such an untruth? He had not been dozing; just
+before he started he had raised his hand to his cigar and had taken a
+long whiff.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I admire you, Herr Professor,&quot; he said, &quot;for being able to climb about
+in such heat. I suffer from it even here in the shade of the linden. I
+trust you were richly rewarded for your trouble.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I was indeed,&quot; I replied smiling. &quot;I have had great luck. I have been
+so fortunate as even to discover the place where, yesterday, you
+plucked for me the charming <i>Ophrys Bertolini</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">My jesting words produced a strange effect. Herr Foligno stared
+at me blankly; his sallow face grew ashy pale; his mouth twitched
+convulsively as he said brokenly, &quot;No, impossible! How--how--could
+you--how could you get there?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;In the easiest way in the world,&quot; I replied, tickled that the
+discovery of his boast had so startled the worthy gentleman. &quot;The spot,
+so difficult and even dangerous to attain, in reaching which you fell
+on the rocks and wounded your hand, I found right on the road to the
+Lonely House and most easy of attainment. From the path I saw the
+<i>Ophrys</i> blooming, and mounted without any difficulty to where it
+grew.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Then you have had the good fortune to discover a new home for it
+which I had not known,&quot; Herr Foligno replied, having regained his
+self-control with surprising celerity. &quot;I found the orchid on an
+overhanging rock in quite a distant part of the country.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Indeed, that is very remarkable. Did you, by chance, lose your pocket
+handkerchief there? I found it in my spot--or is it not yours? Look,
+the yellow silk shows some spots of blood, probably from a wounded
+hand.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With a laugh I drew out the handkerchief and handed it to him; the
+black gloved hand with which he took it trembled. He examined it quite
+attentively for some time, and then said quietly, &quot;This certainly is a
+remarkable coincidence. The handkerchief actually belongs to me, and I
+probably lost it yesterday in climbing about the rocks, but certainly
+not where you found it, for I was not even in the neighbourhood of the
+Lonely House. Probably one of the young goatherds here who scramble
+about everywhere in the mountains found it, and lost it again where you
+discovered it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With the greatest calmness he put the handkerchief in his pocket. I
+could not refuse him my admiration, for his barefaced explanation
+struck me as quite brilliant. Whether I believed him or not, I must
+pretend to do so. Laughing heartily, I replied: &quot;I congratulate you,
+Herr Foligno, on the happy chance which led the little goatherd and the
+old Professor to the same place, one losing, the other finding your
+handkerchief to restore it to you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The Judge probably felt the irony in my words, but he took no notice of
+it. He offered me his hand cordially.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It certainly is a very strange coincidence,&quot; he said. &quot;If my
+acquaintances here should hear of it, it might give them material for
+teasing me quite unpleasantly. You will oblige me, Herr Professor, if
+you will not mention this little occurrence. May I rely upon you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Certainly; I will be silent as the grave,&quot; I replied, still laughing,
+but the suspicious and evil glance which he cast at me quickly silenced
+my laughter. He said nothing further about the handkerchief or the
+<i>Ophrys</i>; he only made a few remarks about the unusual heat of the
+weather so late in the season, and then arose, saying that he was
+obliged to return to his office, and, therefore, to his regret, must
+leave me.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2>CHAPTER VIII.</h2>
+<h3><a name="div1_08" href="#div1Ref_08">QUIET WEEKS</a>.</h3>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">The first eventful days which I passed in Luttach were followed by
+weeks that were more serene. Favoured by the beautiful weather, I made
+daily excursions in every direction, reaping a rich harvest everywhere.
+I grew more and more familiar with the peculiar features of the
+country, and every day I grew more in sympathy with the smiling,
+charming valley shut in by mountains crowned with bald summits. The
+contrast between the barren gray rocks and the luxuriant valley at
+their feet particularly charmed me, and I especially delighted in the
+view when the sun sank behind the mountains, which were quickly
+enveloped in a soft twilight mist, the noble outlines of their peaks
+showing clear against the sky in the light of the setting sun.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The character of the inhabitants of Southern Ukraine soon grew familiar
+to me. Intercourse with the country folk whom I met on my excursions
+was, of course, very limited; we could not understand each other's
+language. Here and there a man who had served in the army could speak
+German, but only brokenly. The women for the most part spoke scarcely a
+German word, and they found it very difficult to understand the few
+Slavonic words which I had learned from Mizka and which I certainly
+pronounced very badly. There could be no attempt at conversation, but
+nevertheless the Slavonic country folk tried to testify kindness and
+cordiality for the stranger.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The peasants evidently held it their duty to offer the hospitality of
+their fields to the &quot;flycatcher,&quot; as they dubbed me, although sometimes
+they found the grass trodden down where he had been. Unlike the Swiss
+peasantry, who load with abuse any stranger venturing to trespass in
+their fields, these Slavonic country folk seemed glad to have me pluck
+flowers and pursue butterflies wherever I would; nay, they would at
+times even point out places among the rocks most easy of access and
+would assist in my search, never asking for money, accepting at most,
+with many Slavonic words of thanks, a cheap cigar. Scarcely ever in all
+my travels have I met a peasantry so amiable and kindly as these much
+slandered Slavonic country folk. I never heard a harsh word or found a
+trace of that hatred of Germans against which I had been cautioned.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">And yet it was none the less there at the bottom of all their hearts;
+but it was not for the German proper, as the Burgomaster had told me on
+that first evening, but for those Ukrainers who in a Slavonic country
+aimed at remaining faithful to Germany. Of this I had daily proof in
+the expressions which I heard with regard to Franz Schorn.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The young man interested me greatly and I took every opportunity to
+inform myself as to his circumstances, his earlier life, and everything
+regarding him. What I learned was not of a nature either to weaken or
+strengthen my suspicion, and, besides, I could not but acknowledge to
+myself that all the sources from which I could gain information were
+unfit to give me a true, distinct picture of a young fellow living in
+brooding seclusion, as it were, in a community rife with party hatred.
+The Clerk, the Captain, and the Burgomaster were the only men who could
+sufficiently rid themselves of prejudice to speak really well of the
+young man.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">All acknowledged that Franz Schorn was an industrious, capable farmer,
+who took admirable care of the estate inherited from his father; that
+he was well educated, to a degree above his station; but no praise was
+accorded to his character; he was said to be an obstinate, sullen
+fellow, ready for deeds of violence, filled with party hatred,
+maltreating his Slavonic labourers, covetous and hard-hearted. He had
+no pity for the poor; his only desire was to gain money and increase
+his patrimony, which was the reason why he had cast his eye on the rich
+and pretty Anna Pollenz, not because he loved her, but from greed of
+gain. This was the verdict of his enemies concerning him. The Captain
+and the Clerk alone maintained that he was a man of honour, incapable
+of mean or avaricious conduct; that he was reserved and defiant,
+willing to defend himself with some violence against all party hatred,
+and in other respects the victim of slander and low suspicion. How
+could I find the truth in these conflicting descriptions? I pondered
+the question in vain. It was certainly remarkable that a handsome,
+well-to-do, educated young man should be so generally detested, and it
+was hard to believe that such widespread hatred was entirely without
+foundation.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I now had many opportunities of observing him. He came almost regularly
+every evening to the Golden Vine and took the place at the round table
+which the Clerk always reserved for him. It seemed to me that this was
+done in order to establish a more kindly social feeling between Franz
+and the rest of the company who nightly assembled in the inn. The Clerk
+evidently endeavoured in the kindest way to draw him into the
+conversation, which he knew how to conduct so that Schorn would have an
+opportunity to be heard to the very best advantage in displaying his
+clear judgment and admirable intelligence.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The Captain, the Burgomaster, and the doctor aided the Clerk in his
+endeavour to establish peace between Franz and the rest of the company,
+who, out of regard for these gentlemen, became less antagonistic, to be
+sure, but still remained decidedly indifferent. They were content to do
+what was required of them socially, greeting the young man when he
+entered, but in conversation they avoided all direct talk with him, and
+since he addressed all that he said to the three above-named members of
+the party, he rarely exchanged a word with the others. The antipathy
+existing between Franz and the Judge was especially observable. Between
+these two there was an insurmountable barrier of profound dislike. They
+never exchanged either a greeting or a word. Franz never even looked at
+the Judge, although Herr Foligno watched him narrowly.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As soon as Franz appeared among the company in the evening, the Judge
+fell silent. Even though he might before have talked continually, and
+at times had even attempted to monopolize the conversation, from the
+time when Franz appeared he confined himself to monosyllables or a word
+thrown in here and there. He listened to all that was going on and with
+special interest when the talk turned upon the failure to discover the
+perpetrator of the crime committed in the Lonely House. At such times
+his gaze would be riveted with a strange intensity upon Franz Schorn.
+No word that the young man spoke, no expression of his countenance,
+escaped him then. It was the gaze of the serpent upon the bird which he
+is about to devour. This is perhaps an unsuitable simile, but it
+occurred to me involuntarily as I saw the Judge watching Franz. I knew
+his suspicions of the young man, and knew that he was secretly trying
+to accumulate fresh grounds for it. I knew also that his desire was
+great to gather from Franz some word that could be used against him,
+and I fervently thanked my Creator that after going through two terms
+as a student of law, I had given up all legal aspirations and devoted
+myself to natural science. There is something positively detestable to
+me in the thought of a man like the Judge sacrificing all humanity in
+an eagerness to discover the traces of a crime. My discomfort increased
+from day to day as I observed the stealthy manner in which he watched
+Franz's every word and motion.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Sometimes I actually hated the Judge, but I reflected that I had no
+right to do so. He was simply fulfilling the duty of his office, and
+probably such fulfilment was most obnoxious to him; he certainly had
+before him a most unpleasant and arduous task.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As yet there had been no light thrown upon the mysterious crime in the
+Lonely House. The necessary papers had been sent to the court at
+Laibach, and there the matter rested for the present. The investigating
+Judge and the Attorney General had come to Luttach in person to
+convince themselves that there was no trace of the criminal. The stolen
+bonds and banknotes had not been found, and, in fact, identification of
+these would have been impossible, as there had been no registration of
+them.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Nor could the minutest search among the papers of the murdered man give
+any evidence as to the amount of his property. The Judge and the
+tradesman Weber, each of whom had formerly had dealings with old
+Pollenz and occasion to speak with him about his money affairs,
+maintained that the old man had kept a list of all bonds in his
+possession, and of his outstanding investments, in order that he might
+always be fully conscious of the amount of his wealth, but such a list
+was not among the papers left behind by the thief. The miserly old man
+had speculated with a kind of passion. He was in correspondence with
+several bankers in Vienna; no one could tell with how many. These
+bankers he commissioned partly by letter and partly through a Luttach
+firm of tradesmen, Weber &amp; Meyer, as to the purchase and sale of
+various stocks. He excluded every one from all knowledge of his
+speculations, and never sold his stock through the same banking house
+that had purchased it for him. As no one knew how many banking houses
+he employed, it seemed quite hopeless to discover what stock and
+government bonds he had possessed, and this, of course, diminished the
+chances of the discovery of the murderer should he attempt to sell the
+papers.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It must have been a really humiliating reflection for Herr Foligno that
+within his district a crime should have been committed without any
+possibility of the discovery of the criminal. He might well fear that
+those above him would accuse him of a want of acuteness, or of activity
+in the performance of his duties. His clear, excellently composed
+deposition had evidently not brought him the credit that it should have
+done in higher places. When the two officials from Laibach had made
+their visit to Luttach, they had put all their questions to the Clerk
+and not to himself.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Perhaps I have been wrong,&quot; he said to me after the visit of the two
+men from Laibach, &quot;I ought to have required you to give me a sworn
+report of your encounter with Herr Franz Schorn in the forest near the
+Lonely House. I thought of doing so, but the same feeling which forbade
+me to do it upon the first discovery of the murder actuated me to-day
+and with renewed strength. Your meeting with him, and the wound in his
+hand, now entirely healed, are the only grounds of suspicion against
+him, and you yourself proved to me how insignificant they are by your
+simple remark that I, too, might be subjected to suspicion from the
+same causes. I assure you, Herr Professor, that I cannot be
+sufficiently grateful to you for preventing me from taking a step which
+I might have repented forever. I do not deny that my suspicion of the
+man is even more deeply rooted now than it was then, but it behooves me
+to be all the more strict with myself, for hitherto I have discovered
+nothing which could justify me in accusing the man whom, nevertheless,
+I detest profoundly. Should I do so, all the world would believe that I
+was endeavouring to be rid of a hated rival.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I could not but admit that he was right. Circumstances were really most
+unfortunate for him. The Lonely House deserved its name now still more
+than formerly. It was utterly lonely. After the body of its owner had
+been interred in the graveyard of the village of Oberberg, the Captain
+had closed it. Anna and her old maid had come to Luttach; she had at
+last yielded to the persuasions of the Captain, the Burgomaster, and
+the doctor, and had accepted an asylum in the doctor's house. A couple
+of unused rooms were quickly furnished for herself and old Johanna.
+They did not live there as guests of the owner, but as lodgers. It was
+only with the stipulation that there should be no restriction of her
+freedom that she had yielded to the wishes of her relatives, and the
+first use which she made of this freedom was to declare that Franz
+Schorn was her future husband, who should lead her to the altar at the
+expiration of her year of mourning. In vain did the Burgomaster, the
+Captain, and the doctor entreat the young girl to reserve for a time
+such a declaration. Anna was not to be persuaded.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is just because all are against him; just because all seem to hate
+him in spite of his noble, lofty nature, that I will be true to him. I
+have been betrothed to him for two years. As long as my father lived I
+could not declare this boldly against his will, but now I can do so.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Anna's declaration produced a disagreeable impression in Luttach. The
+little social circle there was greatly scandalized, but even the
+loudest scandalmonger had to be silent, since Anna with delicate tact
+avoided all occasion for calumny. Her lover never visited her; her only
+times for seeing him were when he was invited to the house by its
+owner, the doctor, who had at first been really provoked at the girl's
+obstinacy, but who now found it impossible to say enough of her truly
+enchanting disposition. He had always loved her, ever since she had
+been a little child, but had never dreamed of her becoming so charming,
+so tender and caressing. His wife, too, was perfectly delighted to have
+the lovely girl beneath her roof. He now comprehended perfectly how
+that stony-hearted miser, old Pollenz, had yielded to the charm of this
+girl, and, being quite unable to resist her, had not ventured to oppose
+her meeting Franz beneath the oak daily at noon, for fear of her
+forsaking him entirely. But, docile and amiable as Anna showed herself
+among her relatives and friends, the Burgomaster, the Captain, the
+doctor and his wife, she was correspondingly hard and repellent towards
+the Judge. From the Captain, with whom I had a daily gossip in the
+early morning in the garden, I learned that Herr Foligno still
+entertained a foolish hope of conquering the dislike which Anna felt
+for him. Several times since she had taken up her dwelling at the
+doctor's he had made an attempt to approach her, but had always been
+repulsed with signs of the greatest aversion. The Captain and the
+doctor had represented to her that she should at least treat him with
+conventional courtesy, but she had declared that for him she had no
+courteous, kindly word; she detested and despised him, not only because
+her father had once wished to force her to marry him, but because she
+had a firm conviction that he was at heart a wicked man. She would give
+no grounds for this belief, but she was quite sure it was justified.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The Captain and the doctor must have mentioned to others Anna's
+behaviour in this respect; it was known throughout Luttach. There was
+much laughing gossip in the little town about the Judge's unfortunate
+love. Every evening Mizka detailed to me some town tattle, which was
+sure to have for its subject pretty Anna and her two adorers. Perhaps
+it was not quite right that I should lend an ear to such downright
+gossip, but I do not deny that it interested me, and I could not make
+up my mind to interrupt the garrulous maid as she told me of all that
+was discussed in the town.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Though I had but very little sympathy for the Judge, I felt rather
+sorry for him; he apparently suffered from the unfortunate
+circumstances in which he was placed. He had proved, too, that at
+bottom he was not a bad man by the consideration which he had shown for
+his inveterate enemy, against whom he endeavoured to harbour no
+suspicion. It was most unfortunate that he should bestow his affection
+upon a young girl who detested him. I could not excuse him for
+continuing to sue for her favour after she had shown him her dislike,
+and he exposed himself to the ridicule of the townfolk and fell in my
+esteem when every evening he sought to drown his woes by drinking
+immoderately.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Nevertheless I pitied him. To me he was all amiability and courtesy. He
+usually postponed his midday meal until I returned from my excursions
+and could partake of it with him. He took much interest in my
+collections, particularly in my botanical treasures, and really showed,
+for a layman, no little knowledge of the subject. If I had lit upon
+some rare plant, he would learn from me its locality, and in the
+afternoon would scramble about among the rocks and boast to me in the
+evening as he displayed the plucked flowers of the result of his
+labours, and that he had discovered another spot rich in such
+treasures. If on the following morning I endeavoured to find according
+to his directions the place he had described, I became aware that it
+could be attained only by what was almost dangerous climbing. The
+ascent to a place where he told me I should find quantities of the
+<i>Ophrys Bertolini</i> was so hazardous that I might easily have come to
+grief had I not been a practised mountaineer. On returning, although I
+strictly followed his directions, I could not have rightly understood
+them, for I entered a perfect labyrinth of dangerous ravines. It was
+almost by a miracle that at last I found my way out of it and succeeded
+in descending by an unused breakneck path.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Exhausted beyond measure by such unexpected exertion, I returned to
+Luttach at noon and rehearsed to the Judge the danger through which I
+had passed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He replied with a smile, &quot;You must have missed the path in descending
+which I described to you. It is not without danger, but still not very
+bad. I am glad, however, that you are now convinced of the difficulty
+which I had two weeks ago in plucking the <i>Ophrys Bertolini</i>. That is
+the spot where I found the flowers that I brought you. I still do not
+understand how you found the charming plants in a place easy of
+access.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">So he had sent me upon this dangerous excursion just to rid himself of
+the imputation of bragging. This was very clear. I really did not thank
+him for it. I said nothing, but determined in future not to explore any
+of his wonderful localities. I am not such a passionate enthusiast for
+botany as to expose myself, for the sake of a beautiful flower, to the
+risk of breaking my neck.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2>CHAPTER IX.</h2>
+<h3><a name="div1_09" href="#div1Ref_09">AN EXPLORING PARTY</a>.</h3>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">One evening there was so full an assembly round the table in the inn
+that all the gentlemen with whom I had become acquainted in Luttach
+were present, with the exception of Franz Schorn. He, as the
+Burgomaster told us, had driven in the early morning to Görz to bring
+thence some expensive agricultural machines which he wished to employ
+on his farm. He had promised the Burgomaster to come to the inn late in
+the evening to give an account of his purchases, and he was expected to
+appear any minute.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Since the young man had of late been a constant attendant at the round
+table, the conversation which had formerly been quite lively with
+regard to him had ceased. It was all the more lively on this evening,
+and the subject of it was the purchases he had gone to Görz to make.
+Several of the men present were the owners of large estates. They at
+least knew something of agriculture, and yet they were the very ones
+who expressed themselves as disapproving of the novelties which Franz
+was trying to introduce.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He is always endeavouring to use something new-fangled and peculiar,&quot;
+Herr Gunther, one of the richest of the land-owners in the county,
+declared. &quot;These machines are probably useful enough in Germany, in
+countries where labour is perhaps very expensive, but they do not suit
+us here, where they are a ruinous innovation. We have so many poor
+people about us who want work, that it is a positive crime to deprive
+them of it by the use of machinery.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That is just why Schorn buys the machines,&quot; another interposed, a man
+by the name of Mosic. &quot;He hates our poor Slavonic labourers and would
+like to be independent of them. He has probably heard that many of our
+best labourers have combined against him and will not work for the
+German. Where does he get the money he is spending upon such expensive
+machines?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The harvests for several years have not been so plentiful as to enable
+a farmer to accumulate much cash,&quot; said another.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Perhaps he buys on credit,&quot; said the notary, Dietrich.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Not at all,&quot; rejoined the merchant, Meyer. &quot;I have often offered him
+credit, but he has never accepted it. 'What I cannot buy with ready
+money I will go without; I will not burden myself with debt,' has
+always been his reply to me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He does not need to do so; he is always economical, and has money
+enough,&quot; remarked the shopkeeper, Weber. &quot;As he was paying me yesterday
+for his clover seed, I saw that his pocket-book contained a roll of
+hundred-gulden notes.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He has certainly spent a deal of money lately; he has purchased two
+splendid horses, and they were really not necessary, for the two which
+he gave in part payment to Schmelzigsohn were good enough. He is
+squandering money at present. People whisper queer things of him. In
+fact, they are beginning to whisper no longer, but to talk loudly, and
+before long what they say will be proclaimed in the market place.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It certainly is strange that Schorn has so much money at his command.
+Before old Pollenz was murdered he seemed to have very little.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">For an instant profound silence followed the last remark of Mosic's. A
+strange expression spread over the countenances of those present. The
+innuendo in the words just spoken made a most painful impression upon
+all. The Clerk was the first to recover himself. With an angry look at
+Mosic, he said in a tone of harsh reproof:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;How dare you, Herr Mosic, utter such an accusation against an absent
+member of our circle? I shall inform Herr Schorn of what you have said
+that he may call you to account for it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Herr Mosic changed color.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Oh, pardon me, sir,&quot; he said, and his voice trembled; &quot;you entirely
+misunderstood me. I have no idea of uttering an accusation against Herr
+Schorn. I only repeated the stupid talk of the townsfolk. Of course I
+attach no importance to it; it is not my fault if people will talk.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You ought not to repeat such nonsensical gossip,&quot; the Clerk said
+angrily.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Hitherto the Judge had taken no part in the conversation. He had sat
+silent drinking glass after glass of wine, but now he turned to the
+Clerk, and in a very odd tone said, with a glance toward me:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You judge rather hastily, sir; you should remember that the voice of
+the people is the voice of God.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Pardon me, Judge,&quot; cried the doctor; &quot;in this case the despicable
+gossip is the voice of the devil; no honest man should repeat or defend
+it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;So say I. 'Tis a cowardly, unworthy accusation!&quot; exclaimed the
+Captain, and the Burgomaster nodded assent. &quot;Franz is a rough, morose
+fellow, but a man of honour through and through, incapable of
+committing a crime.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Besides,&quot; added the doctor, &quot;very little understanding is necessary to
+perceive that he never could have committed the murder. Even if he had
+been a hard-hearted wretch quite capable of it, no suspicion of <i>this</i>
+crime could attach to him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Indeed!&quot; said the Judge, contemptuously; &quot;I really am curious to learn
+why no possible suspicion in this case could attach to Schorn.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Upon my word, it is sad to think that I, an old doctor, understanding
+nothing of criminal law, should have to instruct a learned Judge as to
+what his simple, sound, good sense should teach him, but since it is
+so, since such ridiculous gossip has found no one in this circle to
+expose it as such, it must be. The murderer was certainly a man with
+whom old Pollenz was very intimate; Franz he hated like sin and held
+him to be his mortal enemy.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;When little Anna went to Luttach with old Johanna, her father locked
+the front door behind them, and, as always when resting at noon,
+withdrew to his own room and bolted himself in. Whoever wished to enter
+the house or to see its owner would be obliged either to break down the
+door or be admitted by old Pollenz himself. Now, no sensible human
+being could believe that the old man would have opened his door for
+Schorn, to allow himself to be murdered--for Franz Schorn, of whom he
+was afraid, of whom he always said, 'Schorn will kill me one of these
+days.' He would have drawn a double bolt on every door if Franz had
+asked for admittance, but on this occasion he drew back the bolt and
+opened the door. There is no trace of any violence used in opening it,
+and a bolted door cannot be opened unless from within, or with
+violence; therefore I maintain that the murderer must have been an
+intimate friend of old Pollenz, and in no case can the slightest
+suspicion attach to Franz Schorn. I think I have now proved this
+clearly.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Clear as sunlight; the legal profession loses a shining light in you,
+doctor,&quot; the Judge rejoined, his thin lips curled in a contemptuous
+smile. &quot;After your lucid defense,&quot; he continued, &quot;it seems to me
+incumbent upon us all to say not one word to Franz Schorn of our
+previous conversation; he would surely be deeply offended and insulted
+if he could believe that any one of us entertained the smallest doubt
+of his innocence. We must take it upon ourselves to discountenance the
+town gossip wherever we hear it, always taking care that the young man
+learns nothing of the rumours concerning him. The object of such
+rumours can never combat them himself. Should he try to do so, it would
+but strengthen belief in them; but we can have many opportunities to
+silence slander. I hope you all agree with me, gentlemen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">All agreed. The doctor offered the Judge his hand in token of
+acknowledgment, and said with a kindly nod:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You are a good fellow, after all, Judge, and I beg your pardon. It is
+fine of you to stand up so bravely for Franz, although you cannot
+endure him. I will not forget it of you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">That the Judge's words had produced their effect upon all present, even
+upon those most opposed to Schorn, was evident when the young man soon
+afterward entered the room; he was received with more cordiality and
+kindness than ever before; it really seemed as if Herr Gunther and Herr
+Mosic were trying by their courtesy to atone for the words spoken in
+his absence.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Franz was so pleasantly surprised by this friendly reception that he
+became far more amiable and genial than ever before. At the
+Burgomaster's request, he explained the new machines which he had
+bought in Görz and the use to which he intended to put them, not only
+for his own advantage, but hoping to improve the agriculture of the
+entire Luttach valley by introducing them generally.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This excited a little war of words between him and the two land-owners,
+who declared themselves opposed to the introduction of new methods, but
+their opposition was expressed with so much moderation that Franz could
+not take offense.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">And the Captain, who, as a good Conservative, was strongly opposed to
+the introduction of machinery in agricultural operations, sided with
+the land-owners.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You mean well, Franz,&quot; he said; &quot;you would like to increase the
+prosperity of our valley; but with your cursed innovations you put the
+cart before the horse. You will never improve the labourer's condition
+by depriving him of his means of subsistence.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;These machines will not deprive the labourer of his work. On the
+contrary, they will give him an opportunity of working more effectually
+than has been possible for him hitherto. A more thorough cultivation of
+our fields and vineyards will create a fresh demand of labour, which
+will be better paid than ever.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Dreams, dreams, in which I have no faith,&quot; replied the Captain. &quot;The
+manufacturers of these machines and the people who sell them have
+started these tales. When a machine undertakes the labour hitherto
+performed by man, the man sinks to the machine's level. In all great
+manufacturing towns the labouring class, with very few exceptions, is
+poverty-stricken and starving. Don't tell me of such innovations. We
+should count ourselves happy that here in the country we have hitherto
+been free from machinery.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Nevertheless, perhaps because of this, our labourers here suffer the
+bitterest poverty.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That is because the last few years have been poor ones. If the
+peasant's harvest fails and the vineyards do not flourish, the labourer
+can earn nothing. Your machines cannot improve his condition; they can
+only make it worse. The Herr Professor has given me an idea of what
+would improve the condition of our people here more than ought else.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I gazed at the Captain in surprise. I did not remember that I had ever
+said a word to him about the poverty of the labouring class in the
+Luttach valley, or had ever mentioned any means whatever of improving
+their condition. He nodded to me with a gentle smile, and then
+continued:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Yes, yes, Herr Professor, you do not recall how on the very first
+morning after your arrival among us we had a conversation which I
+remember well. Our valley should be opened to tourists; we are situated
+just between two important railways, not more than a league distant
+from each; we could be visited with the greatest facility, and where
+tourists are gathered together money is sure to circulate; all will be
+the gainers; the inns, the tradesfolk, those owning horses, who will
+hire out carriages; the laundresses, and even the labourers, who will
+be employed either as drivers or as guides for excursions among the
+mountains.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What talk is this, old friend?&quot; the Burgomaster interrupted him with a
+laugh. &quot;What have we here to attract tourists? They can make the ascent
+of Nanos very easily from Prayvalt, and our valley has really nothing
+more to show. It is quite wonderful that a naturalist, our Herr
+Professor, should have visited us. Certainly none of those who travel
+for pleasure would ever contemplate coming hither.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Therefore we must try to find something that will attract them. The
+Herr Professor called my attention to the fact that we live on from day
+to day without regard to our ignorance as to whether we do not possess
+a greater attraction for travellers than the Adelsberg Grotto. Does any
+one of us here present know how extensive are the caves which we
+possess, and whether they may not perhaps be finer than the grotto at
+Adelsberg? The only one among us who has interested himself about them
+is, if I do not mistake, Franz Schorn, and he has done very little in
+the way of exploration. How is it, Franz; am I not right?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is true that I have done very little in the way of exploration. I
+penetrated furthest into the cave in the grove of the Rusina. It is a
+laborious piece of work. I lost all desire to penetrate further; it
+seemed useless.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The Herr Professor thinks differently. Do you still desire to attempt
+to explore one of these caves, Herr Professor? I was anxious to offer
+you my assistance in so doing some time ago, but this horrible murder
+has occupied our minds to the exclusion of every other thought.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The Captain's proposal was very welcome to me. In my excursion on the
+forenoon of this very day I had gazed with much interest in the grove
+of the Rusina, at the dark opening among gigantic blocks of granite. I
+had an intense desire to explore it, but prudence called a halt.
+Overheated as I was in climbing about the mountains, I would not expose
+myself to the danger to which the cold, damp interior of the cave would
+expose me, and, besides, it would have been very foolish to attempt any
+exploration without companions, for the slightest slip might prove
+fatal. No one would ever have looked for me in the cave; if not killed,
+I might have starved before I was discovered.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Such considerations at the time forbade gratifying my desire to explore
+the cave, but it awoke again within me at the Captain's offer; it
+pleased me that it should be so entirely voluntary. I thanked him and
+declared that I would gladly take part in an exploration of the cave
+whenever he should arrange it.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Bravo! Then let us set to work early tomorrow morning and begin with
+the cave in the grove of the Rusina. You will join us, Franz!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Gladly. I only fear that we shall not get far. There is a deep abyss
+not many yards from the entrance.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;How deep is it!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I do not know. I threw a lighted match into it, but it was quickly
+extinguished; and a stone which I cast down soon struck some rock and I
+could not see where it lay. I took no pains to explore further.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Then we will try to do so to-morrow. Let us take with us a couple of
+sturdy fellows, who can carry torches, some lanterns and a sufficient
+length of strong rope, with perhaps a ladder or two. I will take with
+me some magnesium wire, which will give us a brilliant light in the
+depths.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Franz agreed. We discussed the interesting expedition further, and
+decided that we would start at seven o'clock the next morning.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;May I make one of your party?&quot; the Judge asked, when we had completed
+our arrangements. Franz Schorn started and regarded the speaker with a
+searching glance. Evidently he was about to refuse decidedly, but
+thought better of it, bit his lip, and, with a slight gesture of his
+hand, referred the matter to me. I cannot say that the proposal was
+agreeable to me. I was surprised that the Judge should be willing to
+take part in an expedition to which Franz Schorn was, to a certain
+degree, the guide. I feared some unpleasant encounter between the two
+men and I should have liked to refuse. This, however, courtesy forbade.
+The Judge had always been so amiable and obliging in his behaviour to
+me that it was impossible for me to decline his company.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He noticed that I hesitated a moment, and, probably guessing whence
+such hesitation proceeded, continued with a smiling look at Franz
+Schorn:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I am very much interested in our Ukraine caves, and I have already
+visited a number of them. The cave in the grove of the Rusina is not
+unfamiliar to me. I have not explored it to the extent of which Herr
+Schorn tells us, but I am familiar with the entrance and would like to
+penetrate its depths. Of course, I voluntarily acquiesce in the
+intelligent guidance of Herr Schorn, who will take command of our
+expedition. You would oblige me very much, Herr Professor, by your
+permission to accompany you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I could not but accord it. It was impossible to do otherwise. The Judge
+thanked me, as he did Schorn and the Captain, so courteously that I was
+half inclined to suspect his sincerity. The prospect of this expedition
+seemed to delight him. He suddenly became talkative and showed an
+uncommon amiability to Schorn, although the young man met his advances
+with monosyllabic replies. His attempt to make himself acceptable to
+him was not happy; his cheerfulness seemed forced; his friendliness
+assumed; his gaiety feverish. In his usual attitude at the table,
+looking gloomily into his wineglass, he impressed me very unfavourably,
+but to-day, when he was talkative and gay, I was still more
+unfavourably impressed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I had a very strange feeling with regard to the Judge. I could not but
+acknowledge that he was a good, honourable man. He had shown this
+abundantly; but I felt a vague, instinctive aversion to him, which,
+however I struggled against it, increased the more I knew him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I was uncomfortable in his society that evening; therefore I rose from
+my place earlier than usual and called Mizka to light me to my room. To
+my surprise, the Judge followed my example, although he had just
+ordered another measure of wine.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I will go with you, Herr Professor,&quot; he said, and he accompanied me
+without drinking his wine. &quot;To-morrow, then, at seven o'clock, Herr
+Schorn.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As he spoke he offered his hand to Schorn, but the young man ignored
+it.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is to the Herr Professor or to the Captain that you owe permission
+to accompany us,&quot; Schorn said, with cool contempt. &quot;I have not agreed
+to it. You and I have nothing in common.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Perhaps you are wrong, Herr Schorn. I may convince you of this
+to-morrow. I willingly submit myself to your guidance. Good-night.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">His features wore a detestable sneer as he uttered these words, and,
+bowing to the rest of the company, he followed me.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Upstairs on the landing I would have bidden him good-night, but he
+said:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I followed you, Herr Professor, because I want to speak a few words
+with you alone. Allow me to go into your room with you. I'll not detain
+you long.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Of course I invited him to enter and to take a place on the old
+straight-backed sofa, curious to learn what he could have to say to me.
+When Mizka, after having lighted the candles, left the room, he sprang
+up, went to the door and opened it to convince himself that she was not
+listening, and then opened the door leading to the adjoining room to
+make sure that no one was there. Then he returned to me, and in a voice
+trembling with agitation said:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I pray you, Herr Professor, to give me at once, now, your report of
+meeting Franz Schorn in the neighbourhood of the Lonely House.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I was startled. I had not expected this demand. Surprise made me
+speechless for a moment. I could only ejaculate &quot;Herr Foligno!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I understand your surprise, your dismay,&quot; he continued. &quot;Believe me,
+it has cost me a struggle to resolve to make this request, but it must
+be. I may have neglected my duty in postponing it so long. Now, when my
+suspicions have become almost a certainty, I can wait no longer. I am
+compelled to collect all the grounds for it that I possess, and among
+them belongs your meeting with him near the Lonely House. The paper
+must be sent to the Attorney General at Laibach. It must be, Herr
+Professor; you cannot refuse me. Every man of honour is bound to
+support the authorities in the investigation of crime. You could not
+wish to shield a criminal from the rigour of the law.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Most certainly not; but I am more than firmly convinced that Franz
+Schorn is no murderer. You yourself, scarcely an hour ago, admitted the
+proofs of his innocence adduced by the doctor.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Did you not perceive that my words were ironical? I was obliged to
+change the subject of the conversation. Franz Schorn must not be warned
+by his friends. He must believe himself safe from discovery, or he will
+betake himself to flight, for which the money gained by his crime gives
+him abundant opportunity. Trieste is not far off, and a guide thither
+is quickly found. I was obliged to conceal from him the knowledge that
+I have discovered his crime. I put force upon myself to control my
+abhorrence of him. This very night I must complete the full report
+showing forth all the evidence against him, and in this I must include
+your meeting with him near the Lonely House. An official will take the
+paper to Laibach and deliver it in person; then the Attorney General
+must decide whether the evidence it contains be sufficient to warrant
+Schorn's arrest. I am myself perfectly convinced of his guilt. I ought
+perhaps to arrest him on my own responsibility, but I will not expose
+myself to the reproach of acting from personal hostility. I shall watch
+him narrowly to prevent his flight, and therefore I begged to be
+allowed to join your cave exploration. His arrest I will leave to the
+Attorney General in Laibach. Thus I have explained to you frankly the
+grounds for my action, and I pray you to give me the report for the
+protocol, which you promised me a week ago. This report should consist,
+in order to save yourself and myself unpleasant after inquiries, of the
+declaration that to your meeting with Schorn you attached no importance
+in the beginning, but since you have learned that the voice of the
+people pronounce him the murderer you hold it to be your duty to
+mention seeing him in the forest. You might add that you hold this
+meeting to be of no importance and that you are most unwilling to
+arouse a suspicion of the young man, but that, nevertheless, you feel
+it your duty to tell of your encounter with him. I think such a report
+cannot outrage your sense of justice.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It does not accord with my sense of justice to admit a suspicion which
+I think false. If I make my report now, it will look as though I shared
+this suspicion. The Attorney General would so interpret it, even though
+I declared the contrary. I ought to have made the report immediately
+after the discovery of the murder. You prevented my doing so then, and
+now I will not make it until I see at least the possibility of other
+grounds for it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is the duty of the Attorney General, not yourself, to judge of the
+importance of your evidence,&quot; Herr Foligno replied sternly. &quot;It is the
+duty of the private individual to impart to the proper authorities
+every circumstance that may be connected with a crime. Of course you
+know that.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is not his duty,&quot; I said angrily, &quot;if his inmost conviction is that
+the circumstance he relates has no connection whatever with the crime,
+although it may serve to arouse suspicion. If what you maintain be
+correct, I ought also to advise the Attorney General that you yourself
+were in the neighbourhood of the Lonely House on that morning and that
+I found your pocket handkerchief where you had been plucking <i>Ophrys
+Bertolini</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Herr Foligno shot such a look of rage at me from beneath his black
+brows that I started in terror. I had no idea of affecting him so
+deeply by my words. In a voice trembling with anger, which he vainly
+strove to control, he said:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Then you would tell the Attorney General a falsehood. I have told you
+that I did not pluck the flowers in the neighbourhood of the Lonely
+House, but at a great distance from it, and in a spot difficult to
+find, and that my handkerchief was by accident where you picked it up.
+Is it possible that you do not believe me, although I have told you all
+this distinctly?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He probably read in my face that I was not convinced of the truth of
+this statement, for he continued in a sharp, angry tone:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You doubt, in spite of my words. Perhaps you entertain the possibility
+of my having some connection with the crime----&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What folly, Herr Foligno!&quot; I cried, interrupting him. &quot;I mentioned you
+and your pocket handkerchief only to contradict your assertion that it
+was my duty to tell of an insignificant experience. If I ought to
+report having seen Franz Schorn near the Lonely House, I also ought to
+report the finding of your handkerchief under the same circumstances.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If you really consider this your duty, I shall not gainsay you,&quot; he
+replied darkly, not lifting his eyes from the ground. &quot;It is no affair
+of mine. My task is to send this very night my deposition, containing
+an account of your meeting with Franz Schorn, to the proper authorities
+either with or against your consent. I may find myself in a very
+unpleasant position and even imperil my office when I relate that I
+myself advised you to withhold your report concerning Schorn, but
+personal considerations must yield to my sense of duty. I had thought,
+Herr Professor,&quot; he continued, in a more friendly tone, finding me
+still silent, &quot;that you would not willingly thus embarrass me. Believe
+me, I would not so insist upon your evidence were I not thoroughly and
+firmly convinced of the young man's guilt. To show you how highly I
+esteem you, what implicit confidence I place in your honour and
+silence, I will tell you, although scarcely warranted in so doing, of
+the results of my laborious investigations during the last few weeks.
+You yourself will then be convinced of your duty. It is a hard task for
+me to make these revelations to you, for not only do they militate
+against Franz Schorn, but against one who has been very dear to my
+heart, and for whom to-day, in spite of my better judgment, I feel warm
+affection; but it must be; you shall hear all.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Proceed; you may rely upon my discretion.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I waited for what he had to say with intense eagerness. For a few
+moments he sat silent, with downcast looks; then he began, not once
+looking at me as he spoke:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is difficult to indicate the precise moment at which suspicions of
+Schorn were aroused within me. You yourself know of his bitter enmity
+towards old Pollenz, whose death he could not but desire, since it
+alone would bring him the fulfilment of his dearest wish. You know of
+his being near the Lonely House immediately after the murder. You know
+also of the wound in his hand, to account for which he told of having
+grasped a double-edged knife as it fell from where he had left it. His
+reluctance to show the wound to the doctor, and, more than all else,
+his sudden accession of wealth after the crime, accuses him loudly. He
+has made purchases which would have been impossible with his own
+unassisted means. All these grounds of suspicion the doctor thought to
+annihilate by his acute reasoning, showing that old Pollenz himself
+could not possibly have admitted Schorn and that the murderer had
+evidently entered the house without any violent breaking in of the
+door. How is this to be accounted for? Unfortunately, the explanation
+is only too clear. Fräulein Anna Pollenz, when officially examined, as
+well as in her words to the Captain and to the doctor, portrayed a life
+in her father's house absolutely opposed to reality. She maintained
+that her father loved her most tenderly; that he was always kind and
+gentle to her, and that even her connection with the hated Schorn and
+her refusal to give me her hand had produced no change in his demeanour
+toward her. Anna's words were universally believed. Who could doubt who
+looked into her eyes and acknowledged their spell? To see her is to
+love her. She wins all hearts at once. Every one believes her; every
+one trusts her; and nevertheless every word that she spoke is false.
+For years the Lonely House has witnessed terrible scenes between father
+and daughter. The old man abused the lovely child outrageously because
+she would not obey him. Unfortunately I myself was often the cause of
+this abuse, although I declared continually to old Pollenz that I never
+would claim Anna's hand unless she bestowed it upon me voluntarily;
+unless I succeeded in winning the young girl's love. The old fellow was
+a rough, heartless, violent man; a coward to those stronger than
+himself, brutal to those who were weaker. He locked his daughter up; he
+half starved her; he beat her so that she escaped from him bleeding.
+For years he never spoke a kind word to her. He had unbounded
+confidence in me; he even angrily complained to me of her disobedience.
+I myself have witnessed frightful scenes, and on several occasions
+prevented him with all my physical strength from maltreating the
+beautiful, unfortunate child in my presence.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Frightful!&quot; I exclaimed. The dreadful picture which the narrator
+unfolded before me filled me with horror.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Beside myself, there is one other human being who is aware of the
+family life in the Lonely House. Old Johanna was a witness of the
+maltreatment which the unhappy girl suffered daily in our presence; in
+the presence of others the old man assumed a kind, mild demeanour
+toward his child; old Johanna suffered almost as much as Anna from the
+brutality of her master. She would long ago have left him if she had
+not been detained by tender affection for her mistress. After what you
+have just heard you may judge with what amazement I was filled upon
+learning after the death of old Pollenz that Anna had described her
+relations with her father as happy, peaceful, and loving, and that old
+Johanna in the final examination, had confirmed all that Anna said. I
+pondered long to discover what grounds Anna could have for such a false
+representation of the actual circumstances and why she should suddenly
+develop such inconceivable hatred for me, who had so often protected
+her from ill treatment. When at last I suspected the true cause I found
+it difficult of belief. I alone can expose the tissue of lies which she
+has woven around herself. I alone cannot be won over to testify to her
+truth, as she has won over old Johanna, who would perjure herself
+willingly for her darling, and Anna needs such falsehoods. It is almost
+impossible to believe that the daughter, driven to madness and despair
+by daily ill treatment, herself opened the locked doors for her lover.
+Spare me further words, Herr Professor. My reason becomes confused when
+I reflect on a deed so horrible. Ever since this solution became clear
+to me, sleep is banished. I toss restlessly throughout the night. My
+thoughts dwell perpetually in the Lonely House. At times I have feared
+that I should become insane. The struggle raging within me during these
+last few days is indescribable. I loved Anna with all my heart. I love
+her still, and, although it is madness, I shall love her to my last
+breath. Neither her crime nor the hatred which she displays towards me
+can kill this insane love within me, and fate has ordained that I
+should be the inexorable judge, the dread accuser of her lover, in
+ruining whom I ruin her also; but I must do my duty, let my heart bleed
+as it may.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He had finished. The narrative had agitated him fearfully; he trembled
+in every limb; his eyes glowed as with fever. I was scarcely less moved
+than he. His words had torn the veil from my eyes; I could now see the
+fearful scenes in the Lonely House clearly, and how they had led to the
+final deed. I was ineffably sad. Great as was my detestation of the
+horrible crime, I could not but pity deeply the unfortunate child whom
+despair had maddened. Detestation, horror and pity by turns filled my
+heart. I could put myself in the place of the unhappy man who had just
+revealed to me his innermost soul.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">How long we confronted each other in silence I cannot say. We were both
+too deeply moved to give expression in words to our feelings. Herr
+Foligno recovered himself first. His voice no longer trembled as he
+asked, after a long pause:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Will you now sign the report which I will write out for you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Yes.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I brought him paper, pen and ink. He quickly took down the evidence I
+had to give, as he had before required that I should give it, and then
+read aloud what he had written. I had no objection to offer, and signed
+it.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He arose and held out his hand in farewell.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I have another terrible night before me,&quot; he said. &quot;To-morrow a
+messenger must take this early to Laibach, and a hard day will follow a
+weary night for both of us. It will not be easy for you, Herr
+Professor, to make one to-morrow of Franz Schorn's party to the cave
+without allowing him to perceive your detestation of him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I cannot; I shall excuse myself on the plea of illness.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;No, Herr Professor, you must not do this. Schorn will surely learn
+through Mizka that I came with you to your room; he might suspect
+something. A criminal of his calibre is on the watch for the merest
+trifle which can arouse suspicion of his discovery. You, too, Herr
+Professor, have a hard duty to perform, but it must be done. You must
+be one of the party, as I shall be. Neither the Captain nor Schorn must
+dream of what the near future will bring forth. I trust to your honour,
+and I know that I do not trust in vain.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You may rely upon me; I will control myself.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With another pressure of the hand we separated.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2>CHAPTER X.</h2>
+<h3><a name="div1_10" href="#div1Ref_10">AN ACCIDENT?</a></h3>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">As I tossed restlessly in bed I heard above me, as on the first night
+after the murder, the pacing to and fro of the Judge. A magnetic
+connection seemed to exist between us, causing me to think what he
+thought, and to feel what he felt. The same terrible images which
+banished sleep from his eyes were present before mine. I heard the
+church clock strike hour after hour, and only with the first glimmer of
+dawn did I enjoy a short slumber.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At five o'clock I awakened. My first thoughts dwelt upon what the Judge
+had told me the evening before. It now appeared to me in quite a
+different light. I was more composed. The nervous agitation which had
+then possessed me had vanished. I could reflect upon what I had heard.
+As the Judge had spoken in his excitement, what he said had such an
+effect upon me that it all seemed to me absolute verity without need of
+proof, but now doubts sprang up, and a clearer understanding demanded
+its rights.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Had Herr Foligno really divulged to me unvarnished facts, which
+convinced me of the guilt of Schorn and of his betrothed, as his
+accomplice? No! He had accumulated evidence as the doctor had done. The
+only fact was that Anna had not adhered to the truth in describing her
+relations with her father, and was it not natural that the daughter
+should try to clear her father's memory of all evil! It was very
+natural that her filial affection should awaken after her father's
+terrible death; that she should forget everything that had distressed
+her in their relations--his harshness, even his maltreatment--and
+remember only his love. And for this was she to be accused as an
+accomplice in an accursed crime!</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I was ashamed of my credulity. Might not Herr Foligno be governed by
+prejudice even to misunderstanding the relations between father and
+daughter! A harsh word spoken by the father to Anna in his presence
+might appear to him an intolerable offence, while Anna might scarcely
+notice it.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I really could not comprehend my credulity of the previous evening, or
+how I could have been led by the Judge's excitement to regard as facts
+the arguments he had adduced.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">And if Anna were not guilty, where were there grounds for suspicion of
+Franz Schorn? I repented having signed the deposition and having
+promised to be silent with regard to it; but I had given my promise,
+and it must be kept. Perhaps, after all, it was as well, for my report
+would elicit a judicial investigation of all grounds for suspicion of
+Franz Schorn, who could be acquitted of all imputations only by a
+thorough examination which could clear him from every suspicion
+entertained of him by his fellow-townsmen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">All these considerations soothed me. I could contemplate the expedition
+which I had arranged with Franz Schorn for to-day without aversion. It
+was rather disagreeable to know that the report signed by me was
+already on its way to Laibach, while I was one of a party of pleasure,
+all friends of the young man; but I would not ponder on this; it was
+irrevocable.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Soon after six o'clock I went down to the garden to take my morning cup
+of coffee, and there I found the Captain and Franz awaiting me to
+discuss the details for our excursion. Franz was full of life and
+animation. I had never seen him so gay, so happy. There was no trace of
+the sullen expression which sometimes clouded his handsome face. His
+morning greeting was so cordial that I felt ashamed indeed as I shook
+his proffered hand. This pleasant, happy young man guilty of a murder?
+It was folly, nay, it was wicked to hold any such idea for a minute.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He had early completed every necessary preparation for the excursion we
+were about to make. The Captain and I had really nothing to provide;
+even the magnesium wire had been bought at the druggist's. Two stout
+labourers, who could speak German, were ready to accompany us, each of
+them provided with a thick, pointed staff and a long rope, not too
+thick, but very strong. Half a dozen pitch torches Schorn had procured
+from the fire department, and a lantern for every member of the party.
+In addition, the men carried after us two short, strong ladders.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">On the stroke of seven Herr Foligno entered the garden. He greeted
+Schorn politely; the Captain and myself cordially. He looked ill and
+worn. I had never seen his sallow features so expressionless, but his
+dark eyes shone with feverish excitement.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">We began our walk. The people who met us looked after us in surprise as
+we strode through the streets of Luttach. Apparently they could not
+understand how two men, known to be such bitter enemies as Herr Foligno
+and Franz Schorn, should be walking so peaceably side by side.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At the furthest end of the town we descended to the bed of the Rusina.
+In early spring, when the snow melts quickly upon Nanos and when heavy
+rainfalls create hundreds of little brooks from the mountains, the
+Rusina dashes along in wild fury; but after a drought it is almost
+dried up, and is only a shallow rill of water trickling between the
+stones of its rocky bed. We could walk along it without wetting our
+feet. It was not very agreeable walking, but it was the nearest way to
+the grove, which we reached after scarcely ten minutes.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Here, in the centre of this grove, consisting of scarcely a hundred
+huge oaks, there is a pile of mighty rocks; large blocks, covered with
+luxuriant green moss, are heaped together in a confused mass, in which
+is an opening, black and forbidding, about the height of a man, which
+forms the entrance to the cave we were to explore. Here we halted and
+consulted. It was decided that we should enter in single file, Franz
+Schorn first as our guide. I was to follow him. Herr Foligno came after
+me, and the Captain was last. Our two porters closed the little
+procession. The lanterns were lighted and each of us took one.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">We entered the cave, which was at first tolerably spacious; into it
+daylight penetrated, making a dim twilight. About four or five yards
+above us arched a roof of black, moist stone. The ground beneath,
+descending rather precipitously, was covered with small fragments of
+rock which had apparently fallen from the roof, loosened by the
+dampness. There was no trace of the beautiful stalactites for which the
+Adelsberg Grotto is so famous. The light of our lanterns was quite
+sufficient to reveal clearly the part of the cave where we stood and
+the path leading down to the depths. A few yards from the entrance the
+cave narrowed. There was room between the walls of rock for only two
+men to walk abreast; and indeed the walking was extremely difficult,
+because of the slippery scales of rock with which the floor was strewn.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Forward! We walked, or, rather, we scuffled, downwards, in danger at
+every step of falling on the slippery stones. After a few minutes our
+path grew easier; it no longer descended; although still strewn with
+fragments of rock, the danger of slipping was less. We had more room.
+The walls retreated and vanished beyond the circle of light cast by our
+lanterns, which could no longer illumine the roof of the cave arching
+above us.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;'Here it resembles a cathedral,' the Adelsberger guides would say, if
+they were here,&quot; said Franz Schorn with a laugh, stopping and raising
+his lantern. &quot;How high this dome is I have never before with my
+insufficient light been able to discover, and just because I had
+insufficient light I ventured but little further into the cave.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You reached an abyss which prevented your further progress; at least
+you told us so yesterday,&quot; said the Judge.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;True. It is only a few minutes' walk from here. If we go through the
+cathedral and turn a little to the left, we shall reach the only outlet
+which leads further among the rocks. It is a very narrow, rocky way,
+suddenly ending in a sheer abyss. It is for us to discover to-day
+whether it is possible to be lowered by a rope into its depths and to
+find sufficient foothold below to enable us to continue our
+exploration. When, four or five years ago, I last entered the cave,
+quite alone, I could go no further, and so I returned from this spot.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Must we turn to the left!&quot; asked the Judge. &quot;You are mistaken; we must
+turn to the right; to the left the cave is completely blocked by a heap
+of rocky fragments.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Franz Schorn regarded the speaker with surprise, bethought himself a
+moment, and then exclaimed:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;True, you are right. I remember now that I found a heap of rocks on my
+left, and then turned to the right to find an outlet. But how did you
+know this, Herr Foligno?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">One of the two porters laughed aloud, and answered in the Judge's stead
+with some words in Slavonic, which seemed to surprise the Captain as
+well as Schorn.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What, Herr Foligno, you were here in the cave a week ago, with Rassak,
+and ventured as far as the abyss, and never told us anything about it
+yesterday?&quot; exclaimed the Captain.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I told you that I had entered the cave, but had not gone far. I do not
+talk much of such trifles,&quot; he replied irritably, adding:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Shall we not light a couple of torches to see how high the roof is?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The torches were lighted, but did not suffice to reveal the height of
+the cave. Only when the magnesium light flamed up and cast its dazzling
+radiance upwards did we perceive for a few moments the rocky roof some
+twenty yards above us.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;This is gruesome,&quot; said the Captain, with a long breath, as the
+brilliant light was extinguished and the darkness around us seemed
+deeper and blacker than before. &quot;We can now understand how the floor
+beneath our feet is so covered with fragments of rock. Evidently large
+pieces fall from the roof and are broken into a hundred bits below.
+Look, Herr Foligno; the stones just here show traces of having been but
+lately broken. At any minute another fragment might fall and be the
+death of us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Yes, such an exploration is not without danger,&quot; the Judge replied
+with a sneer. &quot;But let us proceed, gentlemen. The shorter the time
+spent here beneath this roof the less danger is there that we shall be
+injured by a falling rock. Let us go on, in the same order as hitherto.
+You go first, Herr Schorn.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Since you visited the cave only a week ago, you had better act as
+guide, Herr Foligno.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;No, I refuse. I expressly stated yesterday that I should be entirely
+guided by you, and I repeat it. Therefore, pray, Herr Schorn, go before
+us; I will follow with the Herr Professor.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Schorn made no further objection. We pursued our way, keeping to the
+right, and entered the narrow opening between the rocks, which seemed
+the only means by which to penetrate further into the cave. It was
+narrower than any path hitherto. It would have been impossible for two
+men to walk in it abreast, but there was more than enough room, when in
+single file. Our lanterns and the torches of the porters cast
+sufficient light to show us a gentle ascent in front and to enable us
+to proceed free from all risk of danger.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We have reached the abyss,&quot; Schorn said, halting after a few moments.
+&quot;Here we can go no further, and if we cannot find, after being lowered
+by a rope, another opening, our exploration party has reached its
+limits. The abyss appears to be not only sheer, but the rock upon which
+we stand overhangs it somewhat. I will lie flat on the ground and look
+down. Perhaps I shall succeed in finding an outlet, but I must have a
+brighter light than that of the lanterns. Give me one of the torches,
+Herr Professor.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A torch was passed from hand to hand; I gave it to Schorn, who laid
+himself flat on the ground, and, leaning over the abyss as far as
+possible, endeavoured to cast into it the light of the torch. As he lay
+there I had a view of the depths, but it gave me little hope for the
+continuance of our exploration. The red light of the torch was
+sufficient to show me a black wall rising twelve or fifteen feet on the
+opposite side of the abyss. It seemed to bar all progress, giving no
+hint of any outlet. A few feet above our heads the smoke of the torches
+hung in a cloud, which found no egress from the cave.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Beneath us, scarcely twenty feet below, there is firm footing,&quot; cried
+Schorn, &quot;and, if I do not mistake, the cave then leads to the right
+among the rocks; but I must have a brighter light.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He handed the torch back to me and took a piece of magnesium wire from
+his pocket. The next moment the cave as far as we could overlook it was
+illumined as by an electric light.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;A happy discovery; we can go on,&quot; cried Schorn, delighted, as the
+light was extinguished. &quot;I can assure you, gentlemen,&quot; he said, rising,
+&quot;that the first difficulty is almost without danger, and easy to
+overcome.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">We crowded about him; even the two porters were determined not to lose
+a word of his description.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Beneath the overhanging rock, at a depth of scarcely fifteen or twenty
+feet, there was a firm footing, a platform of stone quite broad enough
+to give standing room for at least five or six men, and from this
+platform a way was distinguishable on the right through a narrow
+opening in the rocks.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Now you see, Herr Foligno, I was right a week ago. You would not
+believe me, but so it is,&quot; exclaimed Rassak, one of the porters,
+exultantly, speaking German.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Who asked your opinion!&quot; the Judge said harshly.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Did Rassak, then, discover the continuance of the cave?&quot; said the
+Captain.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Well, yes,&quot; the Judge replied irritably. &quot;It seems at present that he
+was probably right. He lay down on the ground and let down a lantern by
+a rope, and then declared that the cave had a further outlet. I lay
+down after him and looked down, but I could see no opening. I did not
+believe him, and it was partly to convince myself whether or not he was
+correct that I offered to accompany you to-day. I could not explore it
+myself then; I had no rope strong enough to lower me to the platform
+below, which might have been done without danger.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Not quite without danger, at least for the first to attempt it,&quot;
+Schorn remarked calmly, &quot;but it is not great. It needs a little swing
+on the rope to reach the platform, but when one man obtains firm
+footing there, the rest is easy. I will be let down first, and can draw
+the rest toward me. The porters must stay here, that they may pull us
+up when we return.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But it seems to me a very perilous undertaking,&quot; said the Captain
+anxiously. &quot;We cannot expose our Herr Professor to such danger. If the
+rope breaks before he reaches the platform, or if he should be seized
+with giddiness, he would fall into a bottomless abyss.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I will guarantee the strength of the rope,&quot; said Franz Schorn.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;And I that I shall suffer no dizziness; I do not know the sensation.&quot;
+I was so keen for the continuance of our exploration that I was almost
+irritated by the Captain's anxiety on my behalf. The danger would have
+to be far greater than it was to deter me from further progress.
+Hitherto I had found no trace of a cave beetle; there had been nothing
+living among the bald black rocks. Only at a greater depth could I hope
+to satisfy my passion for collecting.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If the Captain thinks the danger too great, he can remain with the
+porters. I shall be glad to follow the Herr Professor,&quot; said the Judge;
+whereupon the Captain turned upon him angrily, declaring that he was
+not thinking of danger for himself, but for the old gentleman who was
+their guest in Luttach; since, however, the Herr Professor wished to
+go, he himself should surely not remain behind.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Thus we determined to proceed. Franz Schorn gave us the necessary
+directions. He wished us to put the rope around us and to hold it
+firmly when we were lowered. These directions were not necessary in my
+case; I have made use of rope so often with my guides among the
+glaciers, and have so frequently been let down from the rocks to obtain
+some rare plant, that I was quite familiar with its use. There seemed
+to be no possible peril here, even for Franz Schorn, for four of us
+would hold the rope and we could lower him very gradually for the short
+distance to the platform below, making any great swing of the rope
+impossible. The two porters could easily lower the Captain, who was to
+be the last of us to follow.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Schorn arranged the rope so that he could place himself in the loop; he
+fastened a lantern to it, and then advanced to the edge of the rocks,
+seated himself, and, still holding to the irregular surface he slowly
+lowered himself, while we, holding the rope, paid it out inch by inch.
+I followed him to the edge, but I did not look down, because I
+concentrated all my attention upon the paying out of the rope.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">After scarcely a minute we heard him call from below:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Halt! I am all right. Draw the rope up again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I laid myself flat on the ground and looked over the edge of the
+platform, which was now illuminated by the lantern which Schorn held.
+It was light enough for me to see the young man distinctly as he stood
+quite comfortably not far below me. I could also discern the black
+opening to the right, the continuation of the cave.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Follow me, Herr Professor,&quot; Schorn called up. &quot;Do just as I did; there
+is no danger; seat yourself in the loop and as soon as you are lowered,
+I will drag you to me. A dozen men beside us could find room on this
+platform.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I did as he directed and seated myself in the loop, but as I was about
+to swing clear of the outer edge of the rock to follow Schorn's
+example, my heart suddenly gave a leap. For a moment horror overcame me
+as I looked into the depths below; I hesitated to cast myself loose.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Are you afraid, Herr Professor!&quot; The Judge stood immediately behind
+me, regarding me with a sneer. His eyes gleamed strangely as he leaned
+over me.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">There is no greater folly than to expose oneself to a danger out of
+fear of being called a coward. I have often declared this, but at that
+moment, old man as I am, I committed this folly.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Hold the rope firmly; I will let myself down,&quot; I replied.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Have no fear, we will hold it fast.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I hovered above the abyss and was slowly lowered. I had almost reached
+the platform when I heard above me a strange creaking; at the next
+moment I knew I was falling, but a strong arm was thrown around me and
+Franz Schorn and I staggered and fell on the platform. Just then I
+heard a scream from above.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Great God!&quot; exclaimed the voice of the Judge. &quot;The rope has broken;
+the Professor has fallen into the abyss!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This was all the work of a moment. I tried to stand up, but I could
+not; my right ankle was terribly painful. Franz Schorn, who had fallen
+with me, was quickly on his feet.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I never will believe that the rope broke,&quot; he whispered. He seized it
+and examined it by the light of his lantern on the ground; mine had
+been broken and extinguished in my fall.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It was half cut through before it broke,&quot; he said in a dull tone.
+&quot;That scoundrel, Foligno, has tried to plunge you into the abyss.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Hastily taking a knife from his breast pocket he cut off the end of the
+rope and handed it to me.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Keep this,&quot; he whispered. &quot;You may perhaps need it for proof that the
+rascal tried to murder you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I heard his words, but I did not understand him. My thoughts were in
+wild confusion; I was still half stunned by my fall. Mechanically I
+followed his directions and put the piece of rope in my pocket. Only
+gradually did I clearly understand in what danger I had been, and that
+Franz Schorn had ventured his own life to rescue mine. It was almost a
+certainty that I should drag him down to the abyss, but he had seized
+me as I fell, and at the risk of his life had pulled me back to the
+platform.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You have saved my life----&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He interrupted me. &quot;Don't speak of it. We all help one another as well
+as we can. What we have to think of now is how to reach the rock above
+us without injury.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He suddenly paused, as from above came the voice of the Judge:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Thank God! The accident is not so bad as I feared. I can see the Herr
+Professor and Herr Schorn on the platform below. Are you hurt, Herr
+Professor?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I believe my right ankle is broken,&quot; I called back.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Good heavens! What shall we do?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Why, of course,&quot; Schorn replied, &quot;you must lower the second rope to
+pull us up. I beg, however, that Rassak may be the first man, Bela the
+second, the Captain the third, and that you, Herr Foligno, do not touch
+the rope. It might break in your hands a second time. I will not trust
+you with the Herr Professor's life or my own.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The Judge made no reply. For a moment all was silent, and then the
+Captain called down to us:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What nonsense you are talking, Franz! You have mortally offended the
+Judge. He had nothing to do with the accident. He is in despair that
+the Herr Professor should be injured.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;His anger is of no consequence,&quot; Franz answered. &quot;He promised me to
+submit to my orders, and I insist upon his not touching the rope
+again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A long discussion began. The Captain was seriously angry at the offence
+Franz had given to the Judge, whom he attempted to soothe, but Franz
+declared positively that he would wait with me on the platform for
+hours until Rassak could procure two other men rather than trust
+himself and me to a rope passing through the hands of the Judge. He
+said nothing of his suspicion that the rope had been partly cut
+through, and, therefore, the Captain thought his demand unjustifiable
+and prompted solely by hatred of his foe. He was indignant, but he was
+obliged to comply with the young man's demand, in order that I might be
+relieved from my most unpleasant situation as soon as possible. He
+promised that Rassak should be stationed close to the edge and that the
+Judge should take no part in the pulling up of the rope. While the
+Captain and Franz were discussing the matter I had examined my ankle,
+and, to my great joy, found that it was not broken, but had been
+severely sprained by my fall. It was excessively painful, but I could
+move it; I could even stand with Franz's assistance. Some moments
+passed, and then Schorn's name was called from above.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Is that you, Rassak?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Yes.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Where is the Judge?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Herr Foligno has gone back to the dome alone. He is to wait there
+until we come.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Lower the second rope to me; I wish to examine it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">After a minute the rope hovered above us; Franz seized it, unfastened
+it from the other rope to which it was tied and examined it narrowly by
+the light of the lantern.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is sound and uninjured. I feared the rascal might have cut this
+through secretly; but he has not dared to do so. Now we can allow
+ourselves to be pulled up without delay.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Rassak was ordered to pull the rope up again and then to throw down to
+us the broken one. This was done. Franz cut a piece from the broken end
+with his knife and gave it to me, saying:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Keep it with the one you have, Herr Professor.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">After which he busied himself with preparations for my rescue. These he
+made with great care, trying the strength of the rope which he tied
+about me and of the loop in which I seated myself. Although I protested
+and declared that I could now care for myself perfectly, he used the
+piece of old rope to keep me steady as I ascended, holding it firmly
+below to prevent any swaying of the other. Thus I reached the top of
+the rock in safety, although my short ascent had caused almost
+intolerable pain in my sprained ankle, and when Rassak received me in
+his powerful arms above, I could not move the injured foot. I tried to
+stand up and to walk, but it was quite impossible. Rassak was forced to
+take me on his broad shoulders and carry me back to the dome. The
+Captain and Bela carried their lanterns in advance; without their light
+he could scarcely have made his way along the narrow path through the
+rocks. Franz was obliged to wait on the platform for some minutes
+before being drawn up.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">We found the Judge seated on a block of stone at the entrance of the
+rocky way beneath the dome. He sprang up as we approached.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Thank God, Herr Professor!&quot; he cried, throwing his arm kindly about me
+for my support, as Rassak placed me on the ground. He pushed aside
+several large stones to make a comfortable bed for me. He even took off
+his coat and put it upon the rock that I might have a softer resting
+place. He was full of kind attention, far exceeding the Captain, who
+congratulated me in a few simple words and expressed his joy upon my
+escape; nevertheless I had a strange sensation, akin to fear, when he,
+with Rassak and Bela, returned through the narrow way to rescue Franz
+and I was left alone in the vault with the Judge. Involuntarily I put
+my hand in my breast pocket where was the trusty companion of all my
+excursions, my revolver. I could not but recall Franz Schorn's words on
+the platform, and the impression which they had made upon me was
+deepened when my hand met the small pieces of rope. I dreaded to see
+the fading light of the last lantern disappear in the narrow pathway. I
+was miserably uncomfortable in the spacious dark vault, where the light
+of a single lantern cast a ray of light so weak as only to enhance the
+black darkness of the place.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The Judge seated himself close beside me, and when the Captain vanished
+in the narrow path he seized my hand.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Herr Professor,&quot; he said, modulating his voice to the lowest whisper,
+&quot;I have been assailed by a horrible suspicion as I sat here. I feared I
+never should see you again. Was the accident which befell you
+occasioned by chance? If the rope was strong enough to sustain the
+heavy weight of Schorn, how could it break with the much lesser strain
+of your weight? Tell me, Herr Professor, does Franz Schorn know that
+you have told me of his meeting you in the forest on the day of the
+murder?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;No.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Then what I feared is but too certain. You saw him in the
+neighbourhood of the Lonely House on that day. The only witness against
+him must die. While he stood beneath us on the rocky platform he
+loosened the rope and cut it so that it parted as we were lowering you.
+We will examine the rope; there must be traces of a cut in it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Schorn had brought against this man the very accusation which was now
+brought against himself. He could have had no cause for his
+supposition, whilst the reason adduced by the Judge was not without
+probability.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Perhaps you will object,&quot; the Judge continued, &quot;that he has saved your
+life; that without his aid you must have fallen into the chasm. He need
+not have stretched out his hand if he had wished to murder you. This
+thought also occurred to me, but, upon reflection, I find that my
+suspicion is only strengthened by your rescue. Perhaps his movement was
+involuntary--an impulse of the moment to seize a falling man--but,
+again, perhaps your rescue is only part of a cunning scheme. He makes
+sure that you never could decide to speak a word against the saviour of
+your life; he does not know that this word is already spoken. He
+thought, therefore, that he could save your life and yet attain his
+purpose without burdening his soul with a second murder. Indeed, should
+suspicion arise that the rope did not break accidentally, he might
+easily cast it upon another. Why else did he demand that I should take
+no part in drawing you up? He wished to arouse suspicion of me in your
+mind and in the Captain's. None could attach to him, were it discovered
+later that the rope had actually been cut, if he saved your life, and
+he will not fail to remind you that it was at the risk of his own. He
+is a thorough villain and incredibly cunning. I fear I shall have many
+difficulties to overcome before establishing the proof of his guilt and
+revealing him as the murderer of old Pollenz.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The Judge's words produced a deep impression on me. Had not everything
+that he set forth actually happened? One thing was certain--the rope
+had been cut. Whose was the blame? The Judge's--who could have no
+interest in plunging me into the abyss? Why should he attempt to take
+my life? Franz Schorn's--who had saved my life at the risk of his own?
+However the Judge might endeavour to disparage the danger to which he
+had exposed himself, I knew better. I had felt him stagger as he leaned
+over beyond the rock and dragged me toward him. The success of this
+hazardous action was due to his physical strength and good luck; it was
+little short of a miracle that he had not been dragged down to the
+depths with me. Where lay the truth? In vain I pondered; I could not
+fathom it.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Voices were heard coming through the narrow pathway, and the Captain,
+Rassak, Bela, and last of all, Schorn, appeared. Franz gave me a kindly
+nod; of the Judge he took not the smallest notice, but resumed his
+command and the guidance of the expedition. He directed the porters to
+strap together the ladders, of which we had hitherto made no use, and
+upon them placed the jackets of the men of the party, forming a litter
+for me. Rassak and Bela then bore me from beneath the vault to the
+entrance of the cave. I suffered intolerably; only when we had again
+entered the forest and my kind companions were able to make my litter
+softer with boughs and branches of trees did I find any relief from the
+torture I was enduring.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In this melancholy wise we returned to Luttach, and thus ended my
+investigation of an unexplored Ukraine cave.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2>CHAPTER XI.</h2>
+<h3><a name="div1_11" href="#div1Ref_11">FORCED SECLUSION</a>.</h3>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">I was confined to my lofty bed in my chamber in the inn for three days.
+The doctor insisted I must stay there with cold compresses upon my foot
+until the inflammation had entirely disappeared, and then a week at
+least must be spent in my room with the injured leg stretched out
+before me, nor could I dream of undertaking any further excursions
+until two weeks at least had elapsed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This was a melancholy prospect. Two weeks of imprisonment in the bare,
+low-ceiled guest-chamber No. 2; while out of doors the sun was shining
+and calling me to wanderings in the forest and on the mountains. But
+what cannot be cured must be endured.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I could not complain of ennui. Of society I had more than enough; I
+sometimes longed to be alone for an hour to reflect upon my remarkable
+adventures, but I had visitors in unbroken succession, and until late
+in the evening I was not left for a moment to myself.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">All the gentlemen whom I had met about the round table in the
+dining-room came to testify in the friendliest manner their sympathy,
+and to beg me to relate my adventures, while Mizka and Frau Franzka by
+turns saw to my comfort, attending most carefully to the compresses
+upon my ankle. I could not have been more kindly and attentively cared
+for than in the Slavonic inn in Ukraine. But it was almost too much of
+a good thing. Their perpetual attention became burdensome, and the
+constant stream of visitors wearied me. To tell the same thing over
+and over again was not very amusing, especially as a number of my
+auditors--Weber, Gunther, Meyer, Mosic, and the notary, Deitrich--did
+not seem to give full credence to my story; that is, with regard to my
+rescue by Franz Schorn. They put all sorts of questions to me with
+regard to what had passed on the platform of rock, questions which I
+could not or would not answer, for, of course, I said not a word of the
+rope's bearing traces of having been cut, although this seemed to be
+just the very point to which they wished to lead me.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Through the Clerk, Herr Von Einern, I at last learned the reason for
+their persistent questions. He expressed his indignation at the account
+which Herr Foligno had given on the evening of our adventure. It was
+eminently devised to arouse in his hearers a suspicion that in some
+manner Franz Schorn was to blame for my accident. He did not speak
+explicitly, but as unwilling to blame Schorn; he would leave that to
+me, who had sustained the injury; but in speaking thus he had contrived
+to increase the desire of those present to hear more.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The Captain confirmed his statement, but was indignant not only with
+Franz Schorn, but with the conduct of the Judge himself. He would not
+forgive Schorn for accusing Herr Foligno to me, apparently without any
+reason, while he found the revenge taken by the Judge unworthy and
+mean. In his opinion there had simply been an unfortunate accident; the
+rope had been cut by some sharp projection in the rocks; Franz had
+certainly risked his life to save mine, but this did not justify him in
+what he had said of the Judge, which made Herr Foligno the direct cause
+of the fall.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the end I positively could not tell what to think of the affair. My
+harassing doubt was corroborated by a visit in the evening from the
+Judge. He had seen me during the day, but only for a few minutes at a
+time, to express his sympathy and to ask after my welfare, saying
+nothing during these short visits concerning my adventure; but in the
+evening he paid me a longer call, begging permission to bestow his
+society upon me for a while and to drink his wine in my room instead of
+in the dining-room below. He settled himself comfortably beside me,
+informing Mizka and Frau Franzka that he would assume the care of me
+during the evening and change my compresses. I tried to prevent this,
+but he would take no refusal, and rendered his services with assiduous
+precision. It was quite touching to see how careful he was to avoid
+giving me the least pain, and how he anticipated my every wish.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I could not but be grateful, but I was not comfortable in his society,
+for as soon as Mizka and Frau Franzka had left the room he took the
+opportunity to express himself most clearly with regard to our
+adventure and Franz Schorn. He informed me that he had received a
+telegram from Laibach announcing that the investigating Judge and the
+Attorney General would visit Luttach on the morrow to conduct
+personally further inquiries, desirous of hearing from my own lips the
+manner of my meeting with Franz Schorn on the day of the murder. He
+coupled this information with the desire that I should not withhold
+from the gentlemen what I thought with regard to Franz Schorn's
+connection with my accident.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When I refused point blank to do this and declared that I suspected
+Franz of nothing, that I was convinced that accident only had caused
+the breaking of the rope, he became very indignant at such ill-judged
+forbearance.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I cannot understand you, Herr Professor,&quot; he said angrily. &quot;Suspicion
+is almost become certainty. Schorn has betrayed himself by superfluous
+caution. It is a common experience among lawyers that the criminal
+often furnishes the clue to his discovery by excess of caution, and
+this has been Schorn's case. To destroy all traces of a cut in the rope
+he has cut off both ends of the break and thrown them away in the cave.
+Perhaps they can still be found; but should this not be the case, the
+fact of his so disposing of them tells against him. What other aim
+could he have in thus destroying all traces of the cut?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But he did not throw them away. He cut them off in my presence and
+gave them to me. Here they are,&quot; I replied, taking the ends of rope
+from my breast pocket.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I spoke and acted without thought, as I felt the moment the words were
+out of my mouth and I perceived their effect upon my hearer. He started
+from his chair as if from an electric shock and took instant possession
+of the ends of rope.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He gave them to you,&quot; he cried, &quot;and why? Ah! now I understand it all.
+Conscious of his guilt, he feared discovery, and bethought himself, in
+his over-caution, to inform you of what had been done. Suspicion must
+be thrown upon another, and I was that other. Tell me frankly, Herr
+Professor--I have a right to ask it--tell me, did he not hint to you
+that I had cut the rope?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I had acted like a fool and was now painfully embarrassed. I was
+obliged to confess to him that his suspicion was correct. He instantly
+grew excessively angry.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What doubly detestable villainy,&quot; he cried, &quot;refinement of
+rascality--to throw suspicion on me and to adduce as proof the cut
+which his own knife had made, and which, of course, he knew well enough
+where to find! Of course I know that his words did not make the
+smallest impression on you. Nevertheless they anger me beyond
+expression. I did not credit even the villain that he is with such
+rascality, but it shall react upon himself. These two fragments shall
+bear witness against him. I shall give them to the Attorney General
+to-morrow.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Indeed you will not,&quot; I replied firmly. &quot;I owe my life to Franz
+Schorn. Without his aid I should now be lying dead in the depths of the
+cave. I do not know whether a knife or a sharp stone worked the
+mischief, but I do know that Schorn risked his own life for mine. This
+is solely my affair. My life was imperilled and I surely have the right
+to demand that no evil shall be said of him who preserved it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Will you deny me the right to clear myself from all suspicion? This
+can be done only by proving that Schorn himself cut the rope.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;No one has suspected you except Franz Schorn, and to me alone has he
+expressed his suspicion. I am sure that the breaking of the rope was an
+accident. I shall not allow suspicion to attach to any one, either to
+you or to Schorn. I require of you to return to me the pieces of rope
+and to be silent to the Attorney General concerning the whole matter;
+the affair concerns myself alone.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Herr Foligno made many objections to my demand. I found it difficult to
+soothe him; he was so indignant with Schorn for showing me the ends as
+proof against him. He burned with the desire for revenge for such an
+insult, and I succeeded only with great trouble and much entreaty in
+persuading him to be silent and to return to me the ends of rope.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He remained until far into the night--a civility I could easily have
+dispensed with. I was not comfortable in his society. I tried in vain
+to talk on indifferent subjects; he persisted in returning to the
+adventure in the cave and always with an attempt to cast further
+suspicion upon Schorn. His hatred for Franz and his indignation at what
+Franz had said to me was so great that he could think of nothing else.
+He would have tormented me, I believe, until daybreak with his
+accusations and his discussions of the matter; but at last I frankly
+told him that I had need of repose, and then he bade me good-night.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2>CHAPTER XII.</h2>
+<h3><a name="div1_12" href="#div1Ref_12">AN ARREST</a>.</h3>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">I had to undergo a long examination. The investigating Judge and the
+Attorney General came from Laibach. Immediately after receiving Herr
+Foligno's deposition, they determined to take the very uncomfortable
+journey to Luttach to hear for themselves from witnesses on the spot
+all that was known regarding Franz Schorn's actions and whereabouts
+during the last few weeks. The investigating Judge told me of this with
+all the courtesy of an Austrian official. With entire lack of reserve,
+he informed me that although Herr Foligno's carefully prepared paper
+was quite sufficient to attach suspicion to Schorn, it did not at all
+suffice to convince him of the young man's guilt. He requested me to
+tell everything that I knew of Schorn and to hold back nothing out of
+regard for the man who, as he had already heard in Adelsberg, had saved
+my life. It was my duty to tell not only the truth, but the whole
+truth.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The Judge was a handsome, kindly man, so courteous that he would not
+have me summoned for my examination to the court house, but took down
+my deposition in my room. Yet with all his amiability and in spite of
+the sympathy which he apparently felt for Franz Schorn, his inquiries
+were frightfully searching; he forced me to tell him more than I wished
+to.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I had intended at this hearing to confine myself to what I had dictated
+in the Judge's deposition, but I could not keep my resolution. When the
+Judge asked me if Franz Schorn, of whom I had seen much in the last few
+weeks, had never told me his reason for avoiding me in the forest, I
+could not reply in the negative, and I was forced to assent, and to
+relate the conversation I had had with Franz and his betrothed. I could
+not conceal that each had requested me to say nothing of the meeting in
+the forest. Such an interview as this of mine with the Judge is very
+curious. The witness knows that every word he utters is upon his oath,
+and also that it may decide the fate of a fellow mortal. Every
+consideration vanishes before such a responsibility, and I could have
+none for the Judge. I had to acknowledge to my examiner that Anna and
+Franz had given as a reason of the request for my silence that the
+Judge's hatred of the young man was so intense that he would surely use
+my meeting with Franz as evidence against him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The Judge shook his head thoughtfully on hearing this; he evidently did
+not credit their explanation. Had I cherished no suspicion? Had it
+never occurred to me as odd that Franz Schorn should have wounded his
+hand? I could not deny that such a suspicion had occurred to me, but I
+could declare with a good conscience that it had vanished entirely
+after I had come to know Schorn better.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">What was the reason that after this first awakening of suspicion I had
+not informed the authorities of my meeting with the young man in the
+neighborhood? Why had I withheld this information until the day before
+yesterday? This keen questioning forced me to an exact reply. I told of
+how I had desired to give information immediately of my meeting with
+Schorn, and I gave Herr Foligno's reason for begging me not to insert
+it in an official deposition, and as a natural consequence I related
+the reasoning by which he had induced me to render to him my official
+statement.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Strange; very strange,&quot; said the Judge, more to himself than to me.
+&quot;Herr Foligno has allowed personal considerations, personal feelings to
+influence his official action. Very unjustifiable!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He was silent for a while and then questioned me further with continued
+and frightful thoroughness. I did not wish to speak of the adventure in
+the cave, but when the interview was over, I had told everything that I
+knew about my fall, my rescue, and the accusations made by Schorn and
+the Judge with regard to the cut ends of rope. After the official paper
+had been read to me and I had signed it, the Judge offered me his hand.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Your testimony has been of the greatest importance, Herr Professor,&quot;
+he said gravely. &quot;You have so far confirmed suspicion against Schorn
+that the young man's arrest is an unavoidable necessity, but at the
+same time you have proved to me that an influence has been at work in
+this unfortunate affair which I must investigate further. Whatever may
+be the true history of the strange adventure in the cave, Schorn
+undoubtedly saved your life and you owe him gratitude for it. If you
+wish to testify this, you can do so by preserving profound silence with
+regard to your testimony of to-day as well towards the friends as to
+the foes of Herr Schorn, and, of course, to Judge Foligno. He has
+nothing to do further with the official investigation; he must in his
+turn appear as a witness, and it is especially desirable for the
+establishment of the truth that your testimony with regard to him
+should remain unknown. May I hope that you will promise me inviolable
+secrecy towards Herr Foligno, Herr Professor?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Certainly, most willingly; but what am I to reply when Herr Foligno
+questions me? He wanted to send you an account of the adventure in the
+cave, and only desisted at my express desire.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Do not let this consideration influence you. It is of the greatest
+importance in the investigation that the Judge should know nothing of
+your testimony with regard to the adventure in the cave. If he asks
+you, tell him the simple truth; it is unlawful for witnesses to discuss
+together their testimony, and he is henceforth a witness like yourself.
+Tell him that I told you this, and that I enjoined it upon you to
+refuse even the slightest information with regard to your testimony.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With this counsel, which I determined to follow implicitly, the Judge
+took his leave. He left me in an indescribable agitation, which
+increased when the District Judge paid me a visit immediately after. He
+came, as he told me frankly, to learn how the investigating Judge had
+received my testimony. When I told him of the promise which I had
+given, he was greatly surprised.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I! A witness like all the rest?&quot; he cried indignantly. &quot;These
+government officials are so puffed up with pride and self-conceit that
+they don't know what they are about. They owe to me, to my activity, to
+my research, every ray of light cast upon the darkness of the crime,
+and now they push me aside, rob me of the reward of my discovery, and
+regard me as a simple witness; but they shall not succeed; I will not
+submit; and you, too, Herr Professor, you need not feel yourself bound
+by a promise which no one had a right to exact from you; you may
+without fear tell me anything that you desire.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I do not know whether I should be justified in doing so or not,&quot; I
+replied, shrugging my shoulders. &quot;I do not know the Austrian laws, but
+I am well aware that if I have undertaken no legal responsibility, a
+moral one rests upon me not to speak of my testimony after the promise
+which I have given. You must pardon me, Herr Foligno, if I preserve
+absolute silence.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He looked at me angrily and evilly. &quot;As you please; I shall make no
+further request of you,&quot; he said after a little pause. &quot;One thing I
+have a right to demand of you in a matter which concerns me personally.
+Have you----&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I regret that I can make no reply to any question, whatever it may be.
+My promise to be silent was given unconditionally.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He cast at me a glance full of rage and left the room without saying
+farewell. I had deeply offended him by my persistent refusal. I sat
+alone with a heavy heart, discontented with myself. I had offended the
+man who had been so kind and courteous to me during my stay in Luttach,
+and I had also placed him in a perilous position by my testimony to his
+superior. This was a very disagreeable thought. He was not aware of it,
+but when he learned it, would he not have a right to be angry with me
+and to accuse me of a breach of confidence? I had strengthened
+suspicion against Franz Schorn, the saviour of my life. It was my fault
+that the young man was now threatened with the loss of his liberty. I
+was provoked with myself for my imprudent and frank expressions, and
+yet again, when I reflected on the late examination and the questioning
+I had undergone, I could not have answered differently in accordance
+with the truth. I had surely only fulfilled my duty as a witness. In
+the deepest anxiety and with torturing impatience I awaited further
+developments. It was desperately hard to lie there and have cold
+bandages on my sprained ankle. I would have given anything to be able
+to do something, or that the visitors whom I had found so tiresome
+yesterday would return to-day, but I was, and remained, alone, confined
+to my bed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Two hours passed. At last quick footsteps approached my door. Mizka
+entered breathless, her cheeks crimson, her eyes glowing, to tell me of
+what was the talk at present of all Luttach. Franz Schorn was the
+murderer of old Pollenz. The gentlemen from Laibach had been searching
+Schorn's house at his farm outside the town, and had found quantities
+of money, banknotes, and stock, and government bonds and other papers
+of value, all the wealth of the murdered man. Nevertheless Franz had
+denied everything, declaring that he was innocent, but his brazen
+falsehood had done him no good; he had been arrested, his hands
+fettered, and thus manacled had been brought between two gendarmes to
+Luttach. As he passed the house of the doctor, his betrothed was
+sitting at the window. She had seen him and had rushed down into the
+street. She had embraced him before everybody--he, the murderer of her
+father! The gendarmes were obliged to unclasp her arms. She had not
+wept a tear; she had looked up at him with sparkling eyes when the
+gendarmes bore him away.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Do not despair, Franz,&quot; she had called after him. &quot;God will not suffer
+the innocent to be condemned.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Then she had quietly gone with the doctor, who led her back into the
+house. Franz, however, had walked on between the gendarmes, his eyes
+cast gloomily on the ground. He had replied not a word to the abuse
+which was showered on him from all sides.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Murderer!&quot; &quot;Dog of a German!&quot; and other insulting epithets had been
+hurled after him by an increasing crowd of common people. He did not
+seem even to hear them. The people were so excited against him, so
+infuriated that the gendarmes had the greatest trouble in shielding him
+from their attack, and could hardly have succeeded in doing so if the
+Judge himself had not protected him from a couple of savage fellows,
+two labourers who had been dismissed from Schorn's farm and would
+gladly have revenged themselves upon their former master for their
+dismissal. By earnest admonition and threats of punishment the Judge
+had succeeded in quieting the mob, assuring the people that the
+murderer would not escape justice. He accompanied the prisoner to the
+court house, receiving no thanks from him for his protection. Not a
+word did Franz address to him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Upon an order from Herr Foligno, Herr Gunther provided a vehicle and
+horses, and, accompanied by the two gendarmes, bore off the manacled
+prisoner. The Judge said he would be taken to prison in Laibach and
+kept there until the court assembled, when he would be certainly tried
+as a murderer and hanged.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">All this Mizka detailed to me in the greatest agitation. Evidently she
+felt much satisfaction in the discovery of the murderer, and that it
+should be precisely Franz Schorn, whom every one hated, who was now
+delivered over to the law. Not a word of sympathy did the girl, usually
+so good-humoured, have for the unfortunate man; not a doubt of his
+guilt stirred within her; with a triumphant smile she left me after she
+had told her news.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The voice of the people is the voice of God,&quot; the Judge had once said.
+The doctor had replied, &quot;The people's gossip is the voice of the
+devil.&quot; Was the Judge now proved to be right? The proof of Schorn's
+guilt seemed to grow clearer, and yet, strangely enough, my doubt of it
+grew stronger with every hour. My reason told me that there could be no
+room for doubt, now that upon searching his house the booty had been
+discovered, but my heart rebelled against even this proof. I felt for
+the first time that I had taken more than a fleeting interest in the
+young man, that there had been between us a heartfelt sympathy which
+forbade me in the face of all proof yet adduced, to believe in the
+possibility of his guilt.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I was not long left to my melancholy reflections. A visitor interrupted
+them. The Burgomaster came, not only to inquire after my welfare, but
+to tell me of the discoveries made with regard to Schorn and of all
+that had been going on in the town while I lay bedridden. He had not
+yet left me before another visitor appeared, and he was followed by a
+third and a fourth. All the evening cronies of the round table made up
+for their absence in the morning, and through the entire afternoon I
+was not again alone. All my visitors brought melancholy confirmation of
+what Mizka had told me. Even the Captain and the Burgomaster were now
+convinced of Schorn's guilt, and acknowledged their conviction openly.
+The search in his house had brought much to light; so much money had
+been found that it was impossible to believe Franz had come by it
+honestly. His very conduct told against him--his bare-faced denial, as
+well as his unbroken silence when no credit was given to his words.
+There was but one opinion as to his guilt, and also as to the behaviour
+of the Judge. Even the Judge's opponents declared that Franz owed his
+escape from the indignant mob to his magnanimous protection. There was
+also but one voice with regard to the conduct of the Laibach court. It
+had been admirable, particularly that of the investigating Judge, who
+in a single day had discovered every particular concerning Schorn's
+life during the last few weeks. Almost all the gentlemen and a number
+of other people besides, as well as Bela and Rassak, had been examined
+by him. The officials had said nothing of the result of their evidence,
+and had enjoined the strictest silence upon the witnesses, who,
+however, were at liberty to declare that they considered Franz Schorn
+guilty, and they did so. The Clerk alone, Herr von Einern, prudently
+withheld his opinion in the matter.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Did the doctor also believe in Franz Schorn's guilt? He and the Judge
+were the only ones who paid me no visit on this day. The Judge probably
+could not forget my refusal to answer his questions, and was still
+offended. I was at heart very glad that he did not come. His visit
+could have given rise only to unpleasant discussions; but the doctor I
+should like to have seen, partly to obtain medical advice for the
+night, and partly to learn his opinion of the discoveries concerning
+Schorn. My wish was fulfilled late in the evening, when it was nearly
+nine o'clock. The doctor came, but he was not alone. To my great
+surprise he was accompanied by Anna Pollenz. My astonishment when I saw
+the lovely Anna enter the room on the arm of her old friend must have
+been mirrored in my face, for Anna blushed, and the doctor, with his
+characteristic short laugh, which I was always glad to hear, said:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You wonder at this strange visit so late in the evening, Herr
+Professor. Well, you are right. This little girl might as well have
+come to you to-morrow morning, at a more fitting time; but she gave me
+no rest until I complied with her wish and brought her to you. If I had
+not consented she might perhaps have come all alone, and have given
+occasion for all sorts of gossip in Luttach. The entire population of
+the town has run mad; even the most sensible are infected with the
+nonsense which is heard on all sides. I could not have believed it, but
+since Franz's arrest and removal to Laibach, even the Captain and the
+Burgomaster have lost faith in him and consider him guilty, and yet
+everything adduced against him is thorough, unmitigated bosh. Not a
+word of it is true. The gentlemen from Laibach are principally to
+blame, with their arrest. They would hardly have proceeded to such
+extremities if the Judge had not taken care that they should hear from
+all sides the falsehoods invented by himself. This poor little girl has
+had a frightful day. Not only has her Franz been arrested--that is not
+the worst, for he will very soon be free again--but all the world, with
+the exception of the Clerk and myself, believe in Franz's guilt, and
+people are not ashamed to declare this openly. This makes my little
+Anna desperate. 'The Herr Professor, who loves Franz so much, cannot
+think him guilty,' she said, and insisted upon coming to you. I could
+not but do as she asked, and here we are. Well, perhaps it is all
+right; the poor child will not speak here to deaf ears, and will be
+soothed to see that every one does not consider Franz a murderer and
+thief. Sit down, my child, here in this chair, and pour out your heart
+to the Herr Professor. He will listen to you kindly.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I had been observing Anna during this long introduction. Her colour
+changed from red to pale and then to red again as the old doctor
+continued. Her eyes sparkled as she turned to me, and she gazed at me
+with an imploring expression in them. She was wonderfully lovely. My
+heart gave a throb. Was I altogether free from blame?</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Anna seated herself at her old friend's bidding beside my bed and gazed
+at me with a long, searching look in her dark eyes, as if to read in my
+face the possibility of my thinking her Franz guilty.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You cannot mistrust him, Herr Professor,&quot; she said, &quot;he has such a
+regard for you, and he saved your life.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">There was not much logic in these words, but they made me ashamed of
+myself nevertheless. Franz could not be guilty unless she were his
+accomplice, and I had almost believed in his guilt. I could not endure
+the look of those pure, clear eyes; my own dropped before them. I was
+ashamed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;If all the rest think him guilty,&quot; she continued in a tone of firm
+conviction, &quot;you cannot. You believe in him, and you must feel it your
+duty to do everything you can to prove his innocence, for he saved
+your life. Therefore I come to you; I wished to speak to you before
+to-morrow. I shall sleep quietly, for I know that you will stand by me.
+Franz told me yesterday evening that the Judge had tried to take your
+life; that he is your worst enemy. You will counsel me truly when I
+have confided to you a secret which I have kept until now, a suspicion
+which I have not ventured to utter even to my dearest friend and
+relative.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Speak, dear child,&quot; I replied, taking her hand and pressing it
+cordially. &quot;I assure you that I have no dearer wish than to establish
+the innocence of the saviour of my life.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I know it and will trust you,&quot; she replied frankly. &quot;You and my kind
+friend, the doctor, both of you shall counsel me,&quot; she continued,
+clasping my hand in one of hers and extending the other to the doctor.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What do you mean, you strange child?&quot; the doctor cried. &quot;If you have a
+secret upon your soul, you ought to have told me of it long ago. If you
+needed counsel, you could always have had it from me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I did not dare to. Franz forbade me. Franz himself did not believe me
+until yesterday evening. He is innocent. He always said that my fear of
+Herr Foligno and my detestation of him misled me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Of whom are you speaking, child!&quot; asked the doctor.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Instead of answering, Anna turned to me.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;When you reached the Lonely House on that terrible day, Herr
+Professor, did you not see in its neighbourhood another man beside
+Franz?&quot; she asked.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;No. No one.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I did not mean near the house itself, but on the upper path, the one
+leading along the rocks to Luttach?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I saw no one there either.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You did not see him? I am sorry. Franz was sure yesterday that you
+did.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But who in all the world should the Professor have seen!&quot; asked the
+doctor curiously.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The Judge,&quot; Anna replied. &quot;I was sure I saw him, but I would not say
+so decidedly, and Franz, until yesterday, thought I might be mistaken
+and would not allow me to found an unjust suspicion upon an uncertain
+fact.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The doctor was as astonished and startled as was I by Anna's words. He
+desired to know more from her, and when I begged the young girl to give
+us her full confidence and to tell us all that she knew and believed,
+she yielded to our request and related what had lain so long upon her
+heart.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When on that dreadful day Anna had left home and was going down the
+path with her old Johanna to Luttach, she looked up by chance where the
+oaks grew thin and saw on the upper pathway a man approaching the
+Lonely House. She thought she recognized the Judge, but she could not
+be certain, for she had seen the figure only for a moment and had taken
+no trouble to recognize it, since she attached no importance to what
+she saw. The Judge had often gone to her father and had usually taken
+the upper pathway, wherefore she did not think of it again. Only upon
+hearing the terrible news of the murder of her father was the strange
+suspicion suddenly aroused within her that the Judge was the murderer,
+and this suspicion had been gradually confirmed. To hardly one other
+human being except to his friend the Judge, would her father have
+opened the locked front door. While he was alone he would have admitted
+no other. The Judge had known that her father had large sums of money
+in the house and was quite familiar with the place where they would be
+found.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But had I a right upon such slight grounds to found a suspicion of a
+respectable man? I asked myself,&quot; Anna proceeded. &quot;I answered no, but
+in spite of this 'no' I could not combat my thoughts, and it was most
+terrible for me that I myself was partly to blame for my father's death
+if my suspicion were correct. The day before the Judge had come to
+visit my father, and had not found him at home. My father had left
+word, however, that he would soon return, and I thought I ought to tell
+this to the visitor because it might have provoked my father to know
+that I had turned away his friend. The Judge then begged my permission
+to wait, and when I gave it reluctantly, he sat down by me in my room
+and began a conversation. During this conversation I told him that my
+father had gone to Luttach to get papers of value from the post. He
+would not send old Johanna because the sum in question was too large to
+be entrusted to so old a woman. The Judge knew also from me that my
+father had much money in the house, and that I was going on the
+following day to visit my Aunt Laucic in Luttach, when Johanna would
+accompany me, so that after eleven o'clock he might see my father
+alone. All this I told him, and it all recurred to my mind. I had
+myself told the murderer when his victim would be alone and when he
+could commit the deed.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In her distress Anna went on to say that she did not venture to mention
+her suspicion to the Captain--he was a friend of the Judge's--and only
+to her betrothed, from whom she kept no secrets, did she tell what was
+in her mind. He begged her, however, not to confide in any other human
+being. Franz declared that the Judge was not capable of such villainy.
+He tried to prove to her that her suspicions were groundless. &quot;Does not
+he often climb about the rocks?&quot; he asked. &quot;Even had he been in the
+neighbourhood of the Lonely House, that ought to be no ground of
+suspicion against him, for I myself was met by the Herr Professor in
+the forest, as I was prowling about in hopes of meeting you.&quot; When her
+lover said this, Anna was seized with a dreadful anxiety lest he might
+really be suspected, and Franz, too, could understand that he was in
+peril. He knew how he was disliked, and how any opportunity would be
+seized to do him harm.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Franz had insisted, however, that the Judge was incapable of the
+murder, and he had forbidden Anna to say one word further upon the
+subject. &quot;Because he is my enemy,&quot; he told her; &quot;because he is always
+circulating damaging reports of me behind my back, we must take care
+not to be unjust towards him.&quot; He had spoken thus until yesterday, but
+when he returned from the expedition to the cave and told Anna of his
+adventure there, he had suddenly changed his opinion with regard to
+what she had always thought. &quot;It is beyond doubt,&quot; he said, &quot;that the
+Judge cut the rope. What reason could he have for such an act! He
+wished to plunge the Professor into the abyss. I am now convinced that
+the Professor saw him also in the neighbourhood of the Lonely House.
+You were not deceived when you recognized him on the upper pathway. He
+fears that the Professor may betray him, and wishes to put so dangerous
+a witness out of the way. There could be no other reason for his
+infamous attempt upon the life of the kind old man, whose friend he
+pretends to be. He planned a murder, and now I can believe also that he
+is the murderer of your father. Let him take care; I shall speak to the
+Professor. I will tell him of your suspicion; he will tell me whether
+he saw the Judge that day.&quot; But Franz soon after was arrested and Anna
+felt it her duty to do what he had wished to do.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That is why I am come to you, Herr Professor,&quot; she concluded; &quot;you
+must counsel me. You must help me to discover the real criminal and to
+set an innocent man at liberty.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">While Anna had been speaking, the doctor, who had also seated himself
+beside my bed, had been continually getting up and sitting down again,
+possessed by a feverish restlessness, although listening in silence to
+every word spoken by the young girl. Now that Anna had finished, he
+exclaimed:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Do you want to drive two old men crazy with your deuce of a story?
+Child, have you had such thoughts in your head and heart for weeks and
+never said a word of them? Think of what might have been done in those
+weeks! Think of how suspicion might have been turned in other
+directions! You are sure, Herr Professor, that you did not see the
+Judge on the rocky pathway?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I am sure of it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But may he not have been there without your seeing him, or are you
+sure that he was not there?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I believe that he was there.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="center"><a name="div3_02"><img border="0" src="images/lonely02.png" alt="You must help me!"></a><br>&quot;You must help me!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;And what reason have you for your belief? Out with it, Herr Professor!
+The scales are falling from my eyes. I begin to see clearly. This deuce
+of a girl has enlightened my stupidity, but what is the use of my
+seeing? Franz and the child have both shown confidence in you, and you
+must justify it. Out with what you know without any reserve!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He was right; I could not be silent. The half promise which I had once
+given to the Judge to protect him from any chaffing to which he might
+be subjected with regard to the pocket handkerchief found where it had
+been could not bind me. I told of my finding the bloody handkerchief
+and of the Judge's explanation.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is he! It is he and no other!&quot; exclaimed the doctor, quite beside
+himself. &quot;Did I not always say that the murderer must have been an
+intimate friend of the old man? Oh, blind fool that I have been! Why
+did I not think of him, when for two weeks he wore a black glove on his
+right hand? He had good reason to wish to see you vanish in the abyss.
+You, who could bring such evidence against him. And you fell into his
+trap, and have been silent all this while, without harbouring any
+suspicion of him! For shame, Herr Professor! No, you need not be
+ashamed of yourself, you kind, old, unsuspicious man; but I could tear
+my hair for being such a fool and letting him lead me by the nose as he
+has done.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Are you sure now that you are not deceiving yourself?&quot; I asked very
+gravely. My heart was beating violently. There is something fearful in
+such a suspicion. Suddenly as it had arisen, it had now entire
+possession of me; but had I not entertained the same, and perhaps with
+more reason, of Franz Schorn? Could I trust myself since I had once
+deceived myself?</p>
+
+<p class="normal">No such reflections troubled the doctor:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I am so convinced,&quot; he said, clapping his hands as if in triumph,
+&quot;that I would myself condemn the fellow to be hanged, if it lay in my
+province to do so. Hanged he shall be, I promise you, little girl, and
+we will take your Franz in triumph from the prison in Laibach and carry
+him home. How it is to be done, I do not see at present; but, rely upon
+it, I will do it. I will follow the murderer's tracks like a
+bloodhound. He has no idea that he is suspected, and that I have
+discovered his plots. He shall find it out, but only when we are taking
+Franz from prison in Laibach. Until then not a word to anybody, Herr
+Professor.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Is it not our duty to inform the court in Laibach of what we suspect
+and of our grounds for doing so?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Not a word in that quarter. With all due reverence for the gentlemen
+in Laibach, the Judges and the Attorney General; before they can make
+up their minds to believe that a colleague, a District Judge, is a
+common murderer and thief, the proofs must be as clear as daylight.
+Only when we deliver him over to them, and they must do their part, can
+we be sure of them. I would sooner confide in our Clerk; he would throw
+all forbearance to the winds; but should we admit him to our confidence
+now, we should be placing him in a very embarrassing position, for the
+District Judge is, after all, his chief. Therefore, not a word, Herr
+Professor, until we have further proofs against the scoundrel. Now that
+we are on the scent, it will, I hope, not be long.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I was obliged to admit that the doctor's plan was the right one, and my
+admission flattered him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Do you not remember how day before yesterday evening the Judge said
+with a sneer, 'A great criminal lawyer is lost in you, doctor'? I will
+prove to him that he was right. Only trust me, Herr Professor; you
+shall not repent it. But be sure to follow a piece of advice which I
+must give you. Remember that it is to the Judge's interest to be rid of
+you; therefore, beware of him. It will do no harm to have your revolver
+where you can reach it in a moment, day or night.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I promised to follow his advice. We talked on for half an hour very
+pleasantly. The doctor was in the best humour in the world, and the
+charming little Anna was now so full of hope for a speedy reunion with
+her Franz that she almost forgot her grief at his imprisonment. She was
+indeed a lovely child, and as she talked on so heart-free and
+confidentially with us two old men, I was really in love with her
+myself. Upon their departure the doctor promised me that he would allow
+me to leave my bed on the following day, and Anna promised to pay me
+repeated visits so long as I was confined to my room. Thus we parted in
+the most friendly manner. The doctor turned as he was about to close
+the door behind him and said:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Do you know, Herr Professor, what comforts me in this cursed affair?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;What?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That Foligno is no Slav, but an Italian. Believe me, a Slav would be
+incapable of such villainy. Good-night, Herr Professor.&quot;</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2>CHAPTER XIII.</h2>
+<h3><a name="div1_13" href="#div1Ref_13">AN OLD CHEST</a>.</h3>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">Three very wearisome days ensued. To be sure, I was allowed to leave my
+bed and was no longer forced to apply cold bandages to my sprained
+ankle, but I was a prisoner on a very uncomfortable sofa, whereon my
+leg was stretched out, and therefore condemned to intolerable,
+tedious idleness. I could not even move sufficiently to prepare my
+treasures--the butterflies and beetles--for my collection. My beautiful
+<i>Cćcigena</i> caterpillars had to be fed by Mizka, and I was obliged to
+congratulate myself that she undertook what must have been a very
+humdrum task with amiable readiness.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">For three days the doctor had decreed that I must keep a recumbent
+position; thereafter I might sit up on the sofa and move about the room
+a little. I looked forward to the expiration of this time with
+unfeigned longing, for such enforced idleness is intolerable for a
+healthy man. Visitors were not lacking during those endless three days.
+The gentlemen of Luttach took pains to entertain me, but their visits
+were more of a pain than a pleasure, for the subject of their
+conversation was forever the same--the assured guilt of Franz Schorn.
+No one had the least doubt that he was the criminal. The Judge had
+shown them so many proofs of it that they were almost provoked with me
+because I would not join in the universal condemnation of the man, but
+declared that it was our duty to believe in the possibility of his
+innocence as long as he was not officially condemned. More than this I
+could not say, after my promise to the doctor, therefore I was
+compelled to listen silently when the alleged proofs of Schorn's guilt
+were discussed, which were downright fabrications. I looked forward
+with some dread to a visit from the Judge. It would have been almost
+impossible for me to appear unembarrassed in his presence. But the duty
+of playing the hypocrite and feigning friendship was fortunately not
+enforced upon me. He not only did not call upon me, but sent an excuse
+by Mizka. He was forced to go to Görz for a few days, and had so much
+to do before his departure that he had not a quarter of an hour to call
+his own. Upon his return he hoped to find me entirely recovered.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The doctor was irritated by this journey. It deranged his schemes. He
+wished to have an opportunity to watch the man narrowly, which it would
+be impossible for him to do in Görz, the doctor was not, therefore, in
+a very good humour, and his visits would have contributed but little to
+my enlivenment had not the charming little Anna always accompanied him.
+The lovely young girl crept further and further into my heart with
+every visit. While we two old men were feverish with impatience to act,
+she bore this state of anxiety with angelic patience and admirable
+serenity. She was firm in her pious faith in Divine justice; she was
+sure that we should succeed in rescuing the innocent and in bringing
+the guilty to punishment. This conviction made it possible for her to
+wait patiently.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At last the tiresome three days were over. On the fourth day the doctor
+gave me permission to sit up on the sofa, and as long as my foot did
+not pain me, to take several steps about my room. I breathed more
+freely. Now I could occupy myself. Before my accident I had collected a
+wealth of material which had all to be arranged. My <i>Lepidoptera</i> were
+to be mounted, my <i>Coleoptera</i> prepared, some doubtful species named,
+etc. Thus I had an abundance of work for several days and need fear no
+ennui.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Of course, I wished to begin work immediately, when an obstacle
+presented itself which I had never thought of. I had no place to spread
+out my entomological treasures, or where I could put my boards for
+mounting the butterflies, which were now packed together in my trunk,
+but would take considerable room when spread out to receive the
+precious insects. Hitherto I had found the lack of furniture in my
+simple room not inconvenient, but now it became so. If I could only
+have a bureau with two or three drawers in which I could lay the boards
+for the accommodation of my spoils, all would be well and I should be
+quite content.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Perhaps Frau Franzka could help me. There must be some such bureau in
+Luttach. Frau Franzka was summoned. The word &quot;bureau&quot; she did not
+understand, but when I described to her the piece of furniture that I
+wished, she exclaimed joyfully:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Ah, the Herr Professor means a chest! That is easily procured.
+Upstairs in the Judge's sleeping-room there is a large old chest with
+four drawers. It is not beautiful, but very roomy. If the Herr
+Professor would like it, I will gladly have it brought down.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Its lack of beauty was of no consequence to me, in consideration of the
+space it afforded, but I did not like to take the chest from the
+chamber of the Judge. I preferred not to ask of him the smallest
+favour. I said so to Frau Franzka, but she made light of my scruples,
+saying:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The Herr Foligno never uses the old chest. He used to put his linen in
+it, but now he keeps it in a very fine new chest which I bought for
+him, and which stands in his parlour. The old chest is empty; the Judge
+will be glad to have it taken out of his room.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;But Herr Foligno is still away. You cannot ask his permission.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It is not necessary. The chest belongs to me. Herr Foligno, besides,
+owes me a great deal of money, and he cannot object to my bringing down
+for the Herr Professor an old chest which he does not use.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I tried to make objection, but Frau Franzka was a resolute lady, and
+persisted in what she had once decided upon. She called her husband and
+a servant, and sent them up into the Judge's sleeping-room to bring
+down the chest, and in a few minutes, against the long bare wall of my
+room there stood a large, old-fashioned bureau, not elegant, indeed,
+but painted black, and with four drawers which gave abundant room for
+my requirements.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;There is the old chest,&quot; Frau Franzka said with satisfaction. &quot;The
+Herr Professor need not fear; I will take it upon myself to settle
+matters with the Judge; but I must see if he has left anything in the
+drawers. I don't think so, but if it should be the case, I can easily
+transfer them to his new chest.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">She tried to draw out the topmost drawer by its metal handles, but it
+would not open.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;That is strange,&quot; she said. &quot;The wood must have swelled so that the
+drawer sticks.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Perhaps it is locked,&quot; I remarked.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Oh, no, certainly not. The Judge never locks his chests; he always
+leaves them open, and, besides, I do not know whether he had any
+key, but we can soon see. There is just such another chest in our
+sleeping-room; my husband has the key and we can see if it will open
+it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">She said several words in Slavonic to her husband, and he took a queer
+little key out of his pocket and handed it to her.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The key fitted in the lock and turned. Frau Franzka then opened the
+topmost drawer without difficulty. She glanced inside it and recoiled
+with a slight scream.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Oh, Holy Virgin!&quot; she cried, clasping her hands. &quot;What is all this? A
+shirt, a summer suit, a silk pocket handkerchief, all spotted with
+blood, and oh, blessed Maria, who would have thought that Herr Foligno
+had so much money hid away in this old chest!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Instantly I was possessed by a strange foreboding. There lay the money
+which the murderer had stolen from his victim. I sprang up from the
+sofa without thinking of my sprained ankle and walked hastily across
+the room, never heeding the pain.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Yes, there lay the stolen money. Several packages of banknotes of a
+hundred gulden each, and beside them a bundle of papers of value, the
+topmost of these showing the same dark spots, traces of the blood from
+the wounded hand of the murderer, who had taken no care to avoid
+staining them. Here, hidden away in the old chest, were the proofs of
+the murderer's guilt; the bloodstained clothing which he had worn when
+he committed the deed; and the handkerchief which I had given to him
+was there also. If there had been any doubt until now as to the
+identity of the criminal, it vanished on the instant. Link by link in
+an indestructible chain the proofs were clearly here for the conviction
+of the District Judge. In fancy I saw him contemplating his murderous
+scheme, walking up the rocky path towards the Lonely House. He knew
+that he should find the old man alone there; he had been told this on
+the day before. Anna had thoughtlessly informed him that her father
+would be alone in the afternoon. Her account of the considerable amount
+of money which the old man had received by the morning's post had
+begotten the murderous scheme. He reaches the house, no one having seen
+him on the rocky pathway. He looks about him. No human being is near
+who could observe him. He does not dream that Anna has seen him. He
+knocks. The old man opens the door and conducts him to his room, where
+a struggle ensues, a struggle in which the murderer wounds his hand,
+but from which he comes forth victorious. The crime is committed. The
+murderer with his bleeding hand has taken the banknotes and papers from
+the desk which he knew so well; in his excitement he has hardly noticed
+that he was wounded. He is suddenly conscious of pain in his hand, and
+the thought occurs to him that his wound might betray him. With terror
+he perceives that his dress, his shirt, his waistcoat and trousers, all
+wear bloody traces of the struggle. He tries to remove them with his
+handkerchief, but in vain. How can he explain these stains when he
+returns to Luttach? He devises one means--to declare that he fell among
+the rocks and wounded his hand. Every one knows that he frequently
+climbs about among the rocks and how easily such an accident might
+occur. If he can bring back to the old naturalist a rare plant which
+usually grows upon almost inaccessible rocks, his story of a fall will
+be all the more credible. The <i>Ophrys Bertolini</i> grows in the
+neighbourhood; except himself no one knows the locality. It is easily
+reached; he hastily plucks the beautiful flowers, losing his
+handkerchief as he does so, but without noticing it he hurries away
+from the neighbourhood of the Lonely House.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Fortune favours him. No one meets him; no one sees him when he reaches
+the inn and hastens to his chamber. There he locks himself in; he must
+change his clothes; but what shall he do with his bloodstained apparel?
+Suddenly the old bureau occurs to him; it stands unused in his
+sleeping-room. He could not have a better, a more secure hiding place.
+He conceals the clothes and his plunder in the top drawer, locks it,
+and puts the key in his pocket. Now he is safe; no suspicion can
+possibly fall upon him, the Judge, the most prominent official in the
+town. There can be no searching of his room. He himself would
+superintend whatever search there might be. The bloodstained clothing,
+the banknotes and the papers could be nowhere more safe from discovery
+than in the locked drawer of the old bureau. He breathes more freely.
+There is a knock at the door. The old Professor asks for admission. He
+is obliged to receive him. This will give him an opportunity of
+relating the story of his fall among the rocks. He is dismayed at
+learning that the murder has been discovered sooner than he
+anticipated, but he composes himself, and when he hears that Franz
+Schorn has been seen in the vicinity of the Lonely House, he devises a
+plan for throwing suspicion upon him, his mortal enemy, and with
+vindictive cunning proceeds to carry it out, using every circumstance
+that could lead step by step to the consummation of the crime without
+exposing himself at any point. Thus he feels perfectly safe, when
+suddenly he makes the terrible discovery that there exists a witness
+against him. The old Professor has found his bloody handkerchief near
+the Lonely House. He finds it easy to deceive the unsuspicious old man.
+He succeeds in convincing him that Franz Schorn is the murderer, but as
+long as the Professor lives, the danger of detection hangs over his
+head. He induces the foolish old man to undertake expeditions among the
+most dangerous rocks, in the hope of his falling a victim to some
+accident, but when this scheme fails, he determines to efface all trace
+of the first murder by a second. The exploration of the cave, in which
+he asks to join, furnishes a means to do so. The Professor must die,
+but before his death he must send the official deposition which is so
+essential for Schorn's conviction.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Here also his murderous design fails, but he manages to cast suspicion
+upon Franz Schorn in the matter of cutting the rope, and the young man
+is arrested. The murderer triumphs.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Then by a marvellous chance the old chest is opened during his absence
+from home, and the clear proofs of his guilt are discovered by the very
+man whom he wished, as the only witness against him, to remove from his
+path.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I stood paralyzed before the open drawer. All the past, which it has
+taken minutes to relate, flashed upon my mind with the speed of
+lightning. The proofs of the murderer's guilt which the doctor had been
+so anxious to obtain were now before me. Chance had placed them in my
+hands. What was I to make of this chance was the next question.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We must not touch these things,&quot; I said to Frau Franzka, who with her
+old husband stood speechless with astonishment, gazing at the money in
+the drawer. They had never in their lives seen so much at a time. &quot;The
+Judge might suspect us of having taken some of his heap of money. Lock
+the drawer again, Frau Franzka; we will give the key to the Clerk, and
+the doctor shall be witness that we do so. We three, you, your husband
+and I, will stay here until Mizka fetches the doctor and the Clerk, and
+we can each testify that none of the money has been taken.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;So much money! And he owes me over five hundred gulden, with all that
+pile in his drawer!&quot; exclaimed Frau Franzka, who was reluctant to lose
+sight of the banknotes, but on my reiterated request, she locked it up,
+and then called Mizka, telling her to go immediately for the Herr
+Einern and the doctor, begging them to come as quick as possible to the
+Herr Professor in the &quot;Golden Vine.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">We had not long to wait. The doctor came first. Mizka met him in the
+street near the house. I drew him aside and told him in a whisper of
+the contents of the upper drawer of the bureau. He was beside himself
+with joy.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;We have him! We have him!&quot; he exclaimed aloud, with what was almost a
+leap in the air. Only when he saw the stare with which Frau Franzka and
+her husband regarded him--they might well have supposed he had lost his
+wits--he grew calmer, and I told him that I had sent also for the
+Clerk.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Quite right,&quot; he said. &quot;We must tell him everything. Now that we have
+such positive proof of the Judge's guilt, he can act, and he must act.
+He is a brave and honourable man. He will fulfil the promise he once
+made to our little Anna. Here he comes. I hear his step on the stair.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The Clerk entered the room. He seemed surprised on finding the doctor
+and my host and hostess. Frau Franzka hurried towards him. She had been
+silent so long that she was eager to pour out her heart. In a burst of
+Slavonic, of which I did not understand one syllable, she talked away
+to the Clerk, who listened with the deepest attention. I would not
+interrupt her, for I could easily perceive from her gestures what she
+was relating. The Clerk's face grew darker and darker as Frau Franzka
+continued. At last she paused and delivered to him the key of the
+bureau. He then turned to me and said very gravely:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Frau Franzka has told me of the remarkable discovery which she has
+made in that bureau. Before I examine its contents I wish to hear what
+you have to say, Herr Professor. I assume that you have summoned me
+hither, not as your friend of the evenings about the round table, but
+as the Clerk, the only representative of the law in the Judge's
+absence. I shall therefore receive what you have to say, not as the
+testimony of a friend, but officially. Frau Franzka, you will retire to
+another room with your husband, while I hear what the Herr Professor
+has to tell. I warn you to say not one word to any one--I repeat, to
+<i>any one</i>--of what you have discovered in the drawer there. You will
+expose yourself to grave penalties if you should refuse to follow my
+direction. Wait quietly until I send for you. Very shortly I will
+summon you and your husband to swear to whatever you have to say. Now
+go. Do you desire, Herr Professor, that the doctor should withdraw
+also?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;No. On the contrary, I desire his presence during my deposition, which
+I must make to you. He can complete what I have to say.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I waited until the host and hostess had obediently withdrawn, and then
+I addressed the Clerk.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;On the day on which the miserable old Pollenz was murdered, it was to
+you that his daughter turned, enjoining upon you the duty of
+discovering the murderer and delivering him to justice. I heard the
+young girl's moving appeal and was a witness of your silent promise to
+her. I now desire from you the fulfilment of that promise.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I will fulfil my duty. The guilty man, whosoever he may be, shall not
+escape punishment if proof sufficient can be adduced of his guilt.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;This proof I am prepared to give, and so clearly that no doubt can
+remain in your mind. Listen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I had imposed a hard task upon myself--that of succinctly informing the
+Clerk of all the facts which sufficed to weld a chain of proof against
+the murderer; the part he had played towards me, arousing in me
+suspicions not only of Franz Schorn, but of the lovely Anna, in order
+to procure my signature to the deposition which he made out and sent to
+Laibach. I recalled as well as I could the words which the murderer had
+dictated to me; every one of those words seemed to form a link in the
+chain of proof; and, in conclusion, I described to him the contents of
+the old bureau, saying:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;This is the accumulated evidence which I hand over to you, and I
+demand that in virtue of your office the true criminal shall be
+delivered to the authorities in Laibach, so that an innocent man may
+not wear disgraceful fetters an hour longer than is absolutely
+necessary.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You impose a fearful responsibility upon me, but I shall not refuse to
+accept it,&quot; the Clerk replied with a profound sigh. &quot;What you have just
+told me confirms a horrible suspicion which I have had ever since the
+day of the murder. I never believed in Schorn's guilt. I always had a
+secret doubt of the Judge, but I dared not give expression to it; it
+was impossible to gather the smallest evidence against him. I take upon
+myself great responsibility in proceeding against my chief, in
+arresting him, and transferring him to Laibach, but it must be
+done as soon as he returns from Görz. I will employ this day in
+examining all the testimony you have here given me, as well as the
+witnesses--yourself, Fräulein Anna Pollenz, Frau Franzka and her
+husband--and then I will send to Laibach all the material I have
+collected, with the bloodstained clothing and the banknotes. The
+Attorney General there will do his duty. I transcend my powers perhaps
+in thus forestalling my chief. I will----&quot; he paused, listening.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A vehicle rolled through the narrow street and stopped before the
+house. The doctor hurried to the window.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;The Judge,&quot; he cried, &quot;has just descended from the carriage and has
+entered the house.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The Clerk started and grew pale.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He comes too early,&quot; he said. &quot;I have no officially confirmed evidence
+against him. I have no right to arrest him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Will you give him time to escape?&quot; cried the doctor. &quot;If he goes to
+his chamber and misses the old bureau, he will know that he is found
+out.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You are right. I will dare all. Let me have paper, pen and ink, Herr
+Professor, as quickly as possible, for at this moment I am the
+representative of the law in Luttach. The Judge has not yet exhausted
+his leave of absence; he has not yet resumed the duties of his office.&quot;
+He wrote a few lines hurriedly. &quot;This order must go immediately to the
+captain of the gendarmes. Will you undertake to carry it, Herr Doctor?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;With all the pleasure in life. In five minutes I will be here again
+with the gendarmes. The bird shall not escape,&quot; cried the doctor, as he
+snatched the order from the Clerk's hand and rushed away without a
+moment's delay. He could hardly have reached the front door, when from
+above came the voice of the Judge, calling:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Mizka! Mizka!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Mizka replied from below in a few Slavonic words, and a loud, brief
+conversation ensued in that language.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;He has missed the bureau and Mizka is telling him that it has been
+taken down to your room because you needed it, Herr Professor,&quot; the
+Clerk whispered to me.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The Judge overhead uttered a wild Slavonic curse. We heard his
+resounding tread as he rushed down the stairs and then, without
+knocking, threw open the door of my room and entered. When he found
+that I was not alone, but that the Clerk was with me, he started back,
+and remained for a moment on the threshold gazing at the Clerk and
+myself with a keen, searching look, which afterwards flashed round the
+room as if in quest of something. When it rested on the blackened, old
+bureau, he fell into a rage, and, coming up to me, demanded in a
+furious tone:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;How dared you have my furniture removed from my room in my absence and
+placed here for your own use?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As he spoke these words he was ghastly to look upon; his pale lips
+quivered, his dark eyes glittered in his sallow face, and were again
+riveted with an indescribable expression upon the old bureau.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">His insolence aroused my indignation, but I forced myself to reply to
+him calmly.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I must beg you to speak more courteously,&quot; I answered, suppressing my
+detestation. &quot;If you conceive that there has been an infringement of
+your rights, it is not to me that you must appeal, but to Frau Franzka.
+She told me that this old bureau was never used by you, and that you
+would be glad to have so superfluous a piece of furniture removed from
+your room. Only upon her assurance that this was the case did I consent
+to have it brought hither.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">My reply seemed to quiet him somewhat. He lowered his voice as he
+continued:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You see that I do use it. The upper drawer is locked.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He went up to the bureau and pulled the metal handles of the upper
+drawer. Upon finding that it would not open, he breathed more freely
+and turned to me again, with a wholly different expression of
+countenance.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Excuse my rude manner,&quot; he suddenly said, in a very friendly way; &quot;I
+was angry. It irritated me that the furniture of my room should be
+meddled with. The old bureau serves me as a receptacle for old clothes.
+I must therefore beg that it be returned to me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It was delivered to me by its owner, Frau Franzka. I have no authority
+over its removal.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You refuse?&quot; he said, flaming up again; but he mastered himself, only
+giving me a sinister look, as he opened the door and called loudly into
+the hall:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Frau Franzka! Frau Franzka!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The host and hostess had been waiting in another room for the summons
+of the Clerk. They now appeared, Frau Franzka with a very embarrassed
+countenance, where the consciousness of guilt was openly to be seen.
+Now that the Judge was present, any command of the Clerk would avail
+nothing with her. She must reply to whatever the Judge should ask.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;How dare you have that chest taken from my room! It must be carried up
+again immediately.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Shyly and trembling with fear Frau Franzka gazed at the angry man.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Do not be so angry, Herr Foligno,&quot; she said. &quot;I thought the chest was
+quite empty. I should not have brought it down here if I had known that
+you had so much money in it. But we did not touch it. Herr von Einern
+has the key.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The effect of these words upon the man was terrible. He staggered back
+as if struck by a sudden blow, staring from Frau Franzka to the Clerk.
+He bit his lips without feeling that he drew blood and that a drop
+trickled down his chin. Frau Franzka's simple words had revealed all;
+his secret was betrayed; his guilt discovered.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Only for a second did terror paralyze him. He quickly collected
+himself, seeing that the only possibility of escape lay in maintaining
+absolute calmness, and with wonderful self-control he said in a
+menacing tone:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You presumed to open the chest with a master key, and you, Herr von
+Einern, have this master key in your possession. I demand that it be
+instantly delivered to me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Hitherto the Clerk had stood with folded arms, a motionless spectator
+of the scene before him. A contemptuous smile played about his lips. He
+made no reply to the Judge's demand.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You do not answer me. You refuse to obey my orders?&quot; the Judge
+continued. &quot;I shall hold you accountable for this. Do not forget, sir,
+that this forcible breaking open of my property with a master key is a
+crime for which I hold you responsible. I leave you now to take instant
+steps for the enforcement of my right.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He turned towards the door, but before he had advanced a step the Clerk
+laid his hand upon his shoulder and said with grave decision:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;You can leave this room only as a prisoner, Herr Foligno. You are
+arrested.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="center"><a name="div3_03"><img border="0" src="images/lonely03.png" alt="Then began a struggle"></a><br>Then Began a Struggle, a Fight for Life and Death</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The Judge's eyes flashed fire. His right hand sought his breast pocket
+and he drew from it a knife, but before he could use it the Clerk had
+seized him by the wrist, and then began a struggle, a fight for life
+and death between these two powerful men.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Frau Franzka screamed with terror; her husband stood trembling beside
+her, not venturing to come to the help of the wrestling pair; but I
+summoned all the physical force that I possessed--my foot pained me
+terribly as I sprang up, but I did not heed the pain--and I was just in
+the nick of time; the Judge had torn his hand loose and had raised it
+for a deadly lunge with the knife. I seized his wrist from behind; the
+Clerk clutched him by the throat, and our united strength succeeded in
+overpowering him, throwing him on the ground, and holding tight his
+right hand, which still held the knife. It was a terrible moment; my
+strength was all but gone, for the desperate wretch made frantic
+efforts to tear himself loose, but help was at hand. The doctor rushed
+into the room with three gendarmes following him. Without a thought the
+active little man threw himself upon the Judge, kneeled upon his chest
+and helped me to hold down the hand that held the knife.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Seize and bind the monster!&quot; he cried to the gendarmes, &quot;or he will do
+more mischief with his knife.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The Judge could not but see that all further resistance was vain. He
+dropped the knife, which I seized and hurled to the end of the room.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Let me go,&quot; he said sullenly. &quot;You see that I can no longer defend
+myself.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">We arose; first the Clerk, then I; I limped back in positive agony to
+my sofa; my help was no longer required. The Judge, too, arose, and,
+panting, stood between the Clerk and the doctor. He had given up all
+hope of escape, for the three gendarmes blocked all egress from the
+room, but his feverishly active mind devised new food for hope.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Captain,&quot; he cried to the captain of the gendarmes, &quot;captain, I call
+you to bear witness to the maltreatment I have received from these
+madmen, who have attacked me. I command you to stand by me--me, the
+District Judge. I order you to arrest these people, the Clerk, the
+doctor and the German Professor. I take all the responsibility upon
+myself.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The captain's martial countenance betrayed embarrassment. He looked
+dubiously, first at the Judge, then at the Clerk.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I do not know what I ought to do,&quot; he said, turning to the Clerk. &quot;You
+command me to arrest Herr Foligno; he commands me to arrest you. After
+all, he is the District Judge.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The Clerk hastily approached the old, dingy bureau, took a key from his
+pocket and opened the upper drawer.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I command you to arrest a murderer,&quot; he said. &quot;He, and not Franz
+Schorn, committed the murder in the Lonely House. Here are the
+proofs--his bloodstained clothing and the banknotes which he stole. The
+responsibility is yours if the murderer escapes and you disobey my
+commands.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">One look into the drawer, and the captain hesitated no longer. An hour
+afterwards, between two gendarmes, the murderer was driven to Laibach.
+Half the entire population of Luttach crowded about the court house to
+see him driven away. The report had circulated throughout the little
+town with incredible swiftness that not Franz Schorn, but the District
+Judge was the criminal. When the prisoner was led from the court house
+to the carriage a fierce shout of rage greeted him. The gendarmes were
+obliged with their weapons to keep off the indignant populace in order
+to shield the prisoner from their violence. He, on his part, was now
+pale and trembling with cowardly fear; curses and execrations followed
+him as the carriage drove through the crowd.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But at that moment the lovely little Anna was seated on my sofa,
+thanking me over and over again, her eyes shining with joy--and what,
+after all, had I done to deserve her thanks?</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2>CHAPTER XIV.</h2>
+<h3><a name="div1_14" href="#div1Ref_14">THE END OF THE PROFESSOR'S HOLIDAY</a>.</h3>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">The doctor, the Burgomaster and the Captain had driven to Laibach to
+require personally the instant liberation of Franz Schorn, whose
+innocence no one longer doubted. The doctor had promised to inform me
+by letter of the result of his efforts, and he kept his word. On the
+second day I received a long letter from him. There had been a
+tremendous commotion in Laibach when the District Judge of Luttach,
+manacled like a common criminal, had been received at the prison. The
+ultra Slavonic newspapers had hitherto triumphed in the announcement
+that the only German agitator in Luttach was nothing more or less than
+a miserable, ordinary criminal, and now they suffered a terrible blow
+in that the German agitator was no murderer; the criminal was a man
+who, although of Italian descent, had always laboured in the Slavonic
+cause. The Slav party, on the other hand, were half-inclined to swear
+to the innocence of the Judge and to stake all on the guilt of the
+hated German. But the doctor took good care that every scrap of
+evidence against the true murderer should be well known; he was himself
+a zealous Slav, but so conscientious and honest a man, and so well
+known as prizing justice far above national prejudice, that he forced
+the newspapers of his party, by his truthful declarations, to advocate
+the cause of Franz Schorn, which they reluctantly did, although not
+very enthusiastically. They, as well as the doctor, found consolation,
+however, in the fact that District Judge Foligno was no true Slav, but
+in fact an Italian. Of course all national prejudices were powerless to
+influence the court at Laibach. The doctor wrote with real enthusiasm
+in regard to his reception by the investigating Judge, who had frankly
+informed him that suspicion of the District Judge had arisen in his
+mind while he was investigating the matter in Luttach, suspicion which
+was now substantiated by the admirable report of the Clerk, and that
+the evidence had created conviction. A most disagreeable task lay
+before him in having to investigate the actions of his superior in
+office, but he would unflinchingly follow his duty. The Attorney
+General, who had hitherto been firmly convinced of Schorn's guilt,
+could not but admit the evidence of his innocence and the proof of the
+Judge's criminality, and the honourable liberation of Schorn from
+imprisonment must take place immediately. It depended only upon certain
+formalities. If the Judge could be brought to confess, Schorn's freedom
+would be on the instant.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This hope, however, of bringing the criminal to an open confession was
+not destined to be fulfilled. He maintained his innocence with brazen
+effrontery until his hearing before the court, asserting that he was
+the victim of shameful intrigue. All the evidence which I, the German
+Professor, had brought against him was founded, he declared, partly on
+lies, partly on prejudice. It was not true that I had found his
+bloodstained handkerchief in the neighbourhood of the Lonely House, for
+the handkerchief found in the drawer he had never lost. The blood on
+his handkerchief, his waistcoat, and his trousers came from the wound
+in his hand due to a fall among the rocks on the morning of the day of
+the murder, and of which he had innocently informed the Professor. He
+declared that I had found him changing his dress when I came to inform
+him of the discovery of the murdered man in the Lonely House. He had
+locked up the bloody clothing in the upper drawer of the chest in his
+sleeping apartment in my presence, and, of course, I knew where it was.
+How the money and banknotes came in the drawer he did not know, but he
+suspected that during his absence I had placed them there myself, or
+had bribed Frau Franzka to put them into the chest in order that the
+farce might be played of the removal of the chest to my room and the
+discovery of the bloody articles, which would clear Franz Schorn of the
+guilt of the murder and throw it upon himself, the District Judge. He
+would not venture to assert that I was Schorn's accomplice in the
+crime, although it was possible, but I was certainly his accomplice in
+the theft of the money. Either to be rid of this accomplice, or to
+ensure his silence by saving his life, Schorn had cut the rope in the
+cave.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When the investigating Judge pointed out to him the improbability, nay
+the evident falsehood of this clumsy invention, the prisoner stoutly
+maintained its truth, and even asserted that I had come to Luttach, on
+the pretense of pursuing natural history researches in Ukraine, in the
+interest of the German clique there, and to this end I had entered into
+close relations with Schorn, having as their result this scheme to ruin
+him. The Judge displayed an eloquence and keenness of intellect in
+proving the truth of his statements which the investigating Judge could
+not but admire; but, upon perceiving that he failed entirely in making
+any impression upon the impartial official, who was himself a Slav, he
+lost courage, and, declaring that he was too exhausted to endure
+further questioning, begged to be again conducted to prison.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">An hour later the investigating Judge was informed that the prisoner
+had committed suicide in his cell. How he had contrived to procure the
+knife with which he stabbed himself to the heart could not be
+discovered. The bitter opponents of the government and of the court in
+Laibach maintained that it had been conveyed to him for the purpose of
+suicide, in order that the court might be relieved from the necessity
+of presenting before a jury a Slavonic patriot and fellow-countryman as
+a murderer.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Since the Judge's suicide may be regarded as a confession,&quot; the
+doctor wrote, &quot;we are momentarily awaiting the liberation of our Franz.
+We--the good Burgomaster, the Captain and myself--are burning with
+eagerness to conduct the liberated man in triumph to Luttach. I will
+tell you by telegram when we may be expected.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The lovely little Anna was paying me a visit when I received the
+doctor's letter. We read it together. Tears of joy filled her eyes as
+we came to the end.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;I would rather,&quot; she said, &quot;have Franz come back quietly, without any
+public demonstration; but the good doctor is right; there ought to be
+some atonement for the unjust disgrace of his arrest, and this must be
+made by an honourable reception.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">All the men of the round table in the &quot;Golden Vine&quot; were of the same
+opinion.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the evening, more carried than supported by Mizka and Frau Franzka,
+I ventured to leave my room and to take my place once more at the round
+table. I was received with extravagant delight. When I read aloud to
+the company there assembled the letter from the doctor, they declared
+unanimously that all Luttach must combine in making brilliant amends to
+Franz. It was remarkable how one single day had changed the mood of
+every one. Mosic, Weber, Meyer, Gunther, and Dietrich, hitherto the
+most violent opponents of &quot;the German,&quot; were now the most zealous to
+obliterate all remembrance of their opposition. They could not praise
+Franz sufficiently, and gravely maintained that they never had believed
+in his guilt.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The telegram arrived on the morning of the next day, announcing that
+our friends would arrive in Luttach towards noon. I sent it to the
+Vice-Burgomaster, who had begged me to give him the earliest
+intelligence, that he might spread it through the town.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The time for festal preparation was short, but it was used diligently
+in bringing loads of oaken boughs from the grove on the Rusina, in
+making wreaths and garlands wherewith Schorn's house and the &quot;Golden
+Vine&quot; were decorated, for Franz was to be conducted first to the
+&quot;Golden Vine,&quot; where in the garden a cask of the best wine was to be
+broached, and the Vice-Burgomaster was to welcome him in the name of
+his Luttach fellow-citizens and to express the joy that all felt in his
+return, as they drank to his health and welfare. And thus it verily
+happened. All Luttach was astir by ten o'clock. There were crowds on
+the road to Adelsberg and on the square before the court house and
+in the street before the &quot;Golden Vine.&quot; When the carriages--two of
+them--at last came in sight, Franz was sitting in the first with the
+Burgomaster, while in the second the doctor drove with the Captain.
+They were greeted with deafening applause and the crowd rushed towards
+them, all striving to be the first to extend a welcome to Franz Schorn.
+It was impossible for the carriage to proceed through the crowded
+streets, when suddenly a stentorian voice exclaimed:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;Make way!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It was the voice of the gigantic Rassak. He dextrously unharnessed the
+horses, and, seizing the pole himself, assisted by two savage-looking
+fellows--the very ones who, a couple of days before, would have been
+willing to kill the &quot;murderer&quot; and the &quot;German dog&quot;--on they went to
+the &quot;Golden Vine.&quot; A dozen men helped to pull and push the vehicle,
+while Franz kept bowing and smiling in grateful acknowledgment of the
+shouts of welcome. The carriage stopped before the gateway of the
+hotel. Franz would have descended, but strong arms lifted him to
+Rassak's shoulders, and thus he was carried into the garden. The
+doctor, the Burgomaster and the Captain followed, laughing. The festal
+programme was carried out in the garden, except that the Burgomaster's
+speech and one cask of wine did not suffice. Speech followed speech,
+and I should have had a fine opportunity of admiring the Slavonic
+eloquence, if I could have understood a word of it all, but,
+unfortunately, the words were all Slavonic, even those in which Franz
+thanked the assembly for its sympathetic welcome. I could only guess at
+what he said from the shouts of applause. It was a stormy occasion and,
+after a fashion, a brilliant one, but it was not exactly a comfortable
+festival. This we had in the evening at the house of the doctor. My
+presence there, pretty little Anna declared, was quite indispensable,
+and so Rassak carried me thither on his burly shoulders. I could not
+possibly have walked. The doctor had invited only the Burgomaster, the
+Captain, the Clerk and myself to share in the joy of this first evening
+of the reunion of the betrothed pair and to be the witnesses of their
+happiness.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I certainly never passed a more delightful evening. It was a positive
+delight to me, old man that I am. It warmed my heart to behold the
+handsome couple so full of bright anticipations for the future. The
+merriment in our small circle was not loud; we were all somewhat under
+the influence of the very recent events, but we all quietly rejoiced in
+being delivered from our depressing anxiety. The doctor himself
+proposed the health of the young couple, and in a short speech
+congratulated us all upon the happy chance which had terminated the
+fearful episode. I noticed that as he spoke the beautiful young girl
+shook her head as if in disapproval. The toast was drunk with
+enthusiasm, and Anna joined in it; but, turning to the doctor and
+looking at him very gravely, she said:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;It was no chance that saved my Franz. It was God's own doing. In order
+to hide his first crime, the Judge attempted a second; he cut through
+the rope in the cave and, as a result, Franz saved the Professor's
+life. If Franz had not thus ventured his own life, he would have been
+lost. The truth would never have come to light. If the Judge had not
+cut the rope, the Herr Professor would not have sprained his foot, and
+he would not have been forced thereby to keep his room, nor would Frau
+Franzka have tried to procure him space for his collection. Was this
+chance! No; it was an answer to my prayer. God ordained that Franz
+should risk his life to find his life.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">&quot;There is logic in your words, child,&quot; the doctor said with a smile;
+&quot;it is the logic of pious, grateful faith, of which I would in nowise
+deprive you. But you need not frown, little girl, if I speak of a
+chance which we must all bless. Chance or Providence, the words express
+the same idea, that of strangely combined circumstances leading to a
+certain end. Was it chance or Providence that brought our dear Herr
+Professor to Luttach to catch butterflies, and that the Captain sent
+him on the very first day up to St. Nikolas, whence he returned,
+thirsty, to the Lonely House? Keep your pious belief, child; it will be
+a source of hope and happiness for you while life lasts.&quot;</p>
+
+<hr class="W20">
+
+<p class="normal">Two weeks after this delightful evening, I left Luttach to
+return to my
+northern home. I should have liked to have stayed longer in the
+charming little town, with people who had grown so dear to me, but my
+holidays were at an end, and the summer heat is so enervating at my
+age, that I did not dare to stay longer. I took leave of my dear ones
+there, but I have promised to return next spring, for I would not have
+the marriage of the happy couple celebrated without me.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h3>THE END.</h3>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Lonely House, by Adolph Streckfuss
+
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+</pre>
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+</body>
+</html>
+
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@@ -0,0 +1,5810 @@
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Lonely House, by Adolph Streckfuss
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Lonely House
+
+Author: Adolph Streckfuss
+
+Illustrator: Charlotte Weber-Ditzler
+
+Translator: A. L. Wister
+
+Release Date: January 11, 2011 [EBook #34917]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LONELY HOUSE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Charles Bowen, from page scans provided by the Web Archive
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's Note:
+  1. page scan source:
+     http://www.archive.org/details/lonelyhousefrom00wistgoog
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                            The Lonely House
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: Franz and Anna]
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                                 _The_
+                              Lonely House
+
+
+                           From the German of
+                            ADOLF STRECKFUSS
+             Author of "Too Rich," "Castle Hohenwald," etc.
+
+
+                                  _By_
+                           MRS. A. L. WISTER
+     Translator of "The Old Mam'selle's Secret," "Gold Elsie," "The
+                Second Wife," "The Happy-Go-Lucky," etc.
+
+
+
+
+                    _WITH ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOR BY_
+                        CHARLOTTE WEBER-DITZLER
+
+
+
+
+                         PHILADELPHIA & LONDON
+                        J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
+                                  1907
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                            Copyright, 1907
+                      BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
+
+
+
+
+                        Published October, 1907
+
+
+
+
+         _Electrotyped and printed by J. B. Lippincott Company_
+         _The Washington Square Press, Philadelphia, U. S. A_.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+I TAKE PLEASURE IN INSCRIBING THIS TRANSLATION--THE LAST I SHALL EVER
+COMPLETE--TO THE CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN OF THOSE WHO SO KINDLY
+WELCOMED THE FIRST, PUBLISHED A LIFE-TIME AGO.
+
+                                           ANNIS LEE WISTER
+
+
+
+
+   "Lindenshade,"
+    Walungford, Pa.
+    September, 1907
+
+
+
+
+                                Contents
+
+  CHAP.
+     I. The Professor's Persistence
+
+    II. The Professor's First Excursion
+
+   III. The Professor's Return
+
+    IV. The Investigation
+
+     V. The Investigation Continued
+
+    VI. Two Wounded Hands
+
+   VII. The Two Requests
+
+  VIII. Quiet Weeks
+
+    IX. An Exploring Party
+
+     X. An Accident?
+
+    XI. Forced Seclusion
+
+   XII. An Arrest
+
+  XIII. An Old Chest
+
+   XIV. The End of the Professor's Holiday
+
+
+
+
+                             Illustrations
+
+      Franz and Anna _Frontispiece_
+
+      "You Must Help Me!"
+
+      Then Began a Struggle, a Fight for Life and Death
+
+
+
+
+
+                                  The
+                              Lonely House
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER I.
+                      THE PROFESSOR'S PERSISTENCE.
+
+
+Ukraine! Ukraine! For years I had longed to spend some weeks in
+Southern Ukraine. The descriptions I had read of its wonderful
+mountains had greatly attracted me; I was certain of adding there
+many valuable specimens to my collection; that section of country had
+been so rarely visited by entomologists that I might even hope to
+enrich our German fauna with a new species. Some years before a
+butterfly-collector from Vienna had discovered there the caterpillar of
+the beautiful _Saturnia caecigena_, found previously only in Dalmatia.
+Why might I not hope for something equally interesting!
+
+The scenery of Southern Ukraine is not thought to be very fine: the
+mountains are much less imposing than in other Alpine districts, but
+the Carpathian range is said to have many very interesting caves, and
+strange formations of rock, while for the naturalist its fauna and
+flora offer a rich field for investigation in its mountain fastnesses
+and deep valleys.
+
+If travel in that section of the country were only not attended with
+such risk and inconvenience! Travellers who seemed thoroughly familiar
+with its political and social condition warned me seriously not to
+attempt going thither. The only tolerable accommodation for strangers,
+they said, is to be found in the larger towns--Laibach, Adelsberg,
+etc., and on the high road followed by tourists; as soon as the
+traveller attempts to penetrate the interior he finds only wretched
+inns, no comfort of any description, and a poverty-stricken peasantry,
+speaking the dialect of the country, and understanding not one word of
+German. All expeditions into the valleys are fraught with discomfort
+and even hardships. Nevertheless, little alluring as were the accounts
+given me of the country, the prospect of adding to my collections--I am
+a naturalist--an entomologist--was so tempting that when I had a longer
+vacation than usual I determined to fulfil a long cherished desire and
+to pass a spring in Southern Ukraine.
+
+And then the question arose as to what place I should make my
+headquarters. A naturalist cannot travel hither and thither like an
+ordinary tourist; he must establish himself somewhere, and make
+excursions into the surrounding country, which he must investigate
+thoroughly or he can hope for no results from his labours; moreover,
+the paraphernalia of his profession are too bulky to be moved easily
+from place to place.
+
+Unfortunately all the guide books were too incomplete to give me the
+least assistance; I had recourse to the admirable maps of the Austrian
+Government, and in them I found a small town--Luttach--which seemed
+well fitted for my purpose. It is situated in a deep valley in the
+midst of the Carpathians, at the foot of a long spur of Mt. Nanos on
+the road from Adelsberg to Goerz--a road once much travelled, but fallen
+into disrepair since the intrusion of the railroad. From Luttach the
+topmost peak of Mt. Nanos could be reached in a few hours, and in the
+valley itself there was sure to be a mingling of the southern fauna and
+flora with those of the Alps proper. I might promise myself rich
+additions to my collections. Moreover the many German names of the
+surrounding villages, and indeed the German name of the town itself,
+were very attractive for me, giving me hopes that there might be German
+elements mingling with the Slavonic civilization.
+
+Luttach it should be then. My two huge travelling trunks were duly
+packed and I was provided with every requisite for collecting. The last
+of April I left Berlin full of pleasant anticipations.
+
+In Vienna, where I stopped for a day as I passed through, I called on a
+friend; he gravely shook his head when he heard that I had chosen
+Luttach for a stay of some weeks. "I never heard before of this
+God-forsaken hole," said he; "I should not risk going there, but since
+you are determined to go, provide yourself at least with a good
+revolver, for without it you never ought to venture among the dreary
+deserts of the Carpathians, or to wander in those primeval woods and
+forests. It is dangerous for an elderly man like yourself. You know
+besides that there are still bears and wildcats in the forest on Mt.
+Nanos, not to mention those two venomous reptiles native to the rocky
+retreats of the Karst range--the cross-adder and the sand-viper. More
+to be feared than all these, moreover, is the human beast of prey whom
+you will surely meet in your wanderings there. You had really best
+relinquish your plan of visiting so inhospitable a region. But if you
+insist upon it, pray be cautious. Go well armed, and do not venture too
+far among those desert fastnesses."
+
+I cannot say that I was agreeably impressed by my friend's warning. I
+was not formed in an heroic mould and I do not willingly court danger.
+At sixty, after a life spent principally in study, there is small
+desire for perilous adventure. Although I am not deficient in personal
+bravery, as I had opportunity to prove in my student-days, and
+afterwards in political embroglios, it is not my nature to seek for
+perils. Bears and wildcats, and even venomous serpents, caused me no
+alarm--the beasts are rarely dangerous in summer, and I knew well how
+to manage the reptiles; I had frequently encountered them in my
+excursions in the Swiss Alps and even in Northern Germany. The danger
+from human beasts of prey appeared to me far more serious, but even
+this could not deter me from carrying out the plan I had contemplated
+for so long. In Vienna I purchased an excellent revolver with the
+necessary ammunition and started the next morning for Goerz, where I
+wished to visit an old friend and fellow-student, who, dwelling so near
+the frontier, would, I hoped, give me a less alarming account of the
+country I wished to explore. But my hope was vain; he was even more
+emphatic than my Vienna friend had been, although he laughed at the
+story of bears, wildcats, and snakes. He shook his head and said: "I
+know nothing of Luttach and the surrounding country, except that on
+Nanos the _Saturnia caecigena_ was formerly to be found. You will
+probably make some good additions to your collections, although I doubt
+your making as many as you hope, since in the rocky parts of the
+mountains insect life is sparse, and where the mountain sides are
+clothed with trees, they form an impenetrable primeval forest. I doubt
+also whether the richest harvest you can reap will compensate you for
+the hardships, the discomforts--yes, the dangers to which you will
+expose yourself. The greatest of these lies in the fact of your being a
+German. The unhappy strife between nationalities in Ukraine has so
+embittered the inhabitants there that all kindly feeling is extinct.
+The Slav considers hatred of the German his first duty; it is his
+greatest delight to annoy--even to maltreat--a German. Whether you can
+defend yourself with your revolver from such maltreatment is more than
+doubtful. You could not use it against any single peasant who should
+meet you in the forest, and insult you, or even against three or four,
+who might amuse themselves by annoying you in countless ways. There
+certainly is danger of encountering robbers in those wilds; your
+revolver might serve you there--to me danger from the determined
+hostility towards Germans seems far greater."
+
+This was encouraging! I almost wonder now that I was not deterred from
+my undertaking. If my respected colleague had not expressly stated that
+I should find _Saturnia caecigena_ on Mt. Nanos, I should probably have
+followed his advice not to go to Luttach, but my passion for collecting
+outweighed every other consideration. I refused to be intimidated, and
+started upon my journey the very next day, arriving at four o 'clock in
+the afternoon at Adelsberg, whence I could reach Luttach in four hours
+by a carriage road. So desirous was I to attain this goal of my wishes
+that I resisted the temptation to visit the world-renowned Grotto at
+Adelsberg, postponing this pleasure until my return. I hired a vehicle,
+large enough to accommodate myself and my two huge travelling trunks,
+and in half an hour I was on my way to Luttach.
+
+The road was excellent, leading through an attractive mountain region
+among low hills, although loftier eminences bounded the horizon. I
+should have liked to know the names of those giant mountains, but my
+driver was a genuine Slav, who could not understand a word of German,
+and who was too stupid to comprehend signs, so all intercourse with
+him was impossible. We drove swiftly, almost as swiftly up-hill as
+down-hill, through a charmingly varied landscape, through forests, past
+meadows and cornfields, with only a glimpse of the desolate Karst range
+now and then in the distance, until we rapidly approached the bare gray
+rocks of Mt. Nanos--which, as we descended by a winding road to the
+valley of Luttach, stood out boldly against the sky.
+
+Time passed rapidly during the long drive; there was so much to see,
+and everything that I saw was distinctly in contrast with what I had
+been led to expect in Southern Ukraine. The numerous villages through
+which the road ran were entirely different from the ruinous Polish
+hamlets with which I was familiar in Upper Silesia; they consisted
+mostly of flourishing farms, with very few straw-thatched cottages. The
+peasants whom we met greeted me as we passed along with friendly
+courtesy--they could not recognize me as a hated German--and the inns
+as we drove by them, so far from presenting pictures of dirt and decay,
+were most attractive, and invitingly clean.
+
+And when in the valley we drove among meadows bright with the luxuriant
+growth of spring--past vineyards where each vine showed careful culture
+and was just putting forth its tender leaves--along a road bordered on
+the left by hillsides under full cultivation, where countless white
+cottages in the midst of blossoming orchards betokened a numerous
+population, I could hardly fancy that I was in the midst of the
+ill-reputed desolate Karst range, in a corner of the world of which
+scarce a hint was to be found in the guide books. The bald rocky mass
+of Mt. Nanos alone, clothed at its feet only with a forest of oaks, and
+the bare peaks of the high range that seemed to close in the valley in
+the distant west, showed that vegetation was not as luxuriant
+everywhere in the Karst range as I found it on the hills to the left
+and in the valley itself.
+
+"Luttava!" my driver called out, nodding to me and pointing with his
+whip towards a little town near at hand, nestling at the very foot of
+Nanos, its white houses seeming to cling to the rocks. In a few minutes
+we had reached it, and after driving along a street too narrow for more
+than one vehicle, turned into the gateway of a large building, before
+which a tall pole supported a sign whereon a golden grape vine declared
+it to be the inn recommended to me before I left Adelsberg.
+
+The carriage stopped beneath the dim gateway before a door opening
+directly into a spacious kitchen, where in the huge chimney-piece a
+bright fire was blazing. Through the door I could see several men, some
+standing, some seated upon low benches, about the fire, all of whom
+regarded the newcomer with curiosity. A plainly clad but spotlessly
+clean dame busied herself on the hearth, moved a steaming pot to one
+side, and hurried out to receive me, opening the carriage door to help
+me to alight.
+
+"Can I have a room!"
+
+"Certainly! If the gentleman will kindly go upstairs," was the reply,
+delivered in excellent German, although with a strong accent. "Mizka,
+show the gentleman up to Number Two."
+
+Mizka, a pretty slender girl, tripped lightly before me up the stairs
+leading up two flights directly from the kitchen to a wide entry, where
+she threw open the door of Number Two, and courteously held it open for
+me to precede her.
+
+The room was large, low, and square, with two small windows, looking
+out upon the street. It probably looked larger than it really was from
+the absence of much furniture along its walls. Between the two windows
+there was an old-fashioned sofa covered with gay chintz, and above its
+high back hung an oval mirror in a black varnished frame, while before
+it stood an extension table, which if pulled out to its fullest
+capacity would have accommodated twenty-four persons. A tall cedar
+clothes press, a washstand, six chintz-covered cushioned chairs, and a
+huge bed which had to be clambered into by the help of a chair,
+completed the furniture of the room. The walls, painted light green,
+were adorned with four gaily colored prints, each portraying a quarter
+of the earth in the guise of a very ugly and scantily clothed dame,
+whose distorted limbs reclined upon a fantastically shaped couch.
+
+This was Number Two, my room. It certainly did not look inviting for a
+long stay; it was too bare, but it as certainly possessed the
+unexpected attraction of perfect cleanliness. Not a speck of dust lay
+upon the few articles of furniture, the bare floor was spotless, and
+the creases in the white bed linen bore testimony to its freshness.
+
+"Will the gentleman take his supper here, or below in the dining-room?"
+Mizka asked me in very good German.
+
+"I will come down as soon as I have washed," was my reply.
+
+"I will bring fresh water immediately;" and she hurried away, returning
+presently with a can of crystal-clear water, and a supply of fresh
+towels, and followed closely by two gigantic porters, each of whom bore
+upon his shoulders one of my heavy trunks. Assuredly thus far I could
+not complain of lack of promptitude in the service of a Slav inn.
+
+When I had freed myself from the dust of travel, and had changed my
+coat, I went down to the dining-room; the way led through the kitchen,
+where several men were sitting or standing around the hearth, talking
+familiarly with the hostess, who was busy meanwhile with her cooking.
+All greeted me politely as I passed through the room.
+
+When Mizka showed me into the spacious dining-room, I took it all in
+with a rapid glance. Its arrangement could not be called elegant, but
+the cleanliness of the scoured tables atoned for its simplicity. There
+were but a few persons present. At a table near a window a young man
+sat alone, apparently absorbed in a newspaper. He looked up for a
+moment as I entered, disclosing a singularly handsome face, which was
+immediately hidden behind his paper. The face was thoroughly German.
+Such deep blue eyes, such fair, close curls are to be found nowhere
+save in Germany. He was certainly handsome, but his expression was too
+grave, perhaps even too stern and hard to allow of his being thoroughly
+attractive.
+
+As far from this young man as the size of the room would permit, at a
+large round table near the tall stove, sat six or eight men, smoking
+long cigars, with glasses of wine before them. They evidently saw me
+enter and look about for a seat, and one of them instantly rose and
+motioned courteously with his hand, placing a chair at the table, while
+the others moved aside to give it room.
+
+I was amazed at so polite a reception in this notoriously hostile Slav
+country, and I was not quite pleased. I should have liked to observe
+the magnates of Luttach, who were apparently here assembled, from a
+distance, at my leisure, before making their acquaintance, whereas now,
+when I accepted their invitation, and introduced myself as a German, a
+Prussian, and worse than all, from Berlin, whose citizens are never
+popular, their amiability might decrease. "Permit me to present myself
+to you, gentlemen," I said, "as Professor Dollnitz from Berlin, who
+hopes to spend some weeks with you here in your beautiful country,
+collecting plants and butterflies, beetles and chrysalids. I am an old
+naturalist who looks forward to much gratification here in your richly
+endowed Southern Ukraine."
+
+I observed a fleeting smile pass around the circle upon hearing that I,
+so old a man, was running after butterflies and beetles, but I am used
+to that; all sensible men regard us old entomologists as cranks, and
+sometimes jest rather rudely at our expense; but this was not the case
+here; the gentlemen, as I could see, suppressed their smiles at my
+butterfly mania; they rose very politely and formally introduced
+themselves as the District Judge Foligno, his Assistant Herr Einern,
+Burgomaster Pollenz, a retired Captain Pollenz, a landed proprietor,
+Gunther by name, Herr Weber, a merchant, and Herr Dietrich, a notary.
+Strange! All German names save that of the district judge.
+
+Chance had surely brought me among Germans. I was strengthened in this
+belief by finding that they all spoke excellent German, not merely with
+me, but among themselves; only now and then was there heard a brief
+remark in Slavonic. I soon found out my mistake, however, when in the
+course of conversation I mentioned that I had been warned in Vienna and
+in Goerz not to visit the Ukraine on account of the hostility of the
+Slavs to Germans. The Burgomaster Pollenz, a reverend old man, made
+reply, speaking with emphasis, and so loudly that even the young man
+sitting by the window at the other end of the room could hear every
+word distinctly: "That is unfortunately a widespread error which has
+brought our good Ukraine into ill-repute. We are all Slavs, and are
+proud of being so. Our ancestors were Germans, but we are not. The
+Ukraine is our home. Whoever is born here and lives here must feel
+himself a genuine Slav. Those only do we hate among us who are disloyal
+sons of their native land, who would rob us of our language, our
+customs, and make Germans of us; we have no hatred for Germans born.
+There are none of them dwelling among us; our entire population is
+Slavonic, and you will soon find that as a native-born German you will
+be kindly received everywhere. It is not so in Laibach, or where, as
+there, the population is mixed, and national prejudice has free sway,
+causing constant strife, but even there the Slavs are seldom the
+aggressive party."
+
+"Then you think I can chase my butterflies alone among your woods and
+mountains without fear of insult? I was expressly warned in Vienna not
+to leave the house here without a loaded revolver in my pocket to
+protect me from robbers."
+
+I was answered by a burst of laughter. "I assure you there is no tract
+of country in the realm of Austria as perfectly safe as ours," the
+Burgomaster replied. "We have had no robbery here for many years and I
+will guarantee you as a German against any insult, unless, indeed," he
+raised his voice again, and spoke very loud, "you should consort with
+the only Slav among us who is disloyal to his country; friendship with
+him would cause you to be suspected of hostility to our nation."
+
+The young man by the window had hitherto seemed heedless of our
+conversation; now he arose and approached us. His flashing eyes seemed
+to defy each member of the circle, but their expression grew gentler as
+he addressed the Burgomaster. "I cannot be angry with you, Herr
+Burgomaster," he said gravely, but not unkindly. "Your words were
+offensive, but I know that you mean well by me and by the strange
+gentleman. You have called me a disloyal son of my country, which I am
+not! I am a whole-souled Austrian, but one also who can never forget
+that he is sprung from German and Austrian blood. You have all of you
+forgotten this; I am true to the German tongue and to German customs.
+You are the faithless ones, not I!"
+
+"Do you want to pick a quarrel with us all, Franz?" asked the
+Burgomaster, regarding the young man disapprovingly.
+
+"No, but I cannot allow you to give the strange gentleman a false
+idea of me. Moreover, you need not fear that I shall force my
+friendship upon him. I know too well that it might cause him annoyance.
+Good-night!" He turned upon his heel and left the room without
+bestowing a further glance upon the company.
+
+When the door had closed behind him, the District Judge said: "Franz
+Schorn always was and always will be a most disagreeable fellow. He
+deserves a thrashing for his insolence in calling us all faithless."
+
+"Your cane is just beside you in the corner; why did you not use it!"
+the Captain asked with a sneer. "In fact, Franz is not altogether
+wrong. My brother irritated him unnecessarily; he would never have
+forced his company upon the Herr Professor. He lives so quietly and is
+so reserved that he cannot be accused of officiousness."
+
+"'Tis natural that you should espouse the cause of your future cousin,"
+remarked the District Judge with a contemptuous emphasis upon the word
+"cousin."
+
+"I should be glad to have him for my cousin; he is a thoroughly brave,
+honest fellow."
+
+"But a German."
+
+"I am half German myself, and at all events I should prefer a German to
+an Italian cousin. The Italians are always squinting over at Italy, and
+Franz is, as he says, a German-Austrian at least."
+
+"Leave off bickering," the Burgomaster admonished his brother. "What
+will the Herr Professor think of us, if we quarrel so before him over
+our wine?"
+
+During this short skirmish of words I took occasion to observe the two
+antagonists narrowly. I liked the Captain's frank, manly face and
+bearing, but the District Judge Foligno produced a very unpleasant
+impression upon me. He was a man of about forty, with a worn, sallow
+countenance. His features were regular; he might have been accounted
+handsome but for some ugly lines about his mouth, half hidden though
+they were by a glossy black moustache, and a false, unsteady expression
+in his piercing black eyes. Before his war of words with the Captain he
+had taken no part in the conversation, but had sat gloomily silent,
+with downcast eyes, smoking his long cigar and drinking far more than
+the others. In the short time that I had been present Mizka had twice
+filled his tall glass.
+
+The Burgomaster's efforts to restore peace were unavailing; the
+District Judge renewed the quarrel by a malicious remark about old army
+officers who no longer knew what nation they belonged to. The Captain
+retorted angrily, more bitter words ensued, the other gentlemen
+presently took part in the dispute, which principally concerned the
+character of young Franz Schorn. The Burgomaster alone was silent; of
+the rest only the County Clerk, Herr Einern, sided with the Captain.
+While the others all agreed with the District Judge's abuse of Franz
+Schorn as a rough, arrogant fellow, a recreant Slav, who was detested
+and despised all through the countryside, and were unanimous in
+declaring that "old Pollenz" was perfectly right in forbidding Franz to
+hang around the Lonely House watching for pretty Anna, that it was the
+old man's patriotic duty to shield his charming daughter from Schorn's
+advances, the Clerk and the Captain warmly espoused his cause. The
+Clerk, in fact, did not mince matters, but frankly characterized as
+exaggerated and unjust his chief's tirade against Franz. The boldness
+that he showed in doing this without in the least overstepping the
+bounds of civility impressed me very favourably.
+
+I was soon tired, however, of listening to a discussion which became
+more and more heated as time went on, concerning people of whom I had
+no knowledge, and therefore when I had finished my supper--an excellent
+one, by the way--and had emptied my glass of wine, I rose to retire,
+pleading fatigue from my journey.
+
+The gentlemen probably suspected that their quarrel had driven me away,
+and they fell silent in some confusion while the Burgomaster said
+kindly: "You have chanced upon an unfortunate evening, Herr Professor.
+Do not suppose that such a disturbance is frequent in our little
+circle, and I pray you pardon any harsh words you may have heard with
+regard to Germans. I can assure you that we have no quarrel with any
+Germans, save those who should be Slavs. That we have no dislike for
+Germans or Germany you may see for yourself, since you hear us all
+speak your language among ourselves, and pray do not let this evening's
+experience prevent you from joining our circle in future. You will
+always be an honoured and welcome guest."
+
+I pressed the good man's hand cordially and followed Mizka, who stood
+with lighted candle ready to show me to my room.
+
+I thought it not indiscreet to gossip a little with pretty Mizka while
+she was arranging my bed, and to learn from her something regarding the
+gentlemen whose acquaintance I had made below, and with whom I should
+probably have daily intercourse during some weeks to come. I could not
+have sought information from a better source.
+
+Mizka had been born in Luttach; she knew all about every inhabitant of
+the town, and she felt highly honored by "the gentleman's" desire to
+converse with her. In her gratitude she detailed all that I wished to
+know. I learned that the Burgomaster, Herr Pollenz, was the owner of
+the "Golden Grapevine," which Mizka's aunt, Frau Franzka, or rather,
+her husband, rented from him; he was now a guest in his own house,
+occupying with his brother, a pensioned captain, the entire second
+story.
+
+Mizka was eloquent in praise of the two brothers, whom she described as
+the best and truest of men. No one could be as thoroughly kind as the
+Burgomaster; he was, in fact, too kind, for he was sometimes really
+pinched for money himself, because he could not refuse to give or to
+lend to the poor, and there were evil-disposed people who abused his
+benevolence. He was very wise, too, and learned. Whoever in all Luttach
+stood in need of good counsel could be sure of finding it from the
+Burgomaster. He and the Captain were much respected, not only in
+Luttach, but throughout the countryside.
+
+Mizka gave unstinted praise also to the County Clerk, Herr von Einern,
+for whom every one in Luttach had a good word, regretting that he was
+not District Judge and Foligno the Clerk; he was too young for a Judge
+as yet, but he was sure of promotion, for he belonged to a very old
+Luttach family--his father was a general--although he never prided
+himself upon his position, but was kind and courteous to the very
+poorest, whereas the Judge was often rude and harsh to poor people in
+court.
+
+Mizka had nothing pleasant to say of the Judge. He was out-and-out
+Italian although his grandfather had settled in Luttach and he himself
+could not speak Italian fluently; but an Italian was always an Italian;
+he never could be a true Slav. Yet he was not temperate, like most
+Italians; he drank too much, and was not content with the good Luttach
+wine, but always wanted some special kind for himself. That was why he
+was always needing money. Eighteen hundred gulden was a good salary;
+many a Judge could live comfortably upon it with a wife and children,
+whereas he, though a bachelor, was always in debt. He already owed Frau
+Franzka nearly five hundred gulden, and Mizka could not understand why
+her aunt would go on lending to him. He had the best two rooms in the
+upper story--Number Twelve, just above the Herr Professor's Number Two,
+and Number Thirteen--but he had paid nothing for them for a year, and
+yet he behaved as if he was the greatest guest in the house; nothing
+was good enough for him. He often drove to Goerz, where he consorted
+with the officers, and 'twas said that he had sometimes lost at play
+more than a hundred gulden in one evening. He had long since squandered
+all the property he inherited from his father; he had a house in
+Luttach, but not a stone of it really belonged to him; he had mortgaged
+it all to the wealthy old Pollenz, the Burgomaster's cousin, and
+whoever got into the clutches of that old man never got free until he
+had lost his last penny; for old Pollenz, who lived in the last house
+on the mountainside--it was called "the Lonely House"--was a
+hardhearted usurer.
+
+Old Pollenz now owned forests, vineyards, meadows, and farmlands, for
+which he exacted the highest rents; all his money had been made by
+usury, and woe to the peasant to whom he had lent any--he was sure to
+be obliged to sell all that he possessed to satisfy his creditor's
+demands. The man was a hateful old miser; in spite of his wealth he
+hardly dared to eat, and never entered an inn to drink a glass of good
+wine. He lived with his daughter, pretty Anna, and an old servant maid,
+apart from everybody, in the Lonely House; its windows barred with
+iron, because he was constantly in dread of robbers, although there had
+never been a robbery or burglary in all the countryside within the
+memory of man. But the old fellow was so afraid of thieves that he
+would let no one enter the house whom he did not know well, and he
+always went armed with a couple of pistols and a big knife.
+
+He was most afraid of Franz Schorn, and had often said of him: "If he
+should meet me alone, he'd be sure to do me a mischief, but I'll be
+even with him. I'll shoot him like a mad dog sooner than let him attack
+me." The old man's dread in this case was not quite without cause, for
+Franz was a rough fellow, who might well assault a mortal enemy, and
+the two had been mortal enemies ever since two years before, when old
+Pollenz drove Franz from his door with curses.
+
+The old man was a bitter foe of the Germans, and had fallen into a
+terrible rage when some one had told him that Franz was sneaking around
+his house courting pretty Anna. And so, when one day Franz did not
+sneak around the house, but boldly entered it and asked for pretty Anna
+for his wife, the old man became almost insane with fury; he drove the
+young fellow out of doors with blows and curses, although Anna wept and
+entreated, saying that she would rather die than give up her Franz.
+
+Just at that time the Judge, who certainly had need of a rich wife,
+asked old Pollenz to take him for his son-in-law. The old miser said
+"yes," thinking to make an end of pretty Anna's love affair with Franz.
+He told his daughter that she must marry the Judge, but Anna refused.
+To all her father's threats she answered, "I'd rather die! You may drag
+me to the altar, but you cannot compel me to utter a 'yes'!" And so the
+Judge got the mitten in spite of the father's consent. Ever since then
+he had been a deadly enemy to Franz Schorn; every child knew how he had
+got the mitten in the Lonely House; he had often been teased about it,
+and the malicious Italian would never forgive Franz Schorn because of
+it.
+
+Such, in brief, was the sum of Mizka's information; she would gladly
+have talked on, but I was afraid she might be wanted in the room below,
+so I dismissed her with a "Goodnight."
+
+I admit that she had interested me much with her gossip. I now
+understood many words and phrases that had escaped the gentlemen below
+in the heat of their quarrel, and I perfectly comprehended the
+bitterness of the Judge's hostility to Franz Schorn. A love story in a
+Slav village! But what did it all matter to me? What possible interest
+could an old naturalist, sixty years of age, take in the love affairs
+of a young fellow whom he did not know, and the disappointment and lack
+of money of a very disagreeable District Judge? There was absolutely no
+reason why I should mix myself up with such matters, or even bestow a
+thought upon them. That was not why I was in Luttach, but for the
+purpose of collecting plants, butterflies, and beetles, which I
+resolved to begin to do the next morning, oblivious of all love
+affairs, German or Slav.
+
+I undressed, mounted a chair and made a bold leap which landed me in
+the midst of the maize straw with which the bed had been stuffed. It
+was not a luxurious couch, but fatigue sleeps well even upon a poor
+one. I had scarcely extinguished the candle on the table beside my bed
+when I fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER II.
+                    THE PROFESSOR'S FIRST EXCURSION.
+
+
+The sun shining brightly into my room awoke me about five o'clock. I
+got up, dressed myself quickly, and went down to the kitchen, where
+Mizka had already kindled a bright fire on the hearth. She assured me
+that my coffee would be ready in a quarter of an hour and that she
+would bring it out to me in the garden. There I met the Captain, who,
+enjoying his morning pipe, was walking to and fro between the flower
+beds. Now and then he would stop before an opening rose, regarding it
+with eyes really full of affection. He greeted me cordially.
+
+"You are an early riser, Herr Professor," he said with a smile. "I
+thought all those who lived in large cities never rose before eight
+o'clock, but I am glad that you are an exception, for the mornings and
+evenings with us are the most delightful time of the day. At noon the
+sun is far too hot and glowing to enable us to enjoy the beauty that
+lies about us here. Only look at these rosebuds, how beautiful they
+are, each one with a diamond dewdrop in its breast! Are they not
+enchantingly lovely?"
+
+He chattered on, pointing out to me every blossom that delighted him,
+and taking positive joy in all. He conducted me through the garden,
+which was not very large, and at the end of it he unlatched a gate that
+was not locked.
+
+"Now I must show you the only thing perhaps that we have worth showing
+in Luttach. Pray follow me," and he walked before me through the open
+garden gate. After a few steps we reached the banks of a broad,
+brawling brook, which seemed in all its breadth and force to come
+directly from out the rocky wall before us. The rock must certainly
+have been thoroughly undermined. From countless smaller and larger
+openings the crystal-clear water streamed with such power that the
+numerous jets instantly formed a broad deep brook.
+
+"This is the Luttach. On the north side of Nanos the raging Voyna
+rushes through a savage rocky vale, suddenly vanishing without a trace;
+the mountain engulfs it. They say that the Voyna in the interior of
+Nanos forms a deep unfathomable lake and from this lake in the interior
+of the mountain it flows on, breaking through the rocks, to come to
+light again here as the Luttach brook. This may be possible, for Nanos,
+like the whole Karst range, is absolutely riddled with caves. The
+famous Adelsberg Grotto would not be the unparalleled wonder that it
+is, if our population were not too indolent to explore the hollow
+openings and grottoes in our side of the mountain. Why, in the
+immediate neighbourhood of Luttach there are two caves, the depth of
+which is known to none, for no one has ever taken the trouble to
+explore them, except for a few yards."
+
+"What absolutely unconscionable neglect!" I rejoined. "If you could
+succeed in finding here a spring, a mineral spring as wonderful with
+its grottoes as that of Adelsberg, think of how it would attract
+travellers and what a goal it would be for all tourists."
+
+The Captain shrugged his shoulders. "I really do not know whether our
+Luttach population would desire this. They certainly feel no wish for
+it at present. Besides, it is questionable if our grottoes are really
+very large in extent, and it is probable that their exploration would
+be attended with some difficulty and perhaps indeed danger. I have
+never thought of making an attempt to explore one or the other of
+these, but, if you desire to do so, Herr Professor, I shall be very
+glad to accompany you."
+
+I joyfully accepted the Captain's offer. Under all circumstances the
+exploration of a cave, hitherto unknown, possesses for me extraordinary
+interest; in the depths of these caves in the Karst range are found
+rare cave beetles, the species is confined entirely to such places. It
+might well be possible to discover in the Luttach grotto a species
+hitherto unknown. Such a prospect made me forget the threatened
+difficulty and danger.
+
+The Captain smiled when he heard the reason for my interest. That a
+human being should be ready to subject himself to inconvenience and
+even to danger that he might discover a new beetle appeared to him
+extremely ridiculous, but he was too polite to make this evident. He
+promised to look about for some strong, courageous men, who, armed with
+torches, ladders, and ropes, should accompany us into the caves.
+
+"I hope," he said, "that you will reap a rich harvest of rare cave
+beetles, but even if you do not succeed you will be abundantly repaid
+by the beetles and butterflies which you will find on the slopes of
+Nanos. A naturalist from Vienna, who was here about ten years ago and
+spent six weeks in Luttach, was thoroughly enraptured by the richness
+of his discoveries. I was then at home on leave and frequently talked
+with him. His best and rarest caterpillars he found near the Chapel of
+St. Nikolas, I believe, upon the leaves of beeches and oaks."
+
+Here was an important piece of news! The caterpillars of the _Saturnia
+caecigena_, the rare Dalmatian butterfly which had lured me to Luttach,
+lived upon beech and oak leaves. I immediately determined to seek the
+neighbourhood of the Chapel of St. Nikolas this very day. To St.
+Nikolas my first excursion should be made.
+
+I asked the Captain the way thither. "You cannot miss it," he answered;
+"there are two paths, each very easy to find. The first, which is
+perhaps fifteen minutes the nearer, is steep in its beginning, and even
+dangerous for unaccustomed mountain climbers. Part of it you can see
+from here. It begins there at that elder bush and leads directly up the
+rocks by steps partly natural and partly artificial, most of them,
+however, giving space only for one foot. A false step, a slip, might be
+disastrous, therefore I can hardly advise you to take this nearer path
+over the rocks. It is not long; in five minutes you would reach a very
+pleasant, gently ascending footpath, which in fifteen minutes more
+would lead you past the Lonely House, to reach in another quarter of an
+hour the Chapel of St. Nikolas in a direct line. The second path, just
+as easy to find, is very charming, beginning at the last house of
+Luttach and leading to the left from the road to Adelsberg, winding
+through meadows and through oak forests, and ascending gently, past the
+scattered houses of the village of Oberberg. After perhaps half an hour
+you reach a large crucifix at a fork of the pathway. The path to the
+left leads to the Lonely House, that to the right directly to the
+Chapel of St. Nikolas without going near the Lonely House; you cannot
+miss it. I advise you to take the longer path. The shorter is seldom
+used even by the inhabitants of Luttach, because it is certainly
+dangerous in descending. The District Judge alone, who is very fond of
+flowers, often climbs up the steep rocks, in search of rare, beautiful
+plants."
+
+The advice was well meant, and I determined to follow it, although the
+mention of the rare and beautiful plants allured me. Still, I do not
+willingly expose myself to danger. We returned to the garden, where our
+coffee awaited us in a pretty arbour covered with wild grapevine.
+
+I hurried my breakfast, for I was burning with impatience to find near
+St. Nikolas my entomological treasures. Scarcely a quarter of an hour
+had passed before I started on my way thither, supplied with a cane and
+a large umbrella, my tin box upon my back, my pockets filled with
+glasses for beetles and boxes for caterpillars and butterflies.
+
+The Captain had described the path to me so exactly that I really could
+not miss it. He had called it charming, but it was more than that. It
+was wondrously beautiful. It was a joy to ascend the mountain quietly,
+while fresh beauties of the landscape revealed themselves at every
+step. At my feet lay the pretty little town of Luttach, framed in
+emerald green meadows, bounded by the steep rocky wall against which it
+leaned. On the summit of this bare rock, majestically enthroned, were
+the remains of a ruined old castle, whose knightly possessor had in
+former times probably ruled over the rich valley of the Luttach.
+
+Wherever the eye turned, whether downward to the houses and cottages in
+the valley, surrounded with blooming orchards, or to the distant view
+where the mighty mountain range bounded the horizon, its rocky peaks
+glowing in the sunlight--everywhere, it filled me with rapture.
+
+And then, the fresh, delicious morning! It was a joy indeed to wander
+thus in the mountains.
+
+The crucifix on the path was very quickly reached. I turned to the
+right, and soon the little Church of St. Nikolas lay before me.
+
+Hitherto I had sturdily strode on without being detained by my desire
+to collect. But now, when the goal of my wanderings was reached, I
+began to search. Once more I turned on the steps of the church to feast
+upon the wonderful view above the tops of the oaks growing in the
+valley below, and then I began my work. I could have scarcely found a
+piece of ground more adapted for my purpose than this around St.
+Nikolas. The church lay in the midst of a forest of tall oaks; around
+them there was a rich undergrowth, and where their trunks were more
+rare, there spread a carpet of charming wildflowers, above which
+countless butterflies fluttered from one blossom to another. The wood
+above the chapel consisted partly of ancient trees and shrubbery,
+climbing the gentle slope of Nanos until it reached the bald rock which
+showed no trace of vegetation.
+
+My first attempts at collection were rewarded by an astonishing result.
+I found upon the leaves of an oak a caterpillar entirely unknown to me.
+When I examined it more closely, it recalled to me the description
+which I had seen of the _Saturnia caecigena_. My dearest wish was
+fulfilled.
+
+Only a naturalist can form an idea of my joyful emotion, my delight,
+and the passion for collecting which this first specimen aroused in me.
+I forgot everything: the beauty of the landscape, to which I now paid
+no attention; the difficulty of finding my way in the forest without a
+guide, the danger of treading upon one of the poisonous reptiles native
+to the Karst range--in short, I wandered about animated only by the
+desire to procure more specimens of this rare and beautiful insect, and
+the more I found, the more the desire increased. I never noticed that
+hours had passed, that the refreshing morning had given place to an
+intensely hot noon, and that the exertion of climbing and searching had
+caused the perspiration to stream from my forehead. But at last my
+sixty years asserted their right. I began to be tired and to feel very
+thirsty, as the sound of church bells ascended from the valley. I
+looked at my watch; twelve o'clock! More than six hours had I passed in
+unbroken labour, and surely a man of sixty had the right to be a little
+tired and to think of home, especially since all my boxes were well
+filled.
+
+I found myself in a dense forest at a considerable height above the
+little Church of St. Nikolas, but whether to the right or to the left
+of it I could not say, since I had walked along searching here and
+there, without a thought of the direction in which I was going. I might
+have informed myself as to this if I could have obtained a view of the
+valley, but the tall undergrowth made this impossible. There was
+nothing for it but to walk in the direction of Luttach, keeping to the
+right, down the mountain, and endeavouring to avoid any precipices,
+hoping thus to find the path in a roundabout way.
+
+If it were not so oppressively hot! The oaks, covered with the early
+foliage of spring, hardly afforded any depth of shade. They could not
+protect me from the burning rays of the midday sun. The thirst which
+tormented me grew more intense with every minute, and almost
+intolerable. I longed for one swallow of water. Surely I could not be
+far from some cottage. Fortunately, in the morning the Captain had
+taught me the most important word in the Slavonic tongue, _woda_,
+"water." This word formed my entire Slavonic vocabulary, but it would
+suffice to inform any Slav of my need.
+
+I strode on sturdily, keeping to the right down the mountain, and by
+good fortune encountered no precipice. After a little more than a
+quarter of an hour, I struck a footpath which wound about gently in the
+direction of Luttach. I pursued it, and I had proceeded but a few steps
+when in a little turn of the way I perceived a solitary pedestrian
+coming towards me. I immediately recognized the young man about whom
+there had been so lively a discussion in the Golden Grapevine, Franz
+Schorn. He was ascending the mountain path slowly, with eyes fixed
+gloomily on the ground. He did not see me until, when I was scarcely
+thirty steps from him, he suddenly raised his head as if listening.
+Then he started violently upon perceiving me. For a moment he seemed
+undetermined as to what he should do. He paused, regarded me darkly,
+then turned away, without a greeting, and in a moment more had vanished
+in the thick undergrowth of the forest.
+
+A very strange fellow! He need not have considered himself so strictly
+bound by his promise not to press his friendship upon me. He need not
+have grudged me a kindly greeting and a word or two. I should have
+liked to ask him about the nearest cottage where I could perhaps get a
+drink of water, but there was no help for it; I could not run after him
+and must find my way for myself.
+
+I pursued the footpath further. To my joy I soon found myself in the
+neighbourhood of a house, but as I approached it my joy turned to
+disappointment. All the windows--not only those of the ground floor,
+but those of the first story--were provided with strong iron bars, and
+I made sure that I had reached the _Lonely House_, whose possessor, old
+Pollenz, according to all that I had heard of him, could hardly be
+expected to show any civility to a hated German. Should I ask him for a
+drink of water? It would not be pleasant to be rudely refused so modest
+a request. If I had not been tortured with thirst, I would rather have
+continued upon my path to Luttach instead of asking any favour of the
+old usurer; but he could at most only return me a surly "No," so I
+determined to try it. On reaching the house, contrary to my expectation
+I found the front door wide open, although Mizka had told me that old
+Pollenz almost always kept it locked and would not open it until
+continued knocking had removed all suspicion of thieves.
+
+Uncertain whether or not to enter, I stood before the open door; it
+looked into a spacious hall running through the entire house, ending in
+another door which probably led into the courtyard. That I confronted
+the Lonely House was made certain by the huge iron bolts with which the
+door towards the courtyard was secured. A steep staircase leading to
+the upper story led from one side of the hall. Opposite the staircase
+was a door; and two other doors, one to the right, one to the left of
+the entrance, led into the inner rooms of the house; they were all
+closed.
+
+I entered and knocked modestly at the door on my left. No reply; no
+"Come in." I listened; there was not a sound to be heard; an uncanny
+stillness reigned throughout the house. I knocked again, more loudly,
+and then, after a pause, more loudly still for the third time. The
+sound of my knocking was so loud that it surely must have been heard
+within, but it met with no response. I waited in vain.
+
+A strange and uncomfortable sensation overcame me. I dreaded the Lonely
+House, where everything seemed dead. What folly! An old man should have
+more sense. I was ashamed of this strange and disagreeable sensation
+and turned towards the door on the right of the entrance. Perhaps my
+knock here might have a better result. No longer as modestly as before,
+I knocked loudly, and the door, which happened to be only ajar, opened
+slowly of itself. I cast one look into a spacious room, and staggered
+back, overcome by intense horror.
+
+There, almost in the centre of the apartment, a motionless figure lay
+upon the floor in a pool of blood, which had stained the white boards
+dark red. Such horror, such intense dread, seized me that my first
+thought was of flight as swift as my feet could carry me from this
+terrible sight; but the next moment I was ashamed of such cowardly
+fear. Perhaps the unfortunate man who lay there in his blood still
+lived. Perhaps I might help him. I overcame the paralyzing terror and
+entered the room.
+
+All that I saw there only increased my horror. No mortal help could
+avail the unfortunate man whose stiffened corpse lay before me. He had
+either killed himself, or had been horribly murdered. His throat was
+cut, and from the gaping wound dark drops of blood were still
+trickling. The pale, bloodless, distorted countenance was that of a
+dead man.
+
+Had there been a murder here! Had the old man's foreboding, always
+dwelling upon burglars and murderers, been fulfilled! Perhaps the
+murderer was still in the house. The horrible crime could not have been
+committed for long, for the blood had not yet congealed; some drops
+were still trickling from the wound.
+
+Horror seized me afresh. I looked timidly about me. It seemed to me the
+murderer might be near. Hastily I drew from my breast pocket my loaded
+revolver; I was safe from any attack and could look about me with less
+agitation.
+
+There was no doubt that a horrible crime had been committed here. There
+upon the floor, at some distance from the dead man, lay a bloody knife,
+near a large cabinet, the folding doors of which stood wide open.
+Several drawers had been drawn out and papers lay scattered upon the
+floor. The murderer had apparently been searching the cabinet for money
+or valuables, and had scattered about these papers.
+
+Had he been startled by my knocking and escaped! If so, he must have
+passed through the door which led on the left to an adjoining room, for
+the windows here were barred.
+
+I summoned all my courage to follow him, but there was no need, for the
+door leading outside was bolted and no one could have left the room by
+it. He must have escaped before I entered; he might be concealed
+somewhere near; but, again, he might have left the house, and, in his
+hasty flight, have forgotten to close the front door.
+
+What should I do? Ought I not to search the place? Yet if he were not
+there, all search would be unavailing, and if I found him, it would be
+foolhardy to wander about these unfamiliar rooms merely to expose
+myself to an attack. The murderer might deal a blow from behind which
+would make me and my revolver useless.
+
+It suddenly occurred to me that old Pollenz did not live alone in the
+house; that he had a daughter. Where was she! And where was the old
+servant of whom Mizka had told me? They had not heard my knocking, and
+yet it had been loud enough to resound through the entire building. Had
+they, in their endeavour to escape from the murderer, concealed
+themselves? Or--oh, horrible thought!--had they also fallen victims to
+the monster! On this point I must have certainty. If the assassin were
+still in the house, I could not leave the two women unprotected. My
+cowardly fear must be overcome; I must pursue the wretch. Humanity made
+my duty clear. With my revolver held ready and with a beating heart, I
+turned back to the bolted door, which I opened easily. I entered a
+spacious, dreary room. A bed against the wall, a table, a couple of
+wooden chairs, and two large closed wardrobes formed its entire
+furniture. Evidently it was the old man's sleeping room--a sordid
+apartment. Here I found nobody, and I continued my search. A second
+door in the room was unlocked. Through it I again entered the hall.
+Beneath the staircase was a door which evidently led to the cellar; it
+was closed by a massive bolt. Two other doors led from the hall to
+rooms on the left. I went to the first of these--the one at which I had
+knocked so loudly--opened it, and entered a large apartment much better
+furnished than the rooms which I had hitherto explored. It gave an
+impression of more comfort, and I was struck by its great cleanliness.
+By the window there was a work-table, upon which lay some sewing. A
+couple of flowers blooming in earthen pots stood on the window sill. A
+bed with snowy curtains stood against the wall opposite the window.
+
+Undoubtedly this was the sitting-room and bedchamber of the fair Anna,
+the daughter of the murdered man. Without delay I continued my search.
+A door opposite the bed was unlocked. Through it I entered the kitchen.
+Here also I found no one, and I returned to the hall.
+
+The four rooms of the ground floor had now been searched without
+result. With a calmer mind I mounted the steep staircase to the second
+story. Here I found rooms similar to those below. They were all
+unlocked and appeared to be used partly for old rubbish. In one of them
+there was a bed, probably that of the old servant.
+
+I had found nothing. It seemed useless to ascend to the garret, so I
+went down to the room in which the murdered man lay, to consider what
+steps I should take next.
+
+My fear lest the daughter and the maid had been the murderer's victims
+had proved groundless. Neither of them was in the house. The monster
+had probably profited by their absence to kill and rob the old man,
+whom he knew to be alone. Any longer stay in this terrible abode seemed
+useless. Of course I must inform the proper authorities of the murder,
+and it was my plain duty to do this as soon as possible. I ought not to
+linger longer in the Lonely House. Everything must be left lying as it
+was to await the legal investigation. I could do no good to the dead
+man by remaining. I ought to proceed to Luttach as quickly as my feet
+could carry me to inform the District Judge of my terrible discovery.
+On, then, to Luttach and the District Judge! Suddenly, by a strange
+chain of ideas, the memory awoke in me of Franz Schorn as he was coming
+from the Lonely House, with eyes gloomily downcast, in the forest path;
+of how he started when he saw me before he fled away through the
+undergrowth. Franz Schorn came from the house of his mortal enemy. I
+shuddered. Had I met the murderer fresh from the cruel deed? Had not
+the old man who lay there in his blood always feared him? Had not Mizka
+yesterday evening told me that Franz was a rough, morose fellow, who
+might be readily suspected of taking the life of his mortal enemy?
+
+This was a dreadful suspicion, but not without foundation; and, at all
+events, it seemed to be my duty to inform the Judge as quickly as
+possible of my meeting with Franz Schorn. I hastily left the scene of
+the crime, not casting another glance behind me. I breathed more freely
+when I emerged from the gloomy hall into the brilliant sunshine. No
+longer under the spell of the ghastly spectacle, I could consider more
+calmly what was to be done. My first determination, however, remained
+unaltered. It was my plain duty to hasten to Luttach by the nearest way
+and there report to the District Judge. The nearest way, as the Captain
+had told me in the morning, was by the rocks. I could not miss it; I
+saw it clearly before me. A broad, well-worn path went directly from
+the Lonely House probably to the outlying cottages of the village of
+Oberberg. Another, narrow and overgrown, led in the direction of
+Luttach, and, at first, in a gentle incline down the mountain. This
+must be the footpath, then, which further on became the narrow way,
+over the rocks leading directly to the inn, which the Captain had
+described to me as perilous. Ought I to expose myself to the danger of
+a fall! The descent was more difficult than the ascent. The rocky way
+was at least the nearer by fifteen minutes. I had certainly climbed up
+and down more dangerous places among rocks in order to procure a rare
+caterpillar. I was now upon a far more important errand, and ought to
+reach Luttach quickly. It is foolish to expose oneself to unnecessary
+danger, but the man who shuns it when something important is at stake
+is a miserable coward. I delayed no longer. One glance over my shoulder
+I cast. The door of the Lonely House was wide open. Any passer-by might
+enter. Surely it was wrong to leave it open for more than an hour
+without any guard. Could I lock it! The key might still be in the lock.
+I approached it once more, I confess with great reluctance. The silence
+as of the grave which reigned within filled me with horror, but I
+overcame this weakness. My expectation was confirmed; the large house
+key was still there. I locked the door, and taking the key could now
+pursue my way, sure that for the next hour no passer-by could enter. I
+hurried down the narrow way leading to the rocky abyss; it was a
+charming path. The view of the valley was enchanting; I had no eyes for
+it; I saw nothing of the wealth of rare mountain plants blooming on
+either side, nothing of the gorgeous peonies which now and then
+projected their red blossoms almost from the very rock. My thoughts
+still clung to the Lonely House and the gloomy room where lay the dead
+man. I encountered not a single human being as I hurried along. At
+length the little town lay directly below me. I must descend over the
+dangerous rocks. I looked about me searchingly; it was not easy to find
+the narrow, untrodden footway, but it soon became plain to my practised
+eye. Without hesitation I strode down from stone to stone, partly
+leaping, knowing that a false step would cost me my life; but my
+training among the mountains made my footing sure, and after a few
+minutes I stood at the garden gate of the inn.
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER III.
+                        THE PROFESSOR'S RETURN.
+
+
+"Dinner has been waiting for you ever so long, Herr Professor," called
+Frau Franzka to me as I entered the kitchen, but hardly had I
+approached her before she clasped her hands above her head with "Holy
+Virgin, how you look! How pale! How distressed, and how dripping with
+perspiration! Why, large drops are falling from your hair; no one can
+climb about the mountains in the hottest part of the day. The District
+Judge----"
+
+"Is the District Judge at home!" I broke in.
+
+"Yes; he came home about a quarter of an hour ago. I did not see him,
+but I heard him going upstairs. He is in his room and is probably
+dressing. The Herr Professor ought also to go to his room and dress.
+You will take cold in your damp clothes."
+
+I scarcely heard the last words. I hurried up the three flights of
+stairs and in the passage looked about me for the door marked No.
+12--the District Judge's sitting room. I knocked at the door; no
+answer. I knocked more loudly; there came from within, as from an
+adjoining room, "Who's there?"
+
+"Professor Dollnitz. I must see you with regard to a matter of great
+importance, Herr Foligno."
+
+"I pray you just wait for a few minutes. I am dressing, but I'll be
+ready immediately."
+
+I had to wait. Whilst I stood motionless before the door I suddenly
+became conscious of the intolerable thirst which, more than half an
+hour before, had driven me to the Lonely House. During my great
+excitement I had not been conscious of any physical need, but now in
+the first moments of quiet it attacked me with double violence. I was
+perfectly exhausted--almost fainting. Fortunately on the table in the
+passage there stood a carafe half filled with water. It must have been
+there for hours; the water was lukewarm, but I drank it eagerly and it
+gave me the refreshment of which I stood in need. I was as one new
+born.
+
+I had to wait at least five minutes. The time seemed very long to me.
+At last the door opened and the District Judge appeared in a new and
+very elegant summer suit. His thin, sallow face had not attracted me on
+the previous evening, and now as he received me with a forced friendly
+smile I liked it still less.
+
+"Forgive me for keeping you so long, Herr Professor," he said, "but I
+could not open the door before; I was, to speak frankly, entirely
+undressed when you knocked. I was obliged to change my clothes because,
+in your interest, I have had quite a fatiguing walk on the mountain. I
+am a little of a botanist--only a layman--but I am interested in
+botany, and I was desirous to surprise the learned Herr Professor with
+some rare plants whose habitat I knew. It cost me an effort to obtain
+them, and even a little danger; I had a fall which gave me a slight
+wound in my hand, but it is very insignificant, scarcely worth
+mentioning, since I have procured what I desired. Here they are." With
+his left hand (his right was wrapped in a white handkerchief) he took
+some orchids from the table before the sofa and handed them to me. They
+were of a beautiful and rare species, and at any other time would have
+given me the keenest delight, but at this moment I scarcely looked at
+them.
+
+"I must reserve my thanks for a time," I said gravely, "the terrible
+intelligence which I bring to you, Herr Foligno, as the foremost
+official in the town, will admit of no delay. I come directly from the
+Lonely House--the scene of a horrible murder and robbery."
+
+The District Judge recoiled as from a sudden blow. Pallor as of death
+overspread his sallow face. His mouth twitched; his eyes became glazed
+and fixed on me with a look wherein gleamed downright fear and absolute
+dismay.
+
+"You came from the Lonely House--a murder and robbery! Incredible!" he
+stammered. Terror so mastered him that he could scarcely utter these
+few words.
+
+"What I tell you is only too true," I replied, and then in the fewest
+words I related what I had seen and how I had closed the open door and
+hurried to Luttach in order to make him, as the chief authority of the
+place, acquainted with the fearful crime.
+
+During my short narrative he was struggling to regain his composure and
+succeeded. He listened with his gaze fixed gloomily upon the floor.
+When I finished, he cast upon me a searching, piercing glance, and his
+voice trembled as he said, "Did you find no trace of the murderer! Did
+you see no one in the neighbourhood of the Lonely House!"
+
+On my way down the mountain it had been clear to me that it was my duty
+to report my meeting with Franz Schorn, but when the District Judge put
+this question to me, I suddenly felt a decided reluctance to inform him
+of it. This man was Schorn's mortal enemy. Ought I to make him a sharer
+of my suspicion, which had been aroused by nothing but a chance
+encounter?
+
+Still more searching and still more penetrating was the glance the
+District Judge bestowed upon me as I hesitated to reply.
+
+"Did you see no one in the neighbourhood of the house, or upon the path
+towards it!" he asked once more.
+
+As Judge he had a right to put the question and I ought to tell him the
+truth. As I reflected thus, I overcame my reluctance and replied.
+
+"I did encounter a man not far from the Lonely House in the forest, but
+I cannot think myself justified in suspecting him of evil." I then
+described accurately my meeting with Franz Schorn.
+
+He listened in silence, his eyes still fixed on the floor. When I
+finished, he said with emotion, extending his left hand to me: "I thank
+you, Herr Professor; your report may be of the first importance for the
+discovery of the murderer, but it may also subject an innocent man to a
+horrible suspicion. As long as there is no evidence against a man
+except that he was seen in the neighbourhood of the scene of a murder,
+nothing would justify his being suspected of what, even as a mere
+suspicion, might darken his whole future life. Therefore, let me
+request you to allow me to consider your account of your meeting with
+Herr Franz Schorn as a matter personal to myself and confidential, not
+official. I shall then not be forced to include it in a short account
+which I must write out of your information."
+
+"You surprise me, Herr Foligno."
+
+"I suppose so, and I owe you an explanation of my request. Herr Franz
+Schorn is my bitter enemy and I have never concealed my dislike of him.
+You were a witness yesterday evening of my quarrel with Captain Pollenz
+and my clerk. Precisely on this account I do not wish to include in my
+official paper a suspicion which I myself hold to be entirely
+groundless. I promise you that I will neglect nothing that will lead to
+the discovery of the murderer, that I will investigate every step which
+Herr Schorn has taken to-day, and will have him watched by a thoroughly
+competent detective. If he is guilty, I shall discover his guilt; but I
+do not believe he is so, and because I am his foe I will not attach any
+suspicion to him which, while the true murderer remains undiscovered,
+might ruin his life, merely because at the time of the murder he had
+been seen near the scene of the crime. Promise me, Herr Professor, that
+you will tell no one at present of your meeting with Franz Schorn.
+Should there be other and more important grounds for suspecting him, I
+shall request you to give me your account officially."
+
+I pressed the Judge's hand cordially, and joyfully gave him the promise
+for which he asked. How unjustly I had judged this man! How I had
+misunderstood him! I was ashamed of the reluctance I had felt to tell
+him of my meeting with Franz Schorn.
+
+"I must now make out a short official account of your information," the
+District Judge continued. "You can hardly believe how difficult this is
+for me. Your account has agitated me so profoundly that I can scarcely
+control myself. I was very familiar with old Pollenz. He had indeed
+many disagreeable qualities. Toward others he was often hard and
+unyielding, but I never had anything to complain of in his behaviour to
+me. He has often shown me favours. He was indeed almost a friend, and
+now I must prepare a paper which shall show him to be the victim of a
+horrible crime, which I must take the first steps to investigate. It
+must be done. It is my duty. In spite of the pain which my right hand
+gives me in writing, I will do it immediately."
+
+He took a sheet of paper; pens and ink were at hand, and seated himself
+on the sofa behind the large table to write. His hand could not have
+been very painful, for it did not prevent his writing swiftly and
+clearly. Now and then, without interrupting his writing, he addressed
+some brief, leading question to me, and in scarcely ten minutes the
+paper was finished. He read it aloud to me. It was wonderfully concise
+and clear, without saying one word too much or too little, and I signed
+it without an alteration. After he had added his own signature, he
+said, "I must now beg you, Herr Professor, to accompany me to the
+Lonely House. I shall immediately summon my assistant, as well as the
+District Physician and the captain of gendarmes, to inspect the
+premises. You, too, Herr Professor, must be present. You must testify
+that nothing in the house has been altered in your absence. This is
+important for further investigation. Can I count upon you!"
+
+"Most certainly."
+
+"Then pray hold yourself in readiness. In half an hour, at the latest,
+I shall have notified the other gentlemen. The time of waiting, if I
+may advise you, should be employed by you in strengthening yourself
+with food and drink. Yon may not feel the need of refreshment at
+present, but we have some sad hours before us."
+
+How kind and thoughtful! I certainly had cause to ask pardon in my
+heart of the District Judge for the prejudice he had created.
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER IV.
+                           THE INVESTIGATION.
+
+
+It was four o'clock in the afternoon when Herr Foligno called for me in
+the dining-room, where I was sitting with the Captain. It had taken him
+almost an hour to assemble those who were to inspect the scene of the
+murder in the Lonely House. I had informed the Captain, a near relative
+of the murdered man, of my terrible discovery, and he had been deeply
+moved. He said:
+
+"I was never intimate with old Pollenz, although he was my first
+cousin. He was a hard usurer and a miser. He loved no one in the world
+save his daughter, but that his end has been so horrible is certainly
+very sad. Poor child, my dear little Anna! How will she bear this
+fearful shock! I saw her about twelve o'clock here in Luttach with her
+old maid, Johanna. She had been paying a visit to an aged aunt, and she
+is probably still there. I must see if it be so. I do not willingly
+visit the malicious old gossip, but if Anna is still with her, I must
+go to prepare the poor child for the sad news that awaits her."
+
+He sent Mizka to old Frau Lancic's, and in a few minutes she returned
+to say that Fraeulein Anna had been with the widow, but that she had
+left about a quarter of an hour before to make some purchases in the
+village and then to return home.
+
+Upon hearing this, the Captain determined to accompany the officials to
+the Lonely House, for which he received permission from the District
+Judge.
+
+Soon after four o'clock we began our walk; not by the steep rocky path,
+which was rather too difficult for the old District Physician, and
+might prove dangerous, but in accordance with the Judge's directions,
+by the longer way past the village of Oberberg.
+
+We could make but slow progress, for the heat was still oppressive. The
+old physician gasped and panted as we ascended the mountain. The Judge
+with kindly consideration, begged him to walk slowly, although he
+himself was trembling with impatience to reach our goal.
+
+We met various people on the way. They greeted us politely and looked
+after us with surprise. Intelligence of the murder had not yet reached
+the village of Oberberg, and people could not imagine what so many
+persons, accompanied by the captain of gendarmes, could have to do in
+the little village. I walked first with the Captain. The Judge and his
+clerk followed, and, naturally, very little was said as we pursued our
+way; all were oppressed by a sense of what lay before them.
+
+We had turned into the path by the crucifix leading on the left to the
+Lonely House, and were but a short distance from the spot to which we
+were tending, when the Captain suddenly stood still and said in a
+faltering voice, "There comes my poor little Anna."
+
+She came towards us hurriedly from the Lonely House. She was called
+pretty Anna in the country round, and indeed she deserved the name. I
+have scarcely ever in my long life seen so beautiful a girl. Even her
+expression of intense anxiety could not distort her charming face. When
+she recognized the Captain she flew towards him.
+
+"Oh, uncle, my dear kind uncle, thank God you are here!" she cried. "I
+am dying with anxiety; my father will not open the door. For a quarter
+of an hour Johanna and I have been knocking in vain. Something must
+have happened to him, or he would hear us and open the door for us."
+
+The Captain put his arm round the lovely child and pressed a kiss upon
+her white forehead. "My poor little girl!" he murmured. His voice
+failed him; he could say no more; his eyes filled with tears; he tried
+to control himself, but the compassion which he felt for the girl in
+his arms was too intense; it mastered him; he could hardly utter a
+word.
+
+"Good heavens! What has happened?" cried Anna, extricating herself from
+the Captain's embrace and gazing at him, her large black eyes dilated
+with horror. "You call me your poor girl? There are tears in your eyes.
+For God's sake tell me what it means! Has anything happened to my
+father? Oh, answer me, uncle! I would rather hear the worst than suffer
+such suspense."
+
+The Judge answered instead of the Captain, who could not control his
+voice. "Compose yourself, Fraeulein Anna," he said with grave
+kindliness, "you need all your courage, all your self-control to endure
+the misfortune which God has sent to you. Unfortunately your anxiety is
+justified. Something has indeed happened to your father, my lifelong
+friend."
+
+"He is dead!" the girl cried, with what was almost a shriek; overcome
+with grief, she tottered and would have fallen to the ground if the
+Captain had not thrown his arms about her. The Judge took her hand with
+deep sympathy, but she snatched it away and pushed him from her with a
+gesture expressive of the most profound aversion.
+
+"Do not touch me; I hate, I despise you!" she cried, as she cast
+herself again into the Captain's arms. "Uncle, my dear kind uncle, you
+tell me what has happened. I can hear the worst from you, but not from
+that man."
+
+The Judge, thus rudely repulsed, was deeply offended, but was too
+magnanimous--his pity for the unfortunate girl was too profound to
+admit of his expressing his resentment by a harsh word.
+
+"You do me bitter wrong, Fraeulein Anna," he said gently. "I sympathize
+sincerely with your pain, but I will not thrust my pity upon you. I
+pray you, Captain, to inform her as mercifully as possible of what has
+happened."
+
+It was a hard task for the Captain, but it was his duty to fulfil it.
+He motioned to the Judge and to myself to withdraw for a few steps, and
+then took Anna's arm in his and, walking on before us, spoke to her in
+the most sympathetic and loving way. He told me afterwards that in all
+his life he had never had so hard a duty to perform. He searched in
+vain for kindly words to soften the horror; he feared that the delicate
+girl could hardly endure the frightful truth which he was forced to
+tell her; but to his great surprise Anna showed a remarkable degree of
+composure. She had not succumbed, he said, to pain and grief; she had
+become ghastly pale and her dark eyes had gleamed with a strange
+flickering fire, as, almost in a whisper, not to him, but to herself,
+she had murmured, "Foully murdered and robbed; murdered for the sake of
+his wretched money. He sacrificed his soul and now has given his
+life for money." She shed no tear; her grief was too great, too
+heart-breaking; but she trembled violently; her little hand shook as it
+rested on her uncle's arm, and as he put his arm round her and tenderly
+drew her to him, he could feel the violent beating of her heart. He
+told her everything that he had heard from me. When he had finished,
+she looked at him with flaming eyes.
+
+"The vile murderer will be discovered," she said in a hoarse voice; "I
+trust in God's justice."
+
+Her composure was really remarkable, and gave great cause for anxiety.
+I had lingered behind with the Judge and his clerk. We slowly followed
+the Captain and Anna about twenty steps in the rear.
+
+"I certainly am most unfortunately situated," said the Judge, turning
+to me confidentially. "You heard the harsh words which the poor girl,
+half crazed with pain and horror, spoke to me. I know what those words
+mean. I am well aware that Fraeulein Anna is prejudiced against me. She
+thinks that the hostility which her father showed to Herr Franz Schorn
+was partly my fault. That she does so is well known in Luttach, and I
+commit no indiscretion in telling you that there is an attachment
+between Fraeulein Anna and Herr Schorn, of which old Pollenz
+disapproved. Fraeulein Anna knows that Herr Schorn is my bitter enemy.
+She has sided with him against me, but that her prejudice is as intense
+as the words she has just spoken testify, I confess surprises me. Never
+before have I seen in her the least sign of dislike. Imagine my
+position. My official duty compels me to play the part of a
+disinterested investigator. I cannot spare her pain, but I shall have
+to subject her, with her old maid, to an examination. I must inquire
+how it happened that the Lonely House was left unlocked, perhaps by
+herself; every child in Luttach knows that old Pollenz always locked
+the front door securely. I would give much, very much, to spare the
+young lady this examination."
+
+"If you would depute me to make it, Judge, such an act on your part
+would be entirely justified by the peculiar relations in which you
+stand to Fraeulein Anna Pollenz." The Clerk uttered these words very
+quietly and in a businesslike tone, but the District Judge was not
+pleased. He cast a sinister glance at the Clerk and asked, "What do you
+mean by peculiar relations, sir?"
+
+"Nothing but what you yourself indicated, and what, to use your own
+words, every child in Luttach is familiar with," was the quiet reply.
+
+"You allude to the foolish gossip which makes me the young girl's
+rejected suitor? There is not one word of truth in it."
+
+"Then old Pollenz lied, for he stated this, not as a secret, but quite
+openly, in Luttach. At all events, such a report does exist, and it
+will be confirmed unless you make use of your right to depute to me the
+examination of the young lady."
+
+"No, that I will not do. My standard of official duty is too exalted to
+permit my neglecting it out of regard for my own feelings. I might
+perhaps take your advice if I were forced to play the part of examiner
+during the entire legal process, which must ensue upon this murder,
+but, fortunately, that is not so; only the preliminaries are our duty.
+Capital crimes," the Judge said turning to me, "do not come within the
+domain of the District Judge. They are the business of the tribunal of
+the country. Subsequent investigations will take place in Laibach. The
+preliminary examination alone is my task, which, whatever it may cost
+me, I will fulfil."
+
+The Clerk made no reply; he simply bowed in sign that he had no further
+remarks to offer. We now reached the goal of our wanderings. The Lonely
+House stood before us. The Captain and Anna were standing near the
+locked door, and upon a wooden bench beside it sat an old woman, old
+Johanna, "The only servant of the house," the Judge whispered to me.
+The Captain had just told her of the murder of her master. Paralyzed
+with horror, incapable of speech, she was gazing up at him. When she
+tried to rise, she sank back helplessly. The Judge opened the front
+door with the key which I had given him.
+
+Scarcely had he done so when Anna released herself from the Captain's
+arm and would have been the first to rush into the house, had not the
+Judge barred her way.
+
+"Let me go," cried Anna. "I must go to my poor father. You dare not
+hold me back."
+
+She would have pressed past him, but he prevented her from doing so,
+and with quiet resolve, in a perfectly judicial manner, said, "You must
+not see your father yet, Fraeulein Anna. My official duty compels me to
+exclude you from the room in which the crime has been committed until
+it has been thoroughly searched. The traces which the murderer has
+perhaps left behind must not be interfered with. You must either stay
+here outside, or, if you wish, wait in your own room until it is
+permitted you to see your father. Captain Pollenz, I pray you to remain
+with your relative and to prevent Fraeulein Anna from making an attempt
+to disturb the investigation by going into the murdered man's room. I
+cannot permit it."
+
+Anna retired. As the Judge forbade our entrance into the house, her
+eyes seemed to flash with anger, but she controlled herself, only
+bestowing upon Herr Foligno a glance of dislike and antipathy.
+
+"I obey," she said, recovering her composure wonderfully. "I will wait
+in my room with Johanna and my uncle. You shall have nothing to
+reproach me with. I pray _you_, sir," she said, turning to the Clerk;
+"I entreat _you_ to search, investigate. The blood of my poor father
+cries to heaven. I must doubt its justice should you not succeed in
+discovering the ruthless murderer."
+
+"Rest assured, Fraeulein Anna, that I shall leave nothing undone----"
+
+"I did not address you," Anna interrupted the Judge; "I entreat _you_,
+the assistant, to fulfil your duty; search for the murderer, whoever he
+may be, deliver him to the vengeance of the law. I trust you. You will
+not be influenced by fear or considerations of any kind. Do not answer
+me; I trust you; I know you will do everything to discover the
+criminal, even though you do not promise me. Come uncle, come Johanna,
+we will wait in my room."
+
+While Anna was speaking, Herr Foligno's expression was, strangely
+enough, that of timidity and embarrassment; his lips moved; he seemed
+to wish to reply but could not. He retreated silently, as Anna, without
+looking in his direction, passed him. She entered the room at the left
+of the hall, her own apartment, and the Captain and the old maid, still
+half paralyzed with terror, followed her silently.
+
+The Clerk also made no reply to Anna's strange words; he had been much
+astonished by them, as were all who heard them. With a keen searching
+look he regarded the Judge. Not until the door had closed behind Anna
+and the Captain did he say, whispering so softly that only I and the
+Judge could hear, "If you do not feel sufficiently well, Herr Foligno,
+to undertake the examination and will delegate me to conduct it, I am
+quite ready to do so."
+
+"No, no," the Judge replied in as low a tone. Aloud he said, "Follow
+me, gentlemen. We must begin our melancholy task."
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER V.
+                      THE INVESTIGATION CONTINUED.
+
+
+Among all the tragic and even terrible recollections which live in my
+memory, and of which my life has perhaps had more than its share, the
+most terrible is that of the first few days of my stay in Luttach. Even
+now they sometimes disturb my sleep at night. In dreams, I am once more
+in the spacious, dreary room of the Lonely House, with the stiffened
+corpse of the murdered man before me on the floor. The sunlight through
+the window falls upon his pale face with its distorted features. I see
+the terrible wound, and the hard, rasping voice of the District
+Physician strikes upon my ear as with professional calmness he examines
+the wound and with all the indifference with which he would discuss the
+commonest affair of business, explains that any suspicion of suicide is
+out of the question, coldly pointing out to us bystanders, grouped
+about the body, our faces pale and awed, the numerous wounds of which
+any one would have been mortal, and endeavouring with perfect calmness
+to prove that the murderer had first attacked his victim from behind,
+and had finally cut the throat to make sure that the deed was complete.
+I still hear in dreams the clear, incisive words showing that the
+murderer must certainly have been intimately acquainted with the
+murdered man's ways, and that in order to avoid any possibility of the
+old man's divulging his name with his dying breath, he had inflicted
+the last gaping wound.
+
+Fearful as had been the impression made upon me in the morning by my
+discovery, it had not so curdled my blood with horror as did this
+examination of the body. The necessity for action, the danger which
+possibly threatened me from the murderer concealed in the house, had
+strengthened and quickened me in the morning; but now, when I was
+forced to stand by, an inactive spectator of this terrible scene, the
+whole horror of the affair for the first time presented itself to my
+consciousness.
+
+The absence of all emotion, the inflexible indifference of the District
+Physician, who, as I learned from the Clerk, had been the friend and
+physician of old Pollenz, deepened the impression which rendered me
+almost incapable of connected thought.
+
+I was a prey during the entire investigation to intense nervous
+agitation. I saw and heard everything that went on around me so clearly
+that the smallest detail remains stamped upon my memory, but I was
+incapable of connected thought, of drawing conclusions from what I
+heard and saw. This I was able to do only later when removed from the
+spell thus thrown around me. The investigation produced a most
+agitating effect upon the Clerk also, and in especial upon the Judge,
+but they could not leave, and were obliged to fulfil their official
+duty. The Clerk was very pale, but quiet and composed throughout; but
+the Judge was obliged to exert all his self-control to conquer his
+excitement, while the physician, still handling the body, demonstrated
+with great clearness, almost as if he had been a witness of it, the
+manner in which the murder had been committed.
+
+But however intense his emotion, the Judge proved himself equal to the
+task his office imposed upon him. When the time came to search the room
+he displayed the greatest care and circumspection. The bloody knife
+lying upon the floor at some distance from the body was, of course, the
+first object of his notice.
+
+"There lies the weapon with which the deed was committed," he cried.
+"Fortunately, the murderer has left it behind. It may afford a clue in
+his detection."
+
+But this hope proved to be unfounded. The Clerk testified that the
+knife was the same which old Pollenz had always carried as a weapon of
+defense. Whereupon the Judge confirmed what he said; he had seen the
+knife in his friend's possession, and recognized it, but doubtless it
+was the weapon with which the crime was committed. "Most certainly,"
+the Judge added, with keen observation, "the murderer must have
+snatched it from the old man as he tried to defend himself, and in so
+doing caused a struggle; the knife must have wounded the murderer in
+the hand, since its handle is stained with blood. We shall undoubtedly
+find further traces of his bleeding hand there in the cabinet which he
+broke open, and from which he scattered the papers lying about."
+
+The Judged supposition proved correct. Inside the cabinet, as well as
+upon the open drawers, there were distinct traces of bloody fingers,
+and they were also found upon some of the papers strewn on the floor,
+which the murderer had taken from the cabinet but tossed aside as
+useless.
+
+It was in this cabinet, as the Judge and the physician both testified,
+that old Pollenz had kept his money and papers of value. The murderer
+must have been familiar with this place of deposit, for he had opened
+only those drawers used for the purpose. The others, which contained
+receipted bills and worthless papers, had not been opened. The closest
+search failed to discover either money or papers of value, such as
+promissory notes or similar documents. All such had been abstracted. On
+the other hand, an old gold watch, a heavy gold snuffbox, both articles
+of value, remained untouched.
+
+"The murderer is no common thief or burglar," the Judge said calmly.
+"Such an one would not have despised valuable articles like these."
+
+"Certainly not," the physician added; "my firm belief is that he was an
+intimate acquaintance of old Pollenz. None other would have opened
+those drawers unless they knew they would reward a search."
+
+"Unfortunately, this is the only hint we have to put us upon the trace
+of the criminal," the Judge said in a tone of disappointment. "Our
+melancholy investigation has had no result of value."
+
+This was indeed so. The murderer had left the Lonely House without
+leaving any traces except those of his bleeding hand. In spite of the
+most careful search, nothing further was discovered. The Judge set down
+in his deposition all that had been done. It was as clear and well
+composed as that which he had written previously in his room. I
+confirmed his report that I had found the Lonely House and in especial
+the room in which the crime had been committed in the same condition in
+which I had left it. It now remained for the Judge to fulfil the
+hardest part of his task. He was obliged to examine the daughter and
+the old servant of the murdered man. He evidently feared to meet with
+difficulties caused by the aversion to him which the fair Anna had so
+openly expressed, but it was necessary to make this examination in
+order to find some explanation of the surprising fact that the Lonely
+House, usually so carefully locked, should have been left wide open at
+midday.
+
+The Judge's fear, however, proved to be groundless. He found Anna in
+her room, wonderfully quiet and composed. She immediately declared
+herself ready to be examined, and only asked that the Captain, the
+Clerk and myself should be the sole witnesses present. The Judge
+willingly granted this request, and every difficulty was removed. She
+testified that she had that day had her breakfast as usual with her
+father at eleven o'clock, and, close upon twelve, had left the Lonely
+House with Johanna to make some purchases in Luttach, and at the same
+time to visit her old aunt. Her father, as usual, accompanied her to
+the front door and locked and bolted it behind her. It was his custom
+when left alone in the house to bolt himself into his sitting-room.
+Whenever any one knocked at the front door, he always first made sure
+of his visitor by looking out of the window, and, when he was alone,
+never allowed a stranger to cross his threshold. Even acquaintances in
+whom perchance he did not repose entire confidence were always
+dismissed by him from the window. He did not even open the door for
+them. As to her father's property in papers of value and money, Anna
+knew nothing. Her father had never talked with her about his pecuniary
+circumstances. She could not possibly tell of how much he had been
+robbed.
+
+With perfect composure Anna gave her testimony, but, when in conclusion
+the Judge asked her if she had met any one upon her way to Luttach, the
+colour suddenly mounted to her cheek and as quickly left it, and her
+"no" was by no means so clear and decided as had been her earlier
+report. She blushed still more deeply when the Judge asked if her
+father had any special mistrust of any of his acquaintances, and
+assured her that what she should say would be entirely confidential,
+even if there should be nothing in her reply to arouse suspicion.
+
+"I will not answer this question," Anna replied, after she had stood
+for a moment with downcast eyes. "No one in the world has a right to
+ask such a question, and you least of all."
+
+To this declaration she adhered, and the Judge was obliged to finish
+his deposition without learning anything further from her. The
+examination of old Johanna also produced no further result.
+
+Thus the examination ended, and the Judge could no longer refuse to
+allow the daughter to see her father's body. Conducted by Captain
+Pollenz, Anna entered the old man's sleeping-room, where the captain of
+gendarmes and the physician had laid the murdered man upon the bed. The
+Captain afterwards told me that the composure shown by the young girl
+at the terrible sight had filled him with genuine admiration. She
+kneeled beside the bed on which the corpse had been laid. She took the
+cold, stiff hand in hers and kissed it, while tears rolled over her
+cheeks. The Captain would have said a few words to comfort her, but she
+interrupted him.
+
+"Let my grief have way, uncle," she said sadly; "you do not know what I
+have lost in him. He was harsh to every one else, but he loved me with
+all his heart, me only in the world, and I am perhaps the cause of his
+death. This it is that fills me almost with despair. The thought that I
+may be guilty of his death is almost unendurable."
+
+"How can you think such a thing, my child?" the Captain asked, much
+startled.
+
+"I cannot explain it to you, uncle," Anna continued, kissing the dead
+man's hand again and again. "It is perhaps only a foolish thought, but
+it arose in my mind when I heard how cruelly my father had been
+murdered, and I cannot banish it. I dare not share it with any one, not
+even with you, my dear, kind uncle. I commit an injustice perhaps in
+not being able to banish it. I know nothing, nothing which gives me the
+right to entertain it. It is only a vague, fearful foreboding,
+oppressing my heart all the more because I must bear it all alone and
+can share it with no one in the world."
+
+The girl refused all explanation of her mysterious words. For a long
+while she silently knelt by the bed, holding the dead man's hand in
+hers, but at last she rose and followed the Captain to her room,
+in which we--that is, the Clerk, the Judge, the physician, and
+myself--were awaiting her. During Anna's absence with the Captain we
+had been discussing the future of the young girl. It was impossible
+that she should remain with the old servant and the murdered man alone
+in the Lonely House. We had therefore determined to take her back with
+us to Luttach. The physician had kindly offered to give her an asylum
+as a guest in his house. His wife, he told us, was very fond of the
+fair Anna; she would rejoice most heartily to show any loving service
+to the unfortunate child. Anna could not possibly live with her old,
+peevish Aunt Laucic, who was even a greater miser than old Pollenz. She
+would find none of the sympathy and love of which she stood in such
+need with that old dragon.
+
+The kindness and friendliness for the unfortunate young girl which
+prompted the words of the physician reconciled me to him. His
+businesslike indifference during the investigation had made me almost
+hate him, but now I acknowledged to myself that I had been unjust and
+that he was no cold and heartless man, but, on the contrary, a very
+kindly, benevolent old doctor.
+
+We had arranged everything as we thought for the best, but when Anna
+returned to us we found that our wise arrangements were entirely
+useless. She declared, with a decision remarkable in so young a girl,
+that she would not leave her father, but would stay beside him.
+
+In vain did we all entreat her, the Judge alone prudently refraining
+from doing so. We used our most eloquent powers of persuasion.
+
+In vain did the Captain add his voice, and in vain did the physician
+explain to her what an insufficient protection old Johanna would be in
+the Lonely House during the next night.
+
+"If Johanna is afraid, she can go with you to Luttach," she said. "I am
+not afraid to remain alone with my beloved dead."
+
+As she was immovable, we were obliged to comply. We could not force her
+to go with us to Luttach, but we did not leave her alone in the Lonely
+House, for the Captain declared he would not leave her; if she stayed,
+he would stay also; they could make up a bed quite comfortable enough
+for an old soldier.
+
+Anna was reluctant to accept this offer, but the Captain refused to
+withdraw it. He said he could be quite as obstinate as Anna herself,
+and thus he remained in the Lonely House, while we returned to Luttach.
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER VI.
+                           TWO WOUNDED HANDS.
+
+
+Both kitchen and dining-room in the "Golden Vine" were crowded with
+guests--a very unusual thing of a week-day. The report of the murder in
+the Lonely House had spread quickly, not only in the little town, but
+also in the surrounding villages, and, naturally, all were eager to
+hear further particulars, and could find no better place for gratifying
+this desire than in the inn, the home of the Judge, who was sure to be
+there in the evening.
+
+In the spacious kitchen, which was the gathering place of guests of the
+lower classes, peasants and small tradesmen, there was quite a crowd.
+Some were even obliged to drink their wine standing; all the benches
+and chairs were occupied. Here not a German word was to be heard; the
+talk was entirely in Slavonic; even around the hearth where Frau
+Franzka received her intimate friends, all spoke in that tongue.
+
+Nearly twenty men, principally petty tradesmen from Luttach, were
+sitting and standing around the huge hearth listening respectfully to
+Frau Franzka's words, who, as she cooked and broiled, was obliged
+to give all the details of the terrible deed which the "German
+fly-catcher"--such was the name that had already been bestowed upon me
+in Luttach--had discovered. When I passed through the kitchen to go to
+the dining-room, I was most politely and kindly greeted by all present,
+while they looked at me with undisguised curiosity.
+
+In the dining-room there was a far larger assembly than usual. All the
+tables were occupied, but principally the great round one at which the
+Burgomaster presided. All the gentlemen to whom I had been presented on
+the previous evening were present, with the exception of the Captain.
+The District Physician, two gentlemen (strangers to me), and, oddly
+enough, Franz Schorn, were also there; the last sat next the Judge's
+assistant.
+
+I had evidently been expected. A chair beside the District Judge had
+been reserved for me, and when I appeared--quite too late to suit the
+impatience of those present--I was cordially received. Even Franz
+Schorn rose from his seat, and when the other gentlemen offered me
+their hands, he held out his--not the right hand, but the left, like
+the Judge, who had protected his wounded hand with a black glove. I
+remarked that Franz Schorn did not use his right hand, but kept it
+concealed in the breast of his coat, which was closely buttoned.
+
+The conversation was hardly interrupted by my arrival. Naturally it had
+been concerning the murder in the Lonely House, and it so continued
+after I had taken my place at the table. It was to me that all
+inquisitive inquiries were now addressed--to me instead of to the Judge
+or his assistant or to the physician. I was obliged to relate all that
+I had seen. I was questioned about the smallest details; the most
+insignificant interested every one.
+
+The Judge, the assistant and Franz Schorn alone were silent. I could
+inform the two first of nothing new; there was no need for them to
+question me, and Franz Schorn probably did not wish to thrust himself
+forward with inquiries.
+
+It was evident, however, that he listened with intense interest to
+everything that I related. As I spoke I narrowly observed the behaviour
+of the Judge and of Franz Schorn, the two rivals. Herr Foligno appeared
+scarcely to hear what I was saying. His eyes were fixed gloomily on his
+wineglass, and he seemed to take no part in what was going on, but from
+time to time as he looked up I could see that he heard every word that
+I said. Franz Schorn kept his eyes riveted upon me as I spoke. The
+description of my first discovery of the murdered man evidently
+horrified him; he was more agitated by it than any of my other hearers.
+
+After I had ended my narrative, and it had been completed by the
+physician, the question of course was discussed as to who the murderer
+could be, whence he had come, how he had entered the locked house,
+whither he had fled, and what had been the amount of his robbery. In
+this discussion, however, the Judge and his assistant and Franz Schorn
+took no part, although they listened with close attention.
+
+The physician defended with much acuteness his own theory that only an
+intimate acquaintance of old Pollenz could have committed the crime; on
+the other hand, many present maintained that the murderer must be some
+Italian from Trieste, for neither in Luttach nor in the surrounding
+country was there a man capable of such a deed.
+
+During this discussion, to which Franz Schorn listened very
+attentively, the physician accidentally pushed aside the left arm of
+his neighbour--Franz Schorn--who dropped the cigar which he was holding
+in his hand and stooped to pick it up. As he did so, he instinctively
+drew from his bosom his right hand, which had hitherto been concealed
+by his coat. It was bound about with a white bandage, upon which were
+several spots of blood. He thrust it quickly into his breast again, but
+not before the physician had noticed the spots on the white linen.
+
+"Ah, Franz! What is the matter with your hand?" he asked kindly.
+
+"Nothing," Franz replied curtly; "a slight cut."
+
+"Slight! That can hardly be; if you have a bandaged hand and don't use
+it, it must be a tolerably deep cut. Of course, you have done nothing,
+as usual, but wrap a rag about it. You young people are incorrigible.
+You never reflect that the neglect of such cuts, which you consider
+insignificant, may cost you the hand itself. Take off the bandage; I
+want to see what it is."
+
+"It is nothing; a trifle, not worth mentioning."
+
+"All the more readily should you show it to me. You owe obedience to an
+old friend of your father's, you obstinate fellow; so off with your
+bandage; I wish to see the wound."
+
+"Certainly, if you insist," Franz replied, holding out his hand and
+unwinding the bandage. It did not come off easily, but adhered to the
+wound and a few drops of blood followed its removal.
+
+"A couple of good cuts," said the physician, examining the hand; "not
+dangerous; they will heal without any particular care if you spare your
+hand a little for a couple of days; but how did you get such strange
+cuts! Four fingers implicated, and another gash in the palm. It looks
+as if you had done it with a knife."
+
+"And so I did," Franz replied. "I was using a large knife in the
+vineyard to-day and laid it down upon a high wall; it fell and would
+have pierced my foot, if instead of shifting it, I had not foolishly
+grasped at the falling knife and seized the sharp blade instead of the
+handle. That is the whole story. Such slight cuts are not worth
+mentioning." He wrapped the bandage around his hand again and concealed
+it as before in the breast of his coat.
+
+"Such slight cuts are not worth mentioning," the young man had said,
+and it was true; they were insignificant. Nevertheless they aroused in
+me a chain of thought which filled me with dread. Involuntarily I
+thought of the bloody, dagger-like knife which I had seen in the Lonely
+House. If the murderer in his contest with the old man had endeavoured
+to take the knife from him and had accidentally seized it by the blade,
+his hand would have been wounded precisely as was that of Franz Schorn.
+Schorn had hitherto kept his right hand concealed. Why so? Did he wish
+to conceal the wound? An involuntary motion, an accident, had compelled
+him to show the bandaged hand, and it was with great reluctance that he
+had acceded to the physician's request.
+
+I looked at the District Judge. The same suspicion which had made me
+shudder had been aroused also in him. I could read it in the lowering,
+searching glance which he gave to the hand as Franz was wrapping it in
+the bandage again. When he looked up afterwards and his gaze met mine,
+his eyes were more eloquent than his tongue could have been. He slowly
+raised his hand in its black glove as if in token of our understanding
+each other. Strangely enough, his motion and his look had the effect of
+instantly banishing the dark suspicion that had been awakened within
+me. I had no right to entertain it. Had not the Judge himself also
+accidentally wounded his right hand this very day? Might I not have
+seen him also near the Lonely House, since he had been climbing among
+the rocks in search of flowers? No, it would be rank folly to found a
+suspicion with regard to Franz Schorn upon such accidental
+circumstances. That the young man seemed even more gloomy and
+preoccupied than on the previous evening, and that he scarcely uttered
+a word, furnished no grounds for any suspicion with regard to him. Must
+he not be deeply agitated by the terrible death of an old man with whom
+he stood in such close, although hostile, relations? I blamed myself
+for being so carried away by my indignation as to be ready to find in
+insignificant trifles an undue importance. Besides, with the exception
+of the Judge, whose duty it was to investigate all grounds of
+suspicion, no other member of the company had thought of connecting
+Franz Schorn's wounded hand with the murder. They all continued to
+converse freely; even the physician, so acute in piecing out evidence,
+who might have entertained some vague suspicion, had none at all; he
+had thought no possible evil of Franz, and continued to address him now
+from time to time as kindly and unreservedly as before. Still, this
+evening I was very uncomfortable among them all. Their continued talk,
+always of the same details, always of the horrible crime, increased my
+nervous agitation to an intolerable degree. It was impossible to change
+the subject of the conversation; it always reverted to the murder in
+the Lonely House.
+
+This perpetual return to the same horrible subject stretched me upon
+the rack; I could no longer endure it. As soon as I had finished my
+trout and my wine, I rose to withdraw to my room. The Judge followed my
+example, and rose also. After emptying his tall glass at a draught, he
+said he was tired and unhinged and needed to go to bed early after so
+terrible a day. His clerk and the physician, with several other
+gentlemen, courteously entreated me to stay at least for half an hour
+longer, it was so early. Without positive discourtesy I could not
+refuse their request, and ordered myself another glass of wine. The
+Judge followed my example, although no one had requested him to remain.
+In the short time that I stayed, barely half an hour, he drank two full
+glasses of wine, the last at a draught just as I arose and declined to
+remain longer.
+
+Together we ascended the stairs. Mizka preceded us with a candle. When
+we reached the landing in the first story, the Judge offered me his
+left hand in farewell.
+
+"Good-night, Herr Professor," he said aloud, adding in a whisper, "I
+fear I shall be obliged to ask you to-morrow to give me officially an
+account of your meeting with Herr Franz Schorn in the neighbourhood of
+the Lonely House." He looked around at Mizka, who was opening the door
+of my room, and as she entered it he continued, "A ground of suspicion
+such as the wound in his right hand compels me to abandon all personal
+considerations."
+
+Greatly startled, I replied, "Mere chance, Herr Foligno; you, too, have
+wounded your right hand to-day."
+
+My innocent words made him start as if I had struck him a blow in the
+face. I could not see his features, it was too dark on the landing; a
+weak ray of light coming from the open door of my room was the only
+illumination; but the quiver in his voice as he answered me after a
+pause of a second, betrayed the disastrous effect of my words.
+
+"You are perfectly right, Herr Professor; it may be 'mere chance.' I
+shall not proceed against Herr Schorn. I will even try to combat my
+suspicion of evil in him, my enemy, but it is my duty to search for
+further grounds of suspicion against him. That must be done in spite of
+my hostile feeling towards him. Good-night, Herr Professor."
+
+He pressed my hand once more, and we parted.
+
+Mizka was already busy in my room putting everything in order for the
+night. She was obliged to do this as quickly as possible, for the
+number of guests below in the dining-room and in the kitchen depended
+upon her services; but she could not forego a little gossip. She told
+me that before I had entered the dining-room this evening there had
+been quite a quarrel between the Judge and his assistant. They had been
+seated at the round table when Franz Schorn entered the room and looked
+around for a place. All the tables were full, and the Clerk had invited
+Schorn to sit beside him at the round table. This made the Judge
+violently angry, but the Clerk declared that the Judge had no more
+authority than any other guest in the dining-room of the inn. Franz
+Schorn would have retired, but the Clerk detained him, and the
+physician, who had been an old friend of Franz's dead father, had
+declared that he himself would stay only on condition of Franz's
+remaining, and would never again take his place at the round table if
+Herr Foligno denied a seat there to Franz. The Burgomaster, too, and
+the other gentlemen, who were not always friendly to Franz, now took
+his part, so that the Judge was obliged to yield, and Franz, induced by
+their persuasions, took his seat; but neither the Judge nor Franz after
+the quarrel had exchanged a word.
+
+What strange occurrences were these in this little country town! Even
+here, the few cultivated people, so circumscribed in their social
+relations, were divided by hatred and prejudice. I undressed myself
+and, with a memory of the gymnastic feats of my boyhood, clambered into
+my lofty bed. I was sadly in need of repose. The agitations of the day
+had been too much for my old body. They had exhausted my strength, and
+yet excitement of mind conquered bodily weariness. I could not sleep. I
+tried in vain to banish the memory of the dreadful scenes through which
+I had passed. I tried to think of it all with indifference; but what I
+had seen in the Lonely House scared away sleep, of which I had such
+sore need. Hours and hours passed. The time seemed eternal before at
+last I closed my weary eyes.
+
+And the Judge had the same experience; he could not sleep that night.
+As long as I lay awake in bed I heard the sound of his footsteps above
+me, as he paced his room to and fro restlessly. Surely the same
+memories were agitating him which denied me the blessing of slumber.
+The investigation at the Lonely House had not been the mere fulfilment
+of a duty for him, any more than it had been for the physician. The
+horror of it all had impressed him as profoundly as it had myself. It
+did not lessen my opinion of him that he should thus have preserved in
+the midst of his official duties a warm, sensitive heart.
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER VII.
+                           THE TWO REQUESTS.
+
+
+Again I awoke early in the morning. I did not need much sleep for
+physical refreshment, and although it had lasted but a few hours, I
+felt quite fresh and well. The beautiful morning should serve me for
+another expedition, and I wished to start as early as possible; in
+Southern Ukraine only the early morning hours are suitable for mountain
+walks and climbing. As long as the dew still glitters on the grass,
+wandering in the Ukraine mountains is indescribably delightful, but
+when the glowing sun has absorbed the last dewdrops, when its direct
+rays are reflected from gray rocks, when no breath of air fans the
+climber's cheek, mountain-climbing becomes altogether too hard a task
+for an old man. I finished my breakfast before six o'clock and was all
+ready for a start. Whither should I turn my steps! The forest above the
+Chapel of St. Nikolas allured me. I had found such entomological
+treasures there on the previous day that I surely could do nothing
+better than go thither again. I could not collect too many specimens of
+the grub of the _Saturnia caecigena_, for, unfortunately, I could not be
+sure that each larva would produce a butterfly. To St. Nikolas, then, I
+took my way and by the narrow path. I had succeeded in descending it
+without accident the day before, and it was surely not too dangerous
+for me to ascend it. I set out. The path certainly was better than its
+reputation. It had no danger for a climber not subject to dizziness,
+and was quite firm beneath the foot. I had often ascended far more
+steep and dangerous pathways in my search for some rare plant.
+
+The easy footpath leading to the Lonely House was soon reached, and I
+strode forward sturdily. On the previous day I had hurried along it,
+only desirous to reach Luttach as quickly as possible. To-day I feasted
+my eyes with the view of the charming country upon which I looked down,
+while at the same time I scrutinized with the keenness of a collector
+the gentle ascent on my left where I might perhaps discover some
+treasure growing among the rocks. Not far from the Lonely House I
+perceived to my great joy in a spot which could be reached without
+difficulty many beautiful specimens of the very orchid _Ophrys
+Bertolini_ which the Judge had brought to me yesterday. This was an
+unexpected delight. In yesterday's excitement I had neglected to put
+the charming flowers in water, and when I returned from the
+investigation they were so withered that they were not worth preserving
+for my herbarium. Now I could gather many glorious specimens without
+any trouble.
+
+I left the path and easily climbed the rocks soon reaching the spot
+where the orchids grew. But no sooner had I arrived there than to my
+astonishment several trampled flowers showed me that another had been
+before me, who was also a collector, and had plucked many blossoms of
+the rare _Ophrys_.
+
+One spot showed me that whoever he was, he had been no true botanist; a
+true botanist would have taken the plants, roots and all, not the
+blossoms only. He who collected the flowers here must have been in a
+hurry; he had dropped several blossoms which lay wilted on the ground
+and had evidently been plucked yesterday.
+
+Was this the spot where the Judge had collected the beautiful _Ophrys_
+for me! The specimens which he had brought me were without roots. I now
+recalled this circumstance, which had escaped my notice on the previous
+day; but he had said that it had cost him some trouble and even danger
+to reach the rare plants with the habitat of which he was acquainted.
+He had fallen in doing so and had lacerated his hand. It was impossible
+that he could have done so here; for here was no possible danger; no
+flowers on the mountains could be plucked with more facility than
+these.
+
+And yet here the Judge had been. He had certainly gathered the _Ophrys_
+for me here. I found one unmistakable proof of his presence. On the
+ground lay a red and yellow silk pocket handkerchief, just exactly such
+a handkerchief as the Judge had carried the day before yesterday. I
+remembered it perfectly. Of course he had lost it here while plucking
+the flowers.
+
+Involuntarily I smiled at the good man's boast; in order to give his
+gift a higher value, he had talked of danger in procuring it. I would
+tease him a little for his bragging. When I returned his handkerchief I
+would expatiate on the terrible danger of the place where the _Ophrys
+Bertolini_ was to be found.
+
+Still the plucking of the flowers had not been entirely without danger
+for him. I could not comprehend how he could have fallen on this smooth
+spot and wounded his hand, but that he had done so the handkerchief
+testified. On the yellow silk there were several brown stains, which I
+recognized as blood. The hackneyed old saying, "No fall so slight but
+may kill you quite," occurred to me. With a smile I put the
+handkerchief in my pocket to return it to its owner when I got back to
+the inn. I dug up a number of the beautiful _Ophrys Bertolini_ growing
+here by hundreds, and then, walking on quickly, in scarcely five
+minutes I reached the Lonely House. I was going to pass it, but from a
+window of the upper story the Captain called, begging me to wait a
+moment and he would join me.
+
+He came and greeted me with great cordiality. He had passed a
+melancholy night. Old Johanna had been half crazy with fear and was
+absolutely useless. He had tried to persuade her to occupy one of the
+two rooms on the right of the hall, but she had fled to her bed in the
+upper story and locked herself in. Therefore the Captain had earnestly
+entreated Anna to leave the Lonely House, but all his words had been in
+vain. Anna displayed wonderful composure in her profound grief, but at
+the same time a firmness of purpose bordering on obstinacy. She had
+declared that she would not leave the Lonely House as long as it
+sheltered her father's body. She could not leave it all alone there.
+She would stay with him until he was buried, and she watched beside the
+corpse for half the night. Morning had dawned before she betook herself
+to rest.
+
+"Anna is a strange child," said the Captain. "There are odd
+contradictions in her character. She is gentle and yielding and at the
+same time absolutely firm, open to no persuasion; sometimes frank and
+confiding; at others reserved and almost suspicious even of me,
+although she has repeatedly assured me that she trusts no human being
+as she does me and my brother, the Burgomaster. With entire frankness
+she has given me a detailed account of all the misery and wretchedness
+which has existed here in the house ever since the day when Franz
+Schorn asked her in marriage of her father. Towards herself the old man
+was kind and caressing, although she declared to him that she never
+would forsake Franz Schorn, that she never would marry the Judge; but
+to every other human being, and particularly to Franz, he displayed
+positive hatred, regarding all with profound suspicion, even old
+Johanna. He was completely dominated by the fear that some day he
+should be attacked and murdered. Wherefore he always bolted himself
+into his room, and if he admitted any one was armed with a dagger-like
+knife. He kept this terrible knife in his hand even whilst old Johanna
+arranged his room; even from her he feared some secret attack. No
+entreaty of Anna's could induce him to moderate his savage hatred of
+Franz. She, on her part, declared that she never would forsake Franz as
+long as she lived. This had led to continual strife between herself and
+her father, for she had told him frankly that he must shut her up in a
+close prison if he wished to prevent her from seeing Franz, and she had
+seen him almost daily; when her father locked himself up in his room
+after the midday meal to sleep for an hour, she always left the house
+to see Franz, who awaited her beneath the large oak not far away. Her
+father knew this, but had done nothing to prevent it, after she had
+declared to him that she should continue to do it, and if he locked her
+in the house, she would try to break the locks. The strange girl told
+me all this with reckless frankness, while at the same time she refused
+me any explanation, although I begged her to give it, of what she meant
+yesterday when she declared that she perhaps was guilty of her father's
+death. My little Anna is a riddle to me," the Captain thus closed his
+long account, "but I love her none the less and I shall stay here to
+protect her. I will not leave her all by herself in the Lonely House.
+Now you can do me a favour, Herr Professor. When you return at midday
+from your excursion to St. Nikolas, stop here before the Lonely House
+once more, and I will give you some directions to take to Luttach for
+my brother, the Burgomaster. He must provide a suitable home for Anna
+in Luttach if she refuses to accept the doctor's invitation after her
+father's funeral, for which he must also give directions. I will put
+all this down in a letter, which you will have the kindness to give to
+my brother yourself."
+
+I at once promised what he asked, and we parted the best of friends.
+The Captain returned to the Lonely House to write his letter, which, as
+he said, was quite a task for an old soldier unaccustomed for many
+years to hold a pen.
+
+I continued my walk and soon reached the little Church of St. Nikolas.
+Again I fed my eyes on the charming prospect and then proceeded to
+collect. I scrambled about in the forest, hither and thither, for some
+hours; then up on the bald rocky side of Nanos, and not until my
+bottles and boxes were so full that I could accommodate no more
+treasures, and the heat had become oppressive, did I take my way back
+towards noon by the same path which I had followed yesterday. In a
+little while I reached the footpath leading to the Lonely House, and on
+the very same spot where I had yesterday encountered Franz Schorn I
+found him again to-day, but he did not avoid me; he awaited me. He was
+not alone; beside him, with his arm around her waist, stood pretty
+Anna. They were a charming pair. I delighted in the sight of the two
+beautiful young people. Franz was certainly a handsome fellow. Now, as
+he looked down on his lovely companion, with eyes full of the tenderest
+affection, the beauty of his features, which a gloomy expression had
+hitherto concealed, was plainly visible.
+
+When the young man observed me, a shadow crossed his brow. Without
+releasing his companion, with his left hand he took off his straw hat
+in greeting. Then Anna, too, saw me, and with a blush beckoned to me
+kindly. She made no attempt to release herself from the embracing arm
+of the young man.
+
+"We were awaiting you here, Herr Professor," said Franz, as I reached
+them. "Captain Pollenz informed my betrothed that you, in coming from
+St. Nikolas, had promised to stop, towards noon, at the Lonely House;
+therefore we came to meet you to make a request of you."
+
+"Which I shall certainly comply with if possible," I replied, regarding
+the young girl with genuine delight. She blushed, but looked up with
+kindling eyes at Franz as he uttered the word "betrothed."
+
+"It is a request that may seem strange to you, Herr Professor," Franz
+continued, "but, nevertheless, I will make it; I am convinced that you
+would not wish to cause annoyance either to myself or to my dear
+betrothed."
+
+"Most certainly not. Pray tell me quite frankly what you wish."
+
+"It is not much. I would only ask you not to mention to any one our
+meeting yesterday here in this place."
+
+The request in itself seemed trivial enough, but the look which
+accompanied it was far from meaningless. It betokened intense anxiety
+as to whether or not I would accede to what he asked.
+
+In truth, the young man's request was a strange one. Involuntarily my
+eyes turned to his wounded right hand. All diverse thoughts ran riot in
+my brain. I remembered the large double-edged knife with its bloody
+handle lying on the floor of the room in the Lonely House, and then
+came the memory of the cut on a brown hand and the doctor's voice
+saying, "That looks as if you had grasped a knife by the blade." Again
+I saw Franz turn from me to hurry through the undergrowth, and again I
+saw him with eyes gloomily cast down as he listened to the physician's
+words. I recalled his bitter hostility to old Pollenz, and the old
+man's words, "That fellow will kill me one of these days." Hitherto I
+had entertained no downright suspicion of the young fellow, but it
+suddenly stirred within me.
+
+"Why do you wish me not to mention our meeting?" I asked in reply.
+
+"Because I begged Franz to ask you this," Anna replied for the young
+man, whose features as I spoke resumed their wonted gloomy expression.
+"Franz told me that yesterday he turned away from you because he wished
+to avoid any meeting with you. He feared it might cause you annoyance,
+if you had happened to be seen by any chance passer-by walking with
+him. He had been waiting for me a long time in vain beneath the old oak
+where we are used to meet every day at noon. I could not come because
+my father had sent me down to Luttach. Franz was in a very bad humour
+when he met you, and so, to avoid greeting you, he turned away into the
+forest."
+
+Anna's words had a peculiar effect upon me. They strengthened my
+suspicions. If he were not guilty, would Franz have thought it
+necessary to have the young girl explain to me why he was in the
+neighbourhood of the Lonely House at noon, and why he had turned away
+from me with such sullen looks?
+
+"You have not yet told me why I should not mention my meeting with Herr
+Schorn," I replied.
+
+"I will explain that to you myself," Franz said hurriedly, "my
+betrothed thinks that if Foligno should learn that I was seen yesterday
+here in the neighbourhood of the Lonely House, the malice and hatred
+with which he regards me would find expression in vile suspicion of
+me."
+
+"It would certainly be so. I entreat you, dear Herr Professor, do not
+tell a human being that you met Franz yesterday."
+
+As she spoke the young girl looked up at me with such entreaty in her
+beautiful eyes that my heart was softened. I was in an awkward
+position. Ought I to tell her that I could not comply with her request,
+because I had already informed the Judge of my meeting Franz? This I
+could not do. I could not warn Franz without perhaps injuring the
+investigation; but, on the other hand, I certainly could not make a
+promise which it was already impossible to keep.
+
+"I can promise nothing," I replied guardedly; "in an official
+examination one is bound to conceal nothing."
+
+"Oh, Herr Professor, I beg, I entreat you----"
+
+Franz interrupted her, and, casting at me a look which was almost
+menacing, exclaimed, "Do not say another word, Anna; the Herr Professor
+is right; it was folly, yes, wrong, for me to yield to your desire and
+make this request of the Herr Professor, who ought not to comply with
+it. If that scoundrel, Foligno, suspects me, I know how to meet his
+suspicion. Come, Anna, we ought not to detain the gentleman any
+longer."
+
+He lifted his hat by way of farewell, and walked towards the forest
+with the young girl. My mind was filled with contradictory thoughts.
+Can that proud, self-assertive young man be a miserable criminal! I
+would so gladly have banished all suspicion of him, but--how terrible
+it was that so lovely and charming a girl had perhaps bestowed the
+wealth of her affection upon her father's murderer!
+
+I walked slowly towards the Lonely House, where the Captain, sitting
+before the door, was awaiting me. He handed me the letter for his
+brother, gave me various verbal commissions, and I left with a promise
+to visit him shortly in the Lonely House.
+
+"Shall I bring the Herr Professor's lunch into the garden?" Mizka asked
+me as I entered the kitchen of the Golden Vine on my return from my
+excursion. "The Judge has been lunching in the garden, and is sitting
+with his coffee beneath the great linden."
+
+The _Ophrys Bertolini_ occurred to me. I smiled at the remembrance of
+the Judge's boast and was pleased at the idea of teasing him. Of course
+I ordered my lunch in the garden and betook myself thither.
+
+The Judge was sipping his coffee and smoking his long cigar at the
+round table beneath the spreading linden. He seemed sunk in a profound
+reverie, leaning his head upon his hand and with downcast eyes. I was
+struck with his pallor and with the sallowness and the drawn look of
+his features. At my first words he started violently, and for a moment
+gazed at me with terror, almost as if awaking from an oppressive dream,
+but in an instant he recovered his self-control, and greeted me with a
+smile.
+
+"I think I was dozing," he said; "the terrible heat makes me sleepy."
+
+Why should he have told such an untruth? He had not been dozing; just
+before he started he had raised his hand to his cigar and had taken a
+long whiff.
+
+"I admire you, Herr Professor," he said, "for being able to climb about
+in such heat. I suffer from it even here in the shade of the linden. I
+trust you were richly rewarded for your trouble."
+
+"I was indeed," I replied smiling. "I have had great luck. I have been
+so fortunate as even to discover the place where, yesterday, you
+plucked for me the charming _Ophrys Bertolini_."
+
+My jesting words produced a strange effect. Herr Foligno stared
+at me blankly; his sallow face grew ashy pale; his mouth twitched
+convulsively as he said brokenly, "No, impossible! How--how--could
+you--how could you get there?"
+
+"In the easiest way in the world," I replied, tickled that the
+discovery of his boast had so startled the worthy gentleman. "The spot,
+so difficult and even dangerous to attain, in reaching which you fell
+on the rocks and wounded your hand, I found right on the road to the
+Lonely House and most easy of attainment. From the path I saw the
+_Ophrys_ blooming, and mounted without any difficulty to where it
+grew."
+
+"Then you have had the good fortune to discover a new home for it
+which I had not known," Herr Foligno replied, having regained his
+self-control with surprising celerity. "I found the orchid on an
+overhanging rock in quite a distant part of the country."
+
+"Indeed, that is very remarkable. Did you, by chance, lose your pocket
+handkerchief there? I found it in my spot--or is it not yours? Look,
+the yellow silk shows some spots of blood, probably from a wounded
+hand."
+
+With a laugh I drew out the handkerchief and handed it to him; the
+black gloved hand with which he took it trembled. He examined it quite
+attentively for some time, and then said quietly, "This certainly is a
+remarkable coincidence. The handkerchief actually belongs to me, and I
+probably lost it yesterday in climbing about the rocks, but certainly
+not where you found it, for I was not even in the neighbourhood of the
+Lonely House. Probably one of the young goatherds here who scramble
+about everywhere in the mountains found it, and lost it again where you
+discovered it."
+
+With the greatest calmness he put the handkerchief in his pocket. I
+could not refuse him my admiration, for his barefaced explanation
+struck me as quite brilliant. Whether I believed him or not, I must
+pretend to do so. Laughing heartily, I replied: "I congratulate you,
+Herr Foligno, on the happy chance which led the little goatherd and the
+old Professor to the same place, one losing, the other finding your
+handkerchief to restore it to you."
+
+The Judge probably felt the irony in my words, but he took no notice of
+it. He offered me his hand cordially.
+
+"It certainly is a very strange coincidence," he said. "If my
+acquaintances here should hear of it, it might give them material for
+teasing me quite unpleasantly. You will oblige me, Herr Professor, if
+you will not mention this little occurrence. May I rely upon you?"
+
+"Certainly; I will be silent as the grave," I replied, still laughing,
+but the suspicious and evil glance which he cast at me quickly silenced
+my laughter. He said nothing further about the handkerchief or the
+_Ophrys_; he only made a few remarks about the unusual heat of the
+weather so late in the season, and then arose, saying that he was
+obliged to return to his office, and, therefore, to his regret, must
+leave me.
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER VIII.
+                              QUIET WEEKS.
+
+
+The first eventful days which I passed in Luttach were followed by
+weeks that were more serene. Favoured by the beautiful weather, I made
+daily excursions in every direction, reaping a rich harvest everywhere.
+I grew more and more familiar with the peculiar features of the
+country, and every day I grew more in sympathy with the smiling,
+charming valley shut in by mountains crowned with bald summits. The
+contrast between the barren gray rocks and the luxuriant valley at
+their feet particularly charmed me, and I especially delighted in the
+view when the sun sank behind the mountains, which were quickly
+enveloped in a soft twilight mist, the noble outlines of their peaks
+showing clear against the sky in the light of the setting sun.
+
+The character of the inhabitants of Southern Ukraine soon grew familiar
+to me. Intercourse with the country folk whom I met on my excursions
+was, of course, very limited; we could not understand each other's
+language. Here and there a man who had served in the army could speak
+German, but only brokenly. The women for the most part spoke scarcely a
+German word, and they found it very difficult to understand the few
+Slavonic words which I had learned from Mizka and which I certainly
+pronounced very badly. There could be no attempt at conversation, but
+nevertheless the Slavonic country folk tried to testify kindness and
+cordiality for the stranger.
+
+The peasants evidently held it their duty to offer the hospitality of
+their fields to the "flycatcher," as they dubbed me, although sometimes
+they found the grass trodden down where he had been. Unlike the Swiss
+peasantry, who load with abuse any stranger venturing to trespass in
+their fields, these Slavonic country folk seemed glad to have me pluck
+flowers and pursue butterflies wherever I would; nay, they would at
+times even point out places among the rocks most easy of access and
+would assist in my search, never asking for money, accepting at most,
+with many Slavonic words of thanks, a cheap cigar. Scarcely ever in all
+my travels have I met a peasantry so amiable and kindly as these much
+slandered Slavonic country folk. I never heard a harsh word or found a
+trace of that hatred of Germans against which I had been cautioned.
+
+And yet it was none the less there at the bottom of all their hearts;
+but it was not for the German proper, as the Burgomaster had told me on
+that first evening, but for those Ukrainers who in a Slavonic country
+aimed at remaining faithful to Germany. Of this I had daily proof in
+the expressions which I heard with regard to Franz Schorn.
+
+The young man interested me greatly and I took every opportunity to
+inform myself as to his circumstances, his earlier life, and everything
+regarding him. What I learned was not of a nature either to weaken or
+strengthen my suspicion, and, besides, I could not but acknowledge to
+myself that all the sources from which I could gain information were
+unfit to give me a true, distinct picture of a young fellow living in
+brooding seclusion, as it were, in a community rife with party hatred.
+The Clerk, the Captain, and the Burgomaster were the only men who could
+sufficiently rid themselves of prejudice to speak really well of the
+young man.
+
+All acknowledged that Franz Schorn was an industrious, capable farmer,
+who took admirable care of the estate inherited from his father; that
+he was well educated, to a degree above his station; but no praise was
+accorded to his character; he was said to be an obstinate, sullen
+fellow, ready for deeds of violence, filled with party hatred,
+maltreating his Slavonic labourers, covetous and hard-hearted. He had
+no pity for the poor; his only desire was to gain money and increase
+his patrimony, which was the reason why he had cast his eye on the rich
+and pretty Anna Pollenz, not because he loved her, but from greed of
+gain. This was the verdict of his enemies concerning him. The Captain
+and the Clerk alone maintained that he was a man of honour, incapable
+of mean or avaricious conduct; that he was reserved and defiant,
+willing to defend himself with some violence against all party hatred,
+and in other respects the victim of slander and low suspicion. How
+could I find the truth in these conflicting descriptions? I pondered
+the question in vain. It was certainly remarkable that a handsome,
+well-to-do, educated young man should be so generally detested, and it
+was hard to believe that such widespread hatred was entirely without
+foundation.
+
+I now had many opportunities of observing him. He came almost regularly
+every evening to the Golden Vine and took the place at the round table
+which the Clerk always reserved for him. It seemed to me that this was
+done in order to establish a more kindly social feeling between Franz
+and the rest of the company who nightly assembled in the inn. The Clerk
+evidently endeavoured in the kindest way to draw him into the
+conversation, which he knew how to conduct so that Schorn would have an
+opportunity to be heard to the very best advantage in displaying his
+clear judgment and admirable intelligence.
+
+The Captain, the Burgomaster, and the doctor aided the Clerk in his
+endeavour to establish peace between Franz and the rest of the company,
+who, out of regard for these gentlemen, became less antagonistic, to be
+sure, but still remained decidedly indifferent. They were content to do
+what was required of them socially, greeting the young man when he
+entered, but in conversation they avoided all direct talk with him, and
+since he addressed all that he said to the three above-named members of
+the party, he rarely exchanged a word with the others. The antipathy
+existing between Franz and the Judge was especially observable. Between
+these two there was an insurmountable barrier of profound dislike. They
+never exchanged either a greeting or a word. Franz never even looked at
+the Judge, although Herr Foligno watched him narrowly.
+
+As soon as Franz appeared among the company in the evening, the Judge
+fell silent. Even though he might before have talked continually, and
+at times had even attempted to monopolize the conversation, from the
+time when Franz appeared he confined himself to monosyllables or a word
+thrown in here and there. He listened to all that was going on and with
+special interest when the talk turned upon the failure to discover the
+perpetrator of the crime committed in the Lonely House. At such times
+his gaze would be riveted with a strange intensity upon Franz Schorn.
+No word that the young man spoke, no expression of his countenance,
+escaped him then. It was the gaze of the serpent upon the bird which he
+is about to devour. This is perhaps an unsuitable simile, but it
+occurred to me involuntarily as I saw the Judge watching Franz. I knew
+his suspicions of the young man, and knew that he was secretly trying
+to accumulate fresh grounds for it. I knew also that his desire was
+great to gather from Franz some word that could be used against him,
+and I fervently thanked my Creator that after going through two terms
+as a student of law, I had given up all legal aspirations and devoted
+myself to natural science. There is something positively detestable to
+me in the thought of a man like the Judge sacrificing all humanity in
+an eagerness to discover the traces of a crime. My discomfort increased
+from day to day as I observed the stealthy manner in which he watched
+Franz's every word and motion.
+
+Sometimes I actually hated the Judge, but I reflected that I had no
+right to do so. He was simply fulfilling the duty of his office, and
+probably such fulfilment was most obnoxious to him; he certainly had
+before him a most unpleasant and arduous task.
+
+As yet there had been no light thrown upon the mysterious crime in the
+Lonely House. The necessary papers had been sent to the court at
+Laibach, and there the matter rested for the present. The investigating
+Judge and the Attorney General had come to Luttach in person to
+convince themselves that there was no trace of the criminal. The stolen
+bonds and banknotes had not been found, and, in fact, identification of
+these would have been impossible, as there had been no registration of
+them.
+
+Nor could the minutest search among the papers of the murdered man give
+any evidence as to the amount of his property. The Judge and the
+tradesman Weber, each of whom had formerly had dealings with old
+Pollenz and occasion to speak with him about his money affairs,
+maintained that the old man had kept a list of all bonds in his
+possession, and of his outstanding investments, in order that he might
+always be fully conscious of the amount of his wealth, but such a list
+was not among the papers left behind by the thief. The miserly old man
+had speculated with a kind of passion. He was in correspondence with
+several bankers in Vienna; no one could tell with how many. These
+bankers he commissioned partly by letter and partly through a Luttach
+firm of tradesmen, Weber & Meyer, as to the purchase and sale of
+various stocks. He excluded every one from all knowledge of his
+speculations, and never sold his stock through the same banking house
+that had purchased it for him. As no one knew how many banking houses
+he employed, it seemed quite hopeless to discover what stock and
+government bonds he had possessed, and this, of course, diminished the
+chances of the discovery of the murderer should he attempt to sell the
+papers.
+
+It must have been a really humiliating reflection for Herr Foligno that
+within his district a crime should have been committed without any
+possibility of the discovery of the criminal. He might well fear that
+those above him would accuse him of a want of acuteness, or of activity
+in the performance of his duties. His clear, excellently composed
+deposition had evidently not brought him the credit that it should have
+done in higher places. When the two officials from Laibach had made
+their visit to Luttach, they had put all their questions to the Clerk
+and not to himself.
+
+"Perhaps I have been wrong," he said to me after the visit of the two
+men from Laibach, "I ought to have required you to give me a sworn
+report of your encounter with Herr Franz Schorn in the forest near the
+Lonely House. I thought of doing so, but the same feeling which forbade
+me to do it upon the first discovery of the murder actuated me to-day
+and with renewed strength. Your meeting with him, and the wound in his
+hand, now entirely healed, are the only grounds of suspicion against
+him, and you yourself proved to me how insignificant they are by your
+simple remark that I, too, might be subjected to suspicion from the
+same causes. I assure you, Herr Professor, that I cannot be
+sufficiently grateful to you for preventing me from taking a step which
+I might have repented forever. I do not deny that my suspicion of the
+man is even more deeply rooted now than it was then, but it behooves me
+to be all the more strict with myself, for hitherto I have discovered
+nothing which could justify me in accusing the man whom, nevertheless,
+I detest profoundly. Should I do so, all the world would believe that I
+was endeavouring to be rid of a hated rival."
+
+I could not but admit that he was right. Circumstances were really most
+unfortunate for him. The Lonely House deserved its name now still more
+than formerly. It was utterly lonely. After the body of its owner had
+been interred in the graveyard of the village of Oberberg, the Captain
+had closed it. Anna and her old maid had come to Luttach; she had at
+last yielded to the persuasions of the Captain, the Burgomaster, and
+the doctor, and had accepted an asylum in the doctor's house. A couple
+of unused rooms were quickly furnished for herself and old Johanna.
+They did not live there as guests of the owner, but as lodgers. It was
+only with the stipulation that there should be no restriction of her
+freedom that she had yielded to the wishes of her relatives, and the
+first use which she made of this freedom was to declare that Franz
+Schorn was her future husband, who should lead her to the altar at the
+expiration of her year of mourning. In vain did the Burgomaster, the
+Captain, and the doctor entreat the young girl to reserve for a time
+such a declaration. Anna was not to be persuaded.
+
+"It is just because all are against him; just because all seem to hate
+him in spite of his noble, lofty nature, that I will be true to him. I
+have been betrothed to him for two years. As long as my father lived I
+could not declare this boldly against his will, but now I can do so."
+
+Anna's declaration produced a disagreeable impression in Luttach. The
+little social circle there was greatly scandalized, but even the
+loudest scandalmonger had to be silent, since Anna with delicate tact
+avoided all occasion for calumny. Her lover never visited her; her only
+times for seeing him were when he was invited to the house by its
+owner, the doctor, who had at first been really provoked at the girl's
+obstinacy, but who now found it impossible to say enough of her truly
+enchanting disposition. He had always loved her, ever since she had
+been a little child, but had never dreamed of her becoming so charming,
+so tender and caressing. His wife, too, was perfectly delighted to have
+the lovely girl beneath her roof. He now comprehended perfectly how
+that stony-hearted miser, old Pollenz, had yielded to the charm of this
+girl, and, being quite unable to resist her, had not ventured to oppose
+her meeting Franz beneath the oak daily at noon, for fear of her
+forsaking him entirely. But, docile and amiable as Anna showed herself
+among her relatives and friends, the Burgomaster, the Captain, the
+doctor and his wife, she was correspondingly hard and repellent towards
+the Judge. From the Captain, with whom I had a daily gossip in the
+early morning in the garden, I learned that Herr Foligno still
+entertained a foolish hope of conquering the dislike which Anna felt
+for him. Several times since she had taken up her dwelling at the
+doctor's he had made an attempt to approach her, but had always been
+repulsed with signs of the greatest aversion. The Captain and the
+doctor had represented to her that she should at least treat him with
+conventional courtesy, but she had declared that for him she had no
+courteous, kindly word; she detested and despised him, not only because
+her father had once wished to force her to marry him, but because she
+had a firm conviction that he was at heart a wicked man. She would give
+no grounds for this belief, but she was quite sure it was justified.
+
+The Captain and the doctor must have mentioned to others Anna's
+behaviour in this respect; it was known throughout Luttach. There was
+much laughing gossip in the little town about the Judge's unfortunate
+love. Every evening Mizka detailed to me some town tattle, which was
+sure to have for its subject pretty Anna and her two adorers. Perhaps
+it was not quite right that I should lend an ear to such downright
+gossip, but I do not deny that it interested me, and I could not make
+up my mind to interrupt the garrulous maid as she told me of all that
+was discussed in the town.
+
+Though I had but very little sympathy for the Judge, I felt rather
+sorry for him; he apparently suffered from the unfortunate
+circumstances in which he was placed. He had proved, too, that at
+bottom he was not a bad man by the consideration which he had shown for
+his inveterate enemy, against whom he endeavoured to harbour no
+suspicion. It was most unfortunate that he should bestow his affection
+upon a young girl who detested him. I could not excuse him for
+continuing to sue for her favour after she had shown him her dislike,
+and he exposed himself to the ridicule of the townfolk and fell in my
+esteem when every evening he sought to drown his woes by drinking
+immoderately.
+
+Nevertheless I pitied him. To me he was all amiability and courtesy. He
+usually postponed his midday meal until I returned from my excursions
+and could partake of it with him. He took much interest in my
+collections, particularly in my botanical treasures, and really showed,
+for a layman, no little knowledge of the subject. If I had lit upon
+some rare plant, he would learn from me its locality, and in the
+afternoon would scramble about among the rocks and boast to me in the
+evening as he displayed the plucked flowers of the result of his
+labours, and that he had discovered another spot rich in such
+treasures. If on the following morning I endeavoured to find according
+to his directions the place he had described, I became aware that it
+could be attained only by what was almost dangerous climbing. The
+ascent to a place where he told me I should find quantities of the
+_Ophrys Bertolini_ was so hazardous that I might easily have come to
+grief had I not been a practised mountaineer. On returning, although I
+strictly followed his directions, I could not have rightly understood
+them, for I entered a perfect labyrinth of dangerous ravines. It was
+almost by a miracle that at last I found my way out of it and succeeded
+in descending by an unused breakneck path.
+
+Exhausted beyond measure by such unexpected exertion, I returned to
+Luttach at noon and rehearsed to the Judge the danger through which I
+had passed.
+
+He replied with a smile, "You must have missed the path in descending
+which I described to you. It is not without danger, but still not very
+bad. I am glad, however, that you are now convinced of the difficulty
+which I had two weeks ago in plucking the _Ophrys Bertolini_. That is
+the spot where I found the flowers that I brought you. I still do not
+understand how you found the charming plants in a place easy of
+access."
+
+So he had sent me upon this dangerous excursion just to rid himself of
+the imputation of bragging. This was very clear. I really did not thank
+him for it. I said nothing, but determined in future not to explore any
+of his wonderful localities. I am not such a passionate enthusiast for
+botany as to expose myself, for the sake of a beautiful flower, to the
+risk of breaking my neck.
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER IX.
+                          AN EXPLORING PARTY.
+
+
+One evening there was so full an assembly round the table in the inn
+that all the gentlemen with whom I had become acquainted in Luttach
+were present, with the exception of Franz Schorn. He, as the
+Burgomaster told us, had driven in the early morning to Goerz to bring
+thence some expensive agricultural machines which he wished to employ
+on his farm. He had promised the Burgomaster to come to the inn late in
+the evening to give an account of his purchases, and he was expected to
+appear any minute.
+
+Since the young man had of late been a constant attendant at the round
+table, the conversation which had formerly been quite lively with
+regard to him had ceased. It was all the more lively on this evening,
+and the subject of it was the purchases he had gone to Goerz to make.
+Several of the men present were the owners of large estates. They at
+least knew something of agriculture, and yet they were the very ones
+who expressed themselves as disapproving of the novelties which Franz
+was trying to introduce.
+
+"He is always endeavouring to use something new-fangled and peculiar,"
+Herr Gunther, one of the richest of the land-owners in the county,
+declared. "These machines are probably useful enough in Germany, in
+countries where labour is perhaps very expensive, but they do not suit
+us here, where they are a ruinous innovation. We have so many poor
+people about us who want work, that it is a positive crime to deprive
+them of it by the use of machinery."
+
+"That is just why Schorn buys the machines," another interposed, a man
+by the name of Mosic. "He hates our poor Slavonic labourers and would
+like to be independent of them. He has probably heard that many of our
+best labourers have combined against him and will not work for the
+German. Where does he get the money he is spending upon such expensive
+machines?"
+
+"The harvests for several years have not been so plentiful as to enable
+a farmer to accumulate much cash," said another.
+
+"Perhaps he buys on credit," said the notary, Dietrich.
+
+"Not at all," rejoined the merchant, Meyer. "I have often offered him
+credit, but he has never accepted it. 'What I cannot buy with ready
+money I will go without; I will not burden myself with debt,' has
+always been his reply to me."
+
+"He does not need to do so; he is always economical, and has money
+enough," remarked the shopkeeper, Weber. "As he was paying me yesterday
+for his clover seed, I saw that his pocket-book contained a roll of
+hundred-gulden notes."
+
+"He has certainly spent a deal of money lately; he has purchased two
+splendid horses, and they were really not necessary, for the two which
+he gave in part payment to Schmelzigsohn were good enough. He is
+squandering money at present. People whisper queer things of him. In
+fact, they are beginning to whisper no longer, but to talk loudly, and
+before long what they say will be proclaimed in the market place."
+
+"It certainly is strange that Schorn has so much money at his command.
+Before old Pollenz was murdered he seemed to have very little."
+
+For an instant profound silence followed the last remark of Mosic's. A
+strange expression spread over the countenances of those present. The
+innuendo in the words just spoken made a most painful impression upon
+all. The Clerk was the first to recover himself. With an angry look at
+Mosic, he said in a tone of harsh reproof:
+
+"How dare you, Herr Mosic, utter such an accusation against an absent
+member of our circle? I shall inform Herr Schorn of what you have said
+that he may call you to account for it."
+
+Herr Mosic changed color.
+
+"Oh, pardon me, sir," he said, and his voice trembled; "you entirely
+misunderstood me. I have no idea of uttering an accusation against Herr
+Schorn. I only repeated the stupid talk of the townsfolk. Of course I
+attach no importance to it; it is not my fault if people will talk."
+
+"You ought not to repeat such nonsensical gossip," the Clerk said
+angrily.
+
+Hitherto the Judge had taken no part in the conversation. He had sat
+silent drinking glass after glass of wine, but now he turned to the
+Clerk, and in a very odd tone said, with a glance toward me:
+
+"You judge rather hastily, sir; you should remember that the voice of
+the people is the voice of God."
+
+"Pardon me, Judge," cried the doctor; "in this case the despicable
+gossip is the voice of the devil; no honest man should repeat or defend
+it."
+
+"So say I. 'Tis a cowardly, unworthy accusation!" exclaimed the
+Captain, and the Burgomaster nodded assent. "Franz is a rough, morose
+fellow, but a man of honour through and through, incapable of
+committing a crime."
+
+"Besides," added the doctor, "very little understanding is necessary to
+perceive that he never could have committed the murder. Even if he had
+been a hard-hearted wretch quite capable of it, no suspicion of _this_
+crime could attach to him."
+
+"Indeed!" said the Judge, contemptuously; "I really am curious to learn
+why no possible suspicion in this case could attach to Schorn."
+
+"Upon my word, it is sad to think that I, an old doctor, understanding
+nothing of criminal law, should have to instruct a learned Judge as to
+what his simple, sound, good sense should teach him, but since it is
+so, since such ridiculous gossip has found no one in this circle to
+expose it as such, it must be. The murderer was certainly a man with
+whom old Pollenz was very intimate; Franz he hated like sin and held
+him to be his mortal enemy.
+
+"When little Anna went to Luttach with old Johanna, her father locked
+the front door behind them, and, as always when resting at noon,
+withdrew to his own room and bolted himself in. Whoever wished to enter
+the house or to see its owner would be obliged either to break down the
+door or be admitted by old Pollenz himself. Now, no sensible human
+being could believe that the old man would have opened his door for
+Schorn, to allow himself to be murdered--for Franz Schorn, of whom he
+was afraid, of whom he always said, 'Schorn will kill me one of these
+days.' He would have drawn a double bolt on every door if Franz had
+asked for admittance, but on this occasion he drew back the bolt and
+opened the door. There is no trace of any violence used in opening it,
+and a bolted door cannot be opened unless from within, or with
+violence; therefore I maintain that the murderer must have been an
+intimate friend of old Pollenz, and in no case can the slightest
+suspicion attach to Franz Schorn. I think I have now proved this
+clearly."
+
+"Clear as sunlight; the legal profession loses a shining light in you,
+doctor," the Judge rejoined, his thin lips curled in a contemptuous
+smile. "After your lucid defense," he continued, "it seems to me
+incumbent upon us all to say not one word to Franz Schorn of our
+previous conversation; he would surely be deeply offended and insulted
+if he could believe that any one of us entertained the smallest doubt
+of his innocence. We must take it upon ourselves to discountenance the
+town gossip wherever we hear it, always taking care that the young man
+learns nothing of the rumours concerning him. The object of such
+rumours can never combat them himself. Should he try to do so, it would
+but strengthen belief in them; but we can have many opportunities to
+silence slander. I hope you all agree with me, gentlemen."
+
+All agreed. The doctor offered the Judge his hand in token of
+acknowledgment, and said with a kindly nod:
+
+"You are a good fellow, after all, Judge, and I beg your pardon. It is
+fine of you to stand up so bravely for Franz, although you cannot
+endure him. I will not forget it of you."
+
+That the Judge's words had produced their effect upon all present, even
+upon those most opposed to Schorn, was evident when the young man soon
+afterward entered the room; he was received with more cordiality and
+kindness than ever before; it really seemed as if Herr Gunther and Herr
+Mosic were trying by their courtesy to atone for the words spoken in
+his absence.
+
+Franz was so pleasantly surprised by this friendly reception that he
+became far more amiable and genial than ever before. At the
+Burgomaster's request, he explained the new machines which he had
+bought in Goerz and the use to which he intended to put them, not only
+for his own advantage, but hoping to improve the agriculture of the
+entire Luttach valley by introducing them generally.
+
+This excited a little war of words between him and the two land-owners,
+who declared themselves opposed to the introduction of new methods, but
+their opposition was expressed with so much moderation that Franz could
+not take offense.
+
+And the Captain, who, as a good Conservative, was strongly opposed to
+the introduction of machinery in agricultural operations, sided with
+the land-owners.
+
+"You mean well, Franz," he said; "you would like to increase the
+prosperity of our valley; but with your cursed innovations you put the
+cart before the horse. You will never improve the labourer's condition
+by depriving him of his means of subsistence."
+
+"These machines will not deprive the labourer of his work. On the
+contrary, they will give him an opportunity of working more effectually
+than has been possible for him hitherto. A more thorough cultivation of
+our fields and vineyards will create a fresh demand of labour, which
+will be better paid than ever."
+
+"Dreams, dreams, in which I have no faith," replied the Captain. "The
+manufacturers of these machines and the people who sell them have
+started these tales. When a machine undertakes the labour hitherto
+performed by man, the man sinks to the machine's level. In all great
+manufacturing towns the labouring class, with very few exceptions, is
+poverty-stricken and starving. Don't tell me of such innovations. We
+should count ourselves happy that here in the country we have hitherto
+been free from machinery."
+
+"Nevertheless, perhaps because of this, our labourers here suffer the
+bitterest poverty."
+
+"That is because the last few years have been poor ones. If the
+peasant's harvest fails and the vineyards do not flourish, the labourer
+can earn nothing. Your machines cannot improve his condition; they can
+only make it worse. The Herr Professor has given me an idea of what
+would improve the condition of our people here more than ought else."
+
+I gazed at the Captain in surprise. I did not remember that I had ever
+said a word to him about the poverty of the labouring class in the
+Luttach valley, or had ever mentioned any means whatever of improving
+their condition. He nodded to me with a gentle smile, and then
+continued:
+
+"Yes, yes, Herr Professor, you do not recall how on the very first
+morning after your arrival among us we had a conversation which I
+remember well. Our valley should be opened to tourists; we are situated
+just between two important railways, not more than a league distant
+from each; we could be visited with the greatest facility, and where
+tourists are gathered together money is sure to circulate; all will be
+the gainers; the inns, the tradesfolk, those owning horses, who will
+hire out carriages; the laundresses, and even the labourers, who will
+be employed either as drivers or as guides for excursions among the
+mountains."
+
+"What talk is this, old friend?" the Burgomaster interrupted him with a
+laugh. "What have we here to attract tourists? They can make the ascent
+of Nanos very easily from Prayvalt, and our valley has really nothing
+more to show. It is quite wonderful that a naturalist, our Herr
+Professor, should have visited us. Certainly none of those who travel
+for pleasure would ever contemplate coming hither."
+
+"Therefore we must try to find something that will attract them. The
+Herr Professor called my attention to the fact that we live on from day
+to day without regard to our ignorance as to whether we do not possess
+a greater attraction for travellers than the Adelsberg Grotto. Does any
+one of us here present know how extensive are the caves which we
+possess, and whether they may not perhaps be finer than the grotto at
+Adelsberg? The only one among us who has interested himself about them
+is, if I do not mistake, Franz Schorn, and he has done very little in
+the way of exploration. How is it, Franz; am I not right?"
+
+"It is true that I have done very little in the way of exploration. I
+penetrated furthest into the cave in the grove of the Rusina. It is a
+laborious piece of work. I lost all desire to penetrate further; it
+seemed useless."
+
+"The Herr Professor thinks differently. Do you still desire to attempt
+to explore one of these caves, Herr Professor? I was anxious to offer
+you my assistance in so doing some time ago, but this horrible murder
+has occupied our minds to the exclusion of every other thought."
+
+The Captain's proposal was very welcome to me. In my excursion on the
+forenoon of this very day I had gazed with much interest in the grove
+of the Rusina, at the dark opening among gigantic blocks of granite. I
+had an intense desire to explore it, but prudence called a halt.
+Overheated as I was in climbing about the mountains, I would not expose
+myself to the danger to which the cold, damp interior of the cave would
+expose me, and, besides, it would have been very foolish to attempt any
+exploration without companions, for the slightest slip might prove
+fatal. No one would ever have looked for me in the cave; if not killed,
+I might have starved before I was discovered.
+
+Such considerations at the time forbade gratifying my desire to explore
+the cave, but it awoke again within me at the Captain's offer; it
+pleased me that it should be so entirely voluntary. I thanked him and
+declared that I would gladly take part in an exploration of the cave
+whenever he should arrange it.
+
+"Bravo! Then let us set to work early tomorrow morning and begin with
+the cave in the grove of the Rusina. You will join us, Franz!"
+
+"Gladly. I only fear that we shall not get far. There is a deep abyss
+not many yards from the entrance."
+
+"How deep is it!"
+
+"I do not know. I threw a lighted match into it, but it was quickly
+extinguished; and a stone which I cast down soon struck some rock and I
+could not see where it lay. I took no pains to explore further."
+
+"Then we will try to do so to-morrow. Let us take with us a couple of
+sturdy fellows, who can carry torches, some lanterns and a sufficient
+length of strong rope, with perhaps a ladder or two. I will take with
+me some magnesium wire, which will give us a brilliant light in the
+depths."
+
+Franz agreed. We discussed the interesting expedition further, and
+decided that we would start at seven o'clock the next morning.
+
+"May I make one of your party?" the Judge asked, when we had completed
+our arrangements. Franz Schorn started and regarded the speaker with a
+searching glance. Evidently he was about to refuse decidedly, but
+thought better of it, bit his lip, and, with a slight gesture of his
+hand, referred the matter to me. I cannot say that the proposal was
+agreeable to me. I was surprised that the Judge should be willing to
+take part in an expedition to which Franz Schorn was, to a certain
+degree, the guide. I feared some unpleasant encounter between the two
+men and I should have liked to refuse. This, however, courtesy forbade.
+The Judge had always been so amiable and obliging in his behaviour to
+me that it was impossible for me to decline his company.
+
+He noticed that I hesitated a moment, and, probably guessing whence
+such hesitation proceeded, continued with a smiling look at Franz
+Schorn:
+
+"I am very much interested in our Ukraine caves, and I have already
+visited a number of them. The cave in the grove of the Rusina is not
+unfamiliar to me. I have not explored it to the extent of which Herr
+Schorn tells us, but I am familiar with the entrance and would like to
+penetrate its depths. Of course, I voluntarily acquiesce in the
+intelligent guidance of Herr Schorn, who will take command of our
+expedition. You would oblige me very much, Herr Professor, by your
+permission to accompany you."
+
+I could not but accord it. It was impossible to do otherwise. The Judge
+thanked me, as he did Schorn and the Captain, so courteously that I was
+half inclined to suspect his sincerity. The prospect of this expedition
+seemed to delight him. He suddenly became talkative and showed an
+uncommon amiability to Schorn, although the young man met his advances
+with monosyllabic replies. His attempt to make himself acceptable to
+him was not happy; his cheerfulness seemed forced; his friendliness
+assumed; his gaiety feverish. In his usual attitude at the table,
+looking gloomily into his wineglass, he impressed me very unfavourably,
+but to-day, when he was talkative and gay, I was still more
+unfavourably impressed.
+
+I had a very strange feeling with regard to the Judge. I could not but
+acknowledge that he was a good, honourable man. He had shown this
+abundantly; but I felt a vague, instinctive aversion to him, which,
+however I struggled against it, increased the more I knew him.
+
+I was uncomfortable in his society that evening; therefore I rose from
+my place earlier than usual and called Mizka to light me to my room. To
+my surprise, the Judge followed my example, although he had just
+ordered another measure of wine.
+
+"I will go with you, Herr Professor," he said, and he accompanied me
+without drinking his wine. "To-morrow, then, at seven o'clock, Herr
+Schorn."
+
+As he spoke he offered his hand to Schorn, but the young man ignored
+it.
+
+"It is to the Herr Professor or to the Captain that you owe permission
+to accompany us," Schorn said, with cool contempt. "I have not agreed
+to it. You and I have nothing in common."
+
+"Perhaps you are wrong, Herr Schorn. I may convince you of this
+to-morrow. I willingly submit myself to your guidance. Good-night."
+
+His features wore a detestable sneer as he uttered these words, and,
+bowing to the rest of the company, he followed me.
+
+Upstairs on the landing I would have bidden him good-night, but he
+said:
+
+"I followed you, Herr Professor, because I want to speak a few words
+with you alone. Allow me to go into your room with you. I'll not detain
+you long."
+
+Of course I invited him to enter and to take a place on the old
+straight-backed sofa, curious to learn what he could have to say to me.
+When Mizka, after having lighted the candles, left the room, he sprang
+up, went to the door and opened it to convince himself that she was not
+listening, and then opened the door leading to the adjoining room to
+make sure that no one was there. Then he returned to me, and in a voice
+trembling with agitation said:
+
+"I pray you, Herr Professor, to give me at once, now, your report of
+meeting Franz Schorn in the neighbourhood of the Lonely House."
+
+I was startled. I had not expected this demand. Surprise made me
+speechless for a moment. I could only ejaculate "Herr Foligno!"
+
+"I understand your surprise, your dismay," he continued. "Believe me,
+it has cost me a struggle to resolve to make this request, but it must
+be. I may have neglected my duty in postponing it so long. Now, when my
+suspicions have become almost a certainty, I can wait no longer. I am
+compelled to collect all the grounds for it that I possess, and among
+them belongs your meeting with him near the Lonely House. The paper
+must be sent to the Attorney General at Laibach. It must be, Herr
+Professor; you cannot refuse me. Every man of honour is bound to
+support the authorities in the investigation of crime. You could not
+wish to shield a criminal from the rigour of the law."
+
+"Most certainly not; but I am more than firmly convinced that Franz
+Schorn is no murderer. You yourself, scarcely an hour ago, admitted the
+proofs of his innocence adduced by the doctor."
+
+"Did you not perceive that my words were ironical? I was obliged to
+change the subject of the conversation. Franz Schorn must not be warned
+by his friends. He must believe himself safe from discovery, or he will
+betake himself to flight, for which the money gained by his crime gives
+him abundant opportunity. Trieste is not far off, and a guide thither
+is quickly found. I was obliged to conceal from him the knowledge that
+I have discovered his crime. I put force upon myself to control my
+abhorrence of him. This very night I must complete the full report
+showing forth all the evidence against him, and in this I must include
+your meeting with him near the Lonely House. An official will take the
+paper to Laibach and deliver it in person; then the Attorney General
+must decide whether the evidence it contains be sufficient to warrant
+Schorn's arrest. I am myself perfectly convinced of his guilt. I ought
+perhaps to arrest him on my own responsibility, but I will not expose
+myself to the reproach of acting from personal hostility. I shall watch
+him narrowly to prevent his flight, and therefore I begged to be
+allowed to join your cave exploration. His arrest I will leave to the
+Attorney General in Laibach. Thus I have explained to you frankly the
+grounds for my action, and I pray you to give me the report for the
+protocol, which you promised me a week ago. This report should consist,
+in order to save yourself and myself unpleasant after inquiries, of the
+declaration that to your meeting with Schorn you attached no importance
+in the beginning, but since you have learned that the voice of the
+people pronounce him the murderer you hold it to be your duty to
+mention seeing him in the forest. You might add that you hold this
+meeting to be of no importance and that you are most unwilling to
+arouse a suspicion of the young man, but that, nevertheless, you feel
+it your duty to tell of your encounter with him. I think such a report
+cannot outrage your sense of justice."
+
+"It does not accord with my sense of justice to admit a suspicion which
+I think false. If I make my report now, it will look as though I shared
+this suspicion. The Attorney General would so interpret it, even though
+I declared the contrary. I ought to have made the report immediately
+after the discovery of the murder. You prevented my doing so then, and
+now I will not make it until I see at least the possibility of other
+grounds for it."
+
+"It is the duty of the Attorney General, not yourself, to judge of the
+importance of your evidence," Herr Foligno replied sternly. "It is the
+duty of the private individual to impart to the proper authorities
+every circumstance that may be connected with a crime. Of course you
+know that."
+
+"It is not his duty," I said angrily, "if his inmost conviction is that
+the circumstance he relates has no connection whatever with the crime,
+although it may serve to arouse suspicion. If what you maintain be
+correct, I ought also to advise the Attorney General that you yourself
+were in the neighbourhood of the Lonely House on that morning and that
+I found your pocket handkerchief where you had been plucking _Ophrys
+Bertolini_."
+
+Herr Foligno shot such a look of rage at me from beneath his black
+brows that I started in terror. I had no idea of affecting him so
+deeply by my words. In a voice trembling with anger, which he vainly
+strove to control, he said:
+
+"Then you would tell the Attorney General a falsehood. I have told you
+that I did not pluck the flowers in the neighbourhood of the Lonely
+House, but at a great distance from it, and in a spot difficult to
+find, and that my handkerchief was by accident where you picked it up.
+Is it possible that you do not believe me, although I have told you all
+this distinctly?"
+
+He probably read in my face that I was not convinced of the truth of
+this statement, for he continued in a sharp, angry tone:
+
+"You doubt, in spite of my words. Perhaps you entertain the possibility
+of my having some connection with the crime----"
+
+"What folly, Herr Foligno!" I cried, interrupting him. "I mentioned you
+and your pocket handkerchief only to contradict your assertion that it
+was my duty to tell of an insignificant experience. If I ought to
+report having seen Franz Schorn near the Lonely House, I also ought to
+report the finding of your handkerchief under the same circumstances."
+
+"If you really consider this your duty, I shall not gainsay you," he
+replied darkly, not lifting his eyes from the ground. "It is no affair
+of mine. My task is to send this very night my deposition, containing
+an account of your meeting with Franz Schorn, to the proper authorities
+either with or against your consent. I may find myself in a very
+unpleasant position and even imperil my office when I relate that I
+myself advised you to withhold your report concerning Schorn, but
+personal considerations must yield to my sense of duty. I had thought,
+Herr Professor," he continued, in a more friendly tone, finding me
+still silent, "that you would not willingly thus embarrass me. Believe
+me, I would not so insist upon your evidence were I not thoroughly and
+firmly convinced of the young man's guilt. To show you how highly I
+esteem you, what implicit confidence I place in your honour and
+silence, I will tell you, although scarcely warranted in so doing, of
+the results of my laborious investigations during the last few weeks.
+You yourself will then be convinced of your duty. It is a hard task for
+me to make these revelations to you, for not only do they militate
+against Franz Schorn, but against one who has been very dear to my
+heart, and for whom to-day, in spite of my better judgment, I feel warm
+affection; but it must be; you shall hear all."
+
+"Proceed; you may rely upon my discretion."
+
+I waited for what he had to say with intense eagerness. For a few
+moments he sat silent, with downcast looks; then he began, not once
+looking at me as he spoke:
+
+"It is difficult to indicate the precise moment at which suspicions of
+Schorn were aroused within me. You yourself know of his bitter enmity
+towards old Pollenz, whose death he could not but desire, since it
+alone would bring him the fulfilment of his dearest wish. You know of
+his being near the Lonely House immediately after the murder. You know
+also of the wound in his hand, to account for which he told of having
+grasped a double-edged knife as it fell from where he had left it. His
+reluctance to show the wound to the doctor, and, more than all else,
+his sudden accession of wealth after the crime, accuses him loudly. He
+has made purchases which would have been impossible with his own
+unassisted means. All these grounds of suspicion the doctor thought to
+annihilate by his acute reasoning, showing that old Pollenz himself
+could not possibly have admitted Schorn and that the murderer had
+evidently entered the house without any violent breaking in of the
+door. How is this to be accounted for? Unfortunately, the explanation
+is only too clear. Fraeulein Anna Pollenz, when officially examined, as
+well as in her words to the Captain and to the doctor, portrayed a life
+in her father's house absolutely opposed to reality. She maintained
+that her father loved her most tenderly; that he was always kind and
+gentle to her, and that even her connection with the hated Schorn and
+her refusal to give me her hand had produced no change in his demeanour
+toward her. Anna's words were universally believed. Who could doubt who
+looked into her eyes and acknowledged their spell? To see her is to
+love her. She wins all hearts at once. Every one believes her; every
+one trusts her; and nevertheless every word that she spoke is false.
+For years the Lonely House has witnessed terrible scenes between father
+and daughter. The old man abused the lovely child outrageously because
+she would not obey him. Unfortunately I myself was often the cause of
+this abuse, although I declared continually to old Pollenz that I never
+would claim Anna's hand unless she bestowed it upon me voluntarily;
+unless I succeeded in winning the young girl's love. The old fellow was
+a rough, heartless, violent man; a coward to those stronger than
+himself, brutal to those who were weaker. He locked his daughter up; he
+half starved her; he beat her so that she escaped from him bleeding.
+For years he never spoke a kind word to her. He had unbounded
+confidence in me; he even angrily complained to me of her disobedience.
+I myself have witnessed frightful scenes, and on several occasions
+prevented him with all my physical strength from maltreating the
+beautiful, unfortunate child in my presence."
+
+"Frightful!" I exclaimed. The dreadful picture which the narrator
+unfolded before me filled me with horror.
+
+"Beside myself, there is one other human being who is aware of the
+family life in the Lonely House. Old Johanna was a witness of the
+maltreatment which the unhappy girl suffered daily in our presence; in
+the presence of others the old man assumed a kind, mild demeanour
+toward his child; old Johanna suffered almost as much as Anna from the
+brutality of her master. She would long ago have left him if she had
+not been detained by tender affection for her mistress. After what you
+have just heard you may judge with what amazement I was filled upon
+learning after the death of old Pollenz that Anna had described her
+relations with her father as happy, peaceful, and loving, and that old
+Johanna in the final examination, had confirmed all that Anna said. I
+pondered long to discover what grounds Anna could have for such a false
+representation of the actual circumstances and why she should suddenly
+develop such inconceivable hatred for me, who had so often protected
+her from ill treatment. When at last I suspected the true cause I found
+it difficult of belief. I alone can expose the tissue of lies which she
+has woven around herself. I alone cannot be won over to testify to her
+truth, as she has won over old Johanna, who would perjure herself
+willingly for her darling, and Anna needs such falsehoods. It is almost
+impossible to believe that the daughter, driven to madness and despair
+by daily ill treatment, herself opened the locked doors for her lover.
+Spare me further words, Herr Professor. My reason becomes confused when
+I reflect on a deed so horrible. Ever since this solution became clear
+to me, sleep is banished. I toss restlessly throughout the night. My
+thoughts dwell perpetually in the Lonely House. At times I have feared
+that I should become insane. The struggle raging within me during these
+last few days is indescribable. I loved Anna with all my heart. I love
+her still, and, although it is madness, I shall love her to my last
+breath. Neither her crime nor the hatred which she displays towards me
+can kill this insane love within me, and fate has ordained that I
+should be the inexorable judge, the dread accuser of her lover, in
+ruining whom I ruin her also; but I must do my duty, let my heart bleed
+as it may."
+
+He had finished. The narrative had agitated him fearfully; he trembled
+in every limb; his eyes glowed as with fever. I was scarcely less moved
+than he. His words had torn the veil from my eyes; I could now see the
+fearful scenes in the Lonely House clearly, and how they had led to the
+final deed. I was ineffably sad. Great as was my detestation of the
+horrible crime, I could not but pity deeply the unfortunate child whom
+despair had maddened. Detestation, horror and pity by turns filled my
+heart. I could put myself in the place of the unhappy man who had just
+revealed to me his innermost soul.
+
+How long we confronted each other in silence I cannot say. We were both
+too deeply moved to give expression in words to our feelings. Herr
+Foligno recovered himself first. His voice no longer trembled as he
+asked, after a long pause:
+
+"Will you now sign the report which I will write out for you?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+I brought him paper, pen and ink. He quickly took down the evidence I
+had to give, as he had before required that I should give it, and then
+read aloud what he had written. I had no objection to offer, and signed
+it.
+
+He arose and held out his hand in farewell.
+
+"I have another terrible night before me," he said. "To-morrow a
+messenger must take this early to Laibach, and a hard day will follow a
+weary night for both of us. It will not be easy for you, Herr
+Professor, to make one to-morrow of Franz Schorn's party to the cave
+without allowing him to perceive your detestation of him."
+
+"I cannot; I shall excuse myself on the plea of illness."
+
+"No, Herr Professor, you must not do this. Schorn will surely learn
+through Mizka that I came with you to your room; he might suspect
+something. A criminal of his calibre is on the watch for the merest
+trifle which can arouse suspicion of his discovery. You, too, Herr
+Professor, have a hard duty to perform, but it must be done. You must
+be one of the party, as I shall be. Neither the Captain nor Schorn must
+dream of what the near future will bring forth. I trust to your honour,
+and I know that I do not trust in vain."
+
+"You may rely upon me; I will control myself."
+
+With another pressure of the hand we separated.
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER X.
+                              AN ACCIDENT?
+
+
+As I tossed restlessly in bed I heard above me, as on the first night
+after the murder, the pacing to and fro of the Judge. A magnetic
+connection seemed to exist between us, causing me to think what he
+thought, and to feel what he felt. The same terrible images which
+banished sleep from his eyes were present before mine. I heard the
+church clock strike hour after hour, and only with the first glimmer of
+dawn did I enjoy a short slumber.
+
+At five o'clock I awakened. My first thoughts dwelt upon what the Judge
+had told me the evening before. It now appeared to me in quite a
+different light. I was more composed. The nervous agitation which had
+then possessed me had vanished. I could reflect upon what I had heard.
+As the Judge had spoken in his excitement, what he said had such an
+effect upon me that it all seemed to me absolute verity without need of
+proof, but now doubts sprang up, and a clearer understanding demanded
+its rights.
+
+Had Herr Foligno really divulged to me unvarnished facts, which
+convinced me of the guilt of Schorn and of his betrothed, as his
+accomplice? No! He had accumulated evidence as the doctor had done. The
+only fact was that Anna had not adhered to the truth in describing her
+relations with her father, and was it not natural that the daughter
+should try to clear her father's memory of all evil! It was very
+natural that her filial affection should awaken after her father's
+terrible death; that she should forget everything that had distressed
+her in their relations--his harshness, even his maltreatment--and
+remember only his love. And for this was she to be accused as an
+accomplice in an accursed crime!
+
+I was ashamed of my credulity. Might not Herr Foligno be governed by
+prejudice even to misunderstanding the relations between father and
+daughter! A harsh word spoken by the father to Anna in his presence
+might appear to him an intolerable offence, while Anna might scarcely
+notice it.
+
+I really could not comprehend my credulity of the previous evening, or
+how I could have been led by the Judge's excitement to regard as facts
+the arguments he had adduced.
+
+And if Anna were not guilty, where were there grounds for suspicion of
+Franz Schorn? I repented having signed the deposition and having
+promised to be silent with regard to it; but I had given my promise,
+and it must be kept. Perhaps, after all, it was as well, for my report
+would elicit a judicial investigation of all grounds for suspicion of
+Franz Schorn, who could be acquitted of all imputations only by a
+thorough examination which could clear him from every suspicion
+entertained of him by his fellow-townsmen.
+
+All these considerations soothed me. I could contemplate the expedition
+which I had arranged with Franz Schorn for to-day without aversion. It
+was rather disagreeable to know that the report signed by me was
+already on its way to Laibach, while I was one of a party of pleasure,
+all friends of the young man; but I would not ponder on this; it was
+irrevocable.
+
+Soon after six o'clock I went down to the garden to take my morning cup
+of coffee, and there I found the Captain and Franz awaiting me to
+discuss the details for our excursion. Franz was full of life and
+animation. I had never seen him so gay, so happy. There was no trace of
+the sullen expression which sometimes clouded his handsome face. His
+morning greeting was so cordial that I felt ashamed indeed as I shook
+his proffered hand. This pleasant, happy young man guilty of a murder?
+It was folly, nay, it was wicked to hold any such idea for a minute.
+
+He had early completed every necessary preparation for the excursion we
+were about to make. The Captain and I had really nothing to provide;
+even the magnesium wire had been bought at the druggist's. Two stout
+labourers, who could speak German, were ready to accompany us, each of
+them provided with a thick, pointed staff and a long rope, not too
+thick, but very strong. Half a dozen pitch torches Schorn had procured
+from the fire department, and a lantern for every member of the party.
+In addition, the men carried after us two short, strong ladders.
+
+On the stroke of seven Herr Foligno entered the garden. He greeted
+Schorn politely; the Captain and myself cordially. He looked ill and
+worn. I had never seen his sallow features so expressionless, but his
+dark eyes shone with feverish excitement.
+
+We began our walk. The people who met us looked after us in surprise as
+we strode through the streets of Luttach. Apparently they could not
+understand how two men, known to be such bitter enemies as Herr Foligno
+and Franz Schorn, should be walking so peaceably side by side.
+
+At the furthest end of the town we descended to the bed of the Rusina.
+In early spring, when the snow melts quickly upon Nanos and when heavy
+rainfalls create hundreds of little brooks from the mountains, the
+Rusina dashes along in wild fury; but after a drought it is almost
+dried up, and is only a shallow rill of water trickling between the
+stones of its rocky bed. We could walk along it without wetting our
+feet. It was not very agreeable walking, but it was the nearest way to
+the grove, which we reached after scarcely ten minutes.
+
+Here, in the centre of this grove, consisting of scarcely a hundred
+huge oaks, there is a pile of mighty rocks; large blocks, covered with
+luxuriant green moss, are heaped together in a confused mass, in which
+is an opening, black and forbidding, about the height of a man, which
+forms the entrance to the cave we were to explore. Here we halted and
+consulted. It was decided that we should enter in single file, Franz
+Schorn first as our guide. I was to follow him. Herr Foligno came after
+me, and the Captain was last. Our two porters closed the little
+procession. The lanterns were lighted and each of us took one.
+
+We entered the cave, which was at first tolerably spacious; into it
+daylight penetrated, making a dim twilight. About four or five yards
+above us arched a roof of black, moist stone. The ground beneath,
+descending rather precipitously, was covered with small fragments of
+rock which had apparently fallen from the roof, loosened by the
+dampness. There was no trace of the beautiful stalactites for which the
+Adelsberg Grotto is so famous. The light of our lanterns was quite
+sufficient to reveal clearly the part of the cave where we stood and
+the path leading down to the depths. A few yards from the entrance the
+cave narrowed. There was room between the walls of rock for only two
+men to walk abreast; and indeed the walking was extremely difficult,
+because of the slippery scales of rock with which the floor was strewn.
+
+Forward! We walked, or, rather, we scuffled, downwards, in danger at
+every step of falling on the slippery stones. After a few minutes our
+path grew easier; it no longer descended; although still strewn with
+fragments of rock, the danger of slipping was less. We had more room.
+The walls retreated and vanished beyond the circle of light cast by our
+lanterns, which could no longer illumine the roof of the cave arching
+above us.
+
+"'Here it resembles a cathedral,' the Adelsberger guides would say, if
+they were here," said Franz Schorn with a laugh, stopping and raising
+his lantern. "How high this dome is I have never before with my
+insufficient light been able to discover, and just because I had
+insufficient light I ventured but little further into the cave."
+
+"You reached an abyss which prevented your further progress; at least
+you told us so yesterday," said the Judge.
+
+"True. It is only a few minutes' walk from here. If we go through the
+cathedral and turn a little to the left, we shall reach the only outlet
+which leads further among the rocks. It is a very narrow, rocky way,
+suddenly ending in a sheer abyss. It is for us to discover to-day
+whether it is possible to be lowered by a rope into its depths and to
+find sufficient foothold below to enable us to continue our
+exploration. When, four or five years ago, I last entered the cave,
+quite alone, I could go no further, and so I returned from this spot."
+
+"Must we turn to the left!" asked the Judge. "You are mistaken; we must
+turn to the right; to the left the cave is completely blocked by a heap
+of rocky fragments."
+
+Franz Schorn regarded the speaker with surprise, bethought himself a
+moment, and then exclaimed:
+
+"True, you are right. I remember now that I found a heap of rocks on my
+left, and then turned to the right to find an outlet. But how did you
+know this, Herr Foligno?"
+
+One of the two porters laughed aloud, and answered in the Judge's stead
+with some words in Slavonic, which seemed to surprise the Captain as
+well as Schorn.
+
+"What, Herr Foligno, you were here in the cave a week ago, with Rassak,
+and ventured as far as the abyss, and never told us anything about it
+yesterday?" exclaimed the Captain.
+
+"I told you that I had entered the cave, but had not gone far. I do not
+talk much of such trifles," he replied irritably, adding:
+
+"Shall we not light a couple of torches to see how high the roof is?"
+
+The torches were lighted, but did not suffice to reveal the height of
+the cave. Only when the magnesium light flamed up and cast its dazzling
+radiance upwards did we perceive for a few moments the rocky roof some
+twenty yards above us.
+
+"This is gruesome," said the Captain, with a long breath, as the
+brilliant light was extinguished and the darkness around us seemed
+deeper and blacker than before. "We can now understand how the floor
+beneath our feet is so covered with fragments of rock. Evidently large
+pieces fall from the roof and are broken into a hundred bits below.
+Look, Herr Foligno; the stones just here show traces of having been but
+lately broken. At any minute another fragment might fall and be the
+death of us."
+
+"Yes, such an exploration is not without danger," the Judge replied
+with a sneer. "But let us proceed, gentlemen. The shorter the time
+spent here beneath this roof the less danger is there that we shall be
+injured by a falling rock. Let us go on, in the same order as hitherto.
+You go first, Herr Schorn."
+
+"Since you visited the cave only a week ago, you had better act as
+guide, Herr Foligno."
+
+"No, I refuse. I expressly stated yesterday that I should be entirely
+guided by you, and I repeat it. Therefore, pray, Herr Schorn, go before
+us; I will follow with the Herr Professor."
+
+Schorn made no further objection. We pursued our way, keeping to the
+right, and entered the narrow opening between the rocks, which seemed
+the only means by which to penetrate further into the cave. It was
+narrower than any path hitherto. It would have been impossible for two
+men to walk in it abreast, but there was more than enough room, when in
+single file. Our lanterns and the torches of the porters cast
+sufficient light to show us a gentle ascent in front and to enable us
+to proceed free from all risk of danger.
+
+"We have reached the abyss," Schorn said, halting after a few moments.
+"Here we can go no further, and if we cannot find, after being lowered
+by a rope, another opening, our exploration party has reached its
+limits. The abyss appears to be not only sheer, but the rock upon which
+we stand overhangs it somewhat. I will lie flat on the ground and look
+down. Perhaps I shall succeed in finding an outlet, but I must have a
+brighter light than that of the lanterns. Give me one of the torches,
+Herr Professor."
+
+A torch was passed from hand to hand; I gave it to Schorn, who laid
+himself flat on the ground, and, leaning over the abyss as far as
+possible, endeavoured to cast into it the light of the torch. As he lay
+there I had a view of the depths, but it gave me little hope for the
+continuance of our exploration. The red light of the torch was
+sufficient to show me a black wall rising twelve or fifteen feet on the
+opposite side of the abyss. It seemed to bar all progress, giving no
+hint of any outlet. A few feet above our heads the smoke of the torches
+hung in a cloud, which found no egress from the cave.
+
+"Beneath us, scarcely twenty feet below, there is firm footing," cried
+Schorn, "and, if I do not mistake, the cave then leads to the right
+among the rocks; but I must have a brighter light."
+
+He handed the torch back to me and took a piece of magnesium wire from
+his pocket. The next moment the cave as far as we could overlook it was
+illumined as by an electric light.
+
+"A happy discovery; we can go on," cried Schorn, delighted, as the
+light was extinguished. "I can assure you, gentlemen," he said, rising,
+"that the first difficulty is almost without danger, and easy to
+overcome."
+
+We crowded about him; even the two porters were determined not to lose
+a word of his description.
+
+Beneath the overhanging rock, at a depth of scarcely fifteen or twenty
+feet, there was a firm footing, a platform of stone quite broad enough
+to give standing room for at least five or six men, and from this
+platform a way was distinguishable on the right through a narrow
+opening in the rocks.
+
+"Now you see, Herr Foligno, I was right a week ago. You would not
+believe me, but so it is," exclaimed Rassak, one of the porters,
+exultantly, speaking German.
+
+"Who asked your opinion!" the Judge said harshly.
+
+"Did Rassak, then, discover the continuance of the cave?" said the
+Captain.
+
+"Well, yes," the Judge replied irritably. "It seems at present that he
+was probably right. He lay down on the ground and let down a lantern by
+a rope, and then declared that the cave had a further outlet. I lay
+down after him and looked down, but I could see no opening. I did not
+believe him, and it was partly to convince myself whether or not he was
+correct that I offered to accompany you to-day. I could not explore it
+myself then; I had no rope strong enough to lower me to the platform
+below, which might have been done without danger."
+
+"Not quite without danger, at least for the first to attempt it,"
+Schorn remarked calmly, "but it is not great. It needs a little swing
+on the rope to reach the platform, but when one man obtains firm
+footing there, the rest is easy. I will be let down first, and can draw
+the rest toward me. The porters must stay here, that they may pull us
+up when we return."
+
+"But it seems to me a very perilous undertaking," said the Captain
+anxiously. "We cannot expose our Herr Professor to such danger. If the
+rope breaks before he reaches the platform, or if he should be seized
+with giddiness, he would fall into a bottomless abyss."
+
+"I will guarantee the strength of the rope," said Franz Schorn.
+
+"And I that I shall suffer no dizziness; I do not know the sensation."
+I was so keen for the continuance of our exploration that I was almost
+irritated by the Captain's anxiety on my behalf. The danger would have
+to be far greater than it was to deter me from further progress.
+Hitherto I had found no trace of a cave beetle; there had been nothing
+living among the bald black rocks. Only at a greater depth could I hope
+to satisfy my passion for collecting.
+
+"If the Captain thinks the danger too great, he can remain with the
+porters. I shall be glad to follow the Herr Professor," said the Judge;
+whereupon the Captain turned upon him angrily, declaring that he was
+not thinking of danger for himself, but for the old gentleman who was
+their guest in Luttach; since, however, the Herr Professor wished to
+go, he himself should surely not remain behind.
+
+Thus we determined to proceed. Franz Schorn gave us the necessary
+directions. He wished us to put the rope around us and to hold it
+firmly when we were lowered. These directions were not necessary in my
+case; I have made use of rope so often with my guides among the
+glaciers, and have so frequently been let down from the rocks to obtain
+some rare plant, that I was quite familiar with its use. There seemed
+to be no possible peril here, even for Franz Schorn, for four of us
+would hold the rope and we could lower him very gradually for the short
+distance to the platform below, making any great swing of the rope
+impossible. The two porters could easily lower the Captain, who was to
+be the last of us to follow.
+
+Schorn arranged the rope so that he could place himself in the loop; he
+fastened a lantern to it, and then advanced to the edge of the rocks,
+seated himself, and, still holding to the irregular surface he slowly
+lowered himself, while we, holding the rope, paid it out inch by inch.
+I followed him to the edge, but I did not look down, because I
+concentrated all my attention upon the paying out of the rope.
+
+After scarcely a minute we heard him call from below:
+
+"Halt! I am all right. Draw the rope up again."
+
+I laid myself flat on the ground and looked over the edge of the
+platform, which was now illuminated by the lantern which Schorn held.
+It was light enough for me to see the young man distinctly as he stood
+quite comfortably not far below me. I could also discern the black
+opening to the right, the continuation of the cave.
+
+"Follow me, Herr Professor," Schorn called up. "Do just as I did; there
+is no danger; seat yourself in the loop and as soon as you are lowered,
+I will drag you to me. A dozen men beside us could find room on this
+platform."
+
+I did as he directed and seated myself in the loop, but as I was about
+to swing clear of the outer edge of the rock to follow Schorn's
+example, my heart suddenly gave a leap. For a moment horror overcame me
+as I looked into the depths below; I hesitated to cast myself loose.
+
+"Are you afraid, Herr Professor!" The Judge stood immediately behind
+me, regarding me with a sneer. His eyes gleamed strangely as he leaned
+over me.
+
+There is no greater folly than to expose oneself to a danger out of
+fear of being called a coward. I have often declared this, but at that
+moment, old man as I am, I committed this folly.
+
+"Hold the rope firmly; I will let myself down," I replied.
+
+"Have no fear, we will hold it fast."
+
+I hovered above the abyss and was slowly lowered. I had almost reached
+the platform when I heard above me a strange creaking; at the next
+moment I knew I was falling, but a strong arm was thrown around me and
+Franz Schorn and I staggered and fell on the platform. Just then I
+heard a scream from above.
+
+"Great God!" exclaimed the voice of the Judge. "The rope has broken;
+the Professor has fallen into the abyss!"
+
+This was all the work of a moment. I tried to stand up, but I could
+not; my right ankle was terribly painful. Franz Schorn, who had fallen
+with me, was quickly on his feet.
+
+"I never will believe that the rope broke," he whispered. He seized it
+and examined it by the light of his lantern on the ground; mine had
+been broken and extinguished in my fall.
+
+"It was half cut through before it broke," he said in a dull tone.
+"That scoundrel, Foligno, has tried to plunge you into the abyss."
+
+Hastily taking a knife from his breast pocket he cut off the end of the
+rope and handed it to me.
+
+"Keep this," he whispered. "You may perhaps need it for proof that the
+rascal tried to murder you."
+
+I heard his words, but I did not understand him. My thoughts were in
+wild confusion; I was still half stunned by my fall. Mechanically I
+followed his directions and put the piece of rope in my pocket. Only
+gradually did I clearly understand in what danger I had been, and that
+Franz Schorn had ventured his own life to rescue mine. It was almost a
+certainty that I should drag him down to the abyss, but he had seized
+me as I fell, and at the risk of his life had pulled me back to the
+platform.
+
+"You have saved my life----"
+
+He interrupted me. "Don't speak of it. We all help one another as well
+as we can. What we have to think of now is how to reach the rock above
+us without injury."
+
+He suddenly paused, as from above came the voice of the Judge:
+
+"Thank God! The accident is not so bad as I feared. I can see the Herr
+Professor and Herr Schorn on the platform below. Are you hurt, Herr
+Professor?"
+
+"I believe my right ankle is broken," I called back.
+
+"Good heavens! What shall we do?"
+
+"Why, of course," Schorn replied, "you must lower the second rope to
+pull us up. I beg, however, that Rassak may be the first man, Bela the
+second, the Captain the third, and that you, Herr Foligno, do not touch
+the rope. It might break in your hands a second time. I will not trust
+you with the Herr Professor's life or my own."
+
+The Judge made no reply. For a moment all was silent, and then the
+Captain called down to us:
+
+"What nonsense you are talking, Franz! You have mortally offended the
+Judge. He had nothing to do with the accident. He is in despair that
+the Herr Professor should be injured."
+
+"His anger is of no consequence," Franz answered. "He promised me to
+submit to my orders, and I insist upon his not touching the rope
+again."
+
+A long discussion began. The Captain was seriously angry at the offence
+Franz had given to the Judge, whom he attempted to soothe, but Franz
+declared positively that he would wait with me on the platform for
+hours until Rassak could procure two other men rather than trust
+himself and me to a rope passing through the hands of the Judge. He
+said nothing of his suspicion that the rope had been partly cut
+through, and, therefore, the Captain thought his demand unjustifiable
+and prompted solely by hatred of his foe. He was indignant, but he was
+obliged to comply with the young man's demand, in order that I might be
+relieved from my most unpleasant situation as soon as possible. He
+promised that Rassak should be stationed close to the edge and that the
+Judge should take no part in the pulling up of the rope. While the
+Captain and Franz were discussing the matter I had examined my ankle,
+and, to my great joy, found that it was not broken, but had been
+severely sprained by my fall. It was excessively painful, but I could
+move it; I could even stand with Franz's assistance. Some moments
+passed, and then Schorn's name was called from above.
+
+"Is that you, Rassak?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Where is the Judge?"
+
+"Herr Foligno has gone back to the dome alone. He is to wait there
+until we come."
+
+"Lower the second rope to me; I wish to examine it."
+
+After a minute the rope hovered above us; Franz seized it, unfastened
+it from the other rope to which it was tied and examined it narrowly by
+the light of the lantern.
+
+"It is sound and uninjured. I feared the rascal might have cut this
+through secretly; but he has not dared to do so. Now we can allow
+ourselves to be pulled up without delay."
+
+Rassak was ordered to pull the rope up again and then to throw down to
+us the broken one. This was done. Franz cut a piece from the broken end
+with his knife and gave it to me, saying:
+
+"Keep it with the one you have, Herr Professor."
+
+After which he busied himself with preparations for my rescue. These he
+made with great care, trying the strength of the rope which he tied
+about me and of the loop in which I seated myself. Although I protested
+and declared that I could now care for myself perfectly, he used the
+piece of old rope to keep me steady as I ascended, holding it firmly
+below to prevent any swaying of the other. Thus I reached the top of
+the rock in safety, although my short ascent had caused almost
+intolerable pain in my sprained ankle, and when Rassak received me in
+his powerful arms above, I could not move the injured foot. I tried to
+stand up and to walk, but it was quite impossible. Rassak was forced to
+take me on his broad shoulders and carry me back to the dome. The
+Captain and Bela carried their lanterns in advance; without their light
+he could scarcely have made his way along the narrow path through the
+rocks. Franz was obliged to wait on the platform for some minutes
+before being drawn up.
+
+We found the Judge seated on a block of stone at the entrance of the
+rocky way beneath the dome. He sprang up as we approached.
+
+"Thank God, Herr Professor!" he cried, throwing his arm kindly about me
+for my support, as Rassak placed me on the ground. He pushed aside
+several large stones to make a comfortable bed for me. He even took off
+his coat and put it upon the rock that I might have a softer resting
+place. He was full of kind attention, far exceeding the Captain, who
+congratulated me in a few simple words and expressed his joy upon my
+escape; nevertheless I had a strange sensation, akin to fear, when he,
+with Rassak and Bela, returned through the narrow way to rescue Franz
+and I was left alone in the vault with the Judge. Involuntarily I put
+my hand in my breast pocket where was the trusty companion of all my
+excursions, my revolver. I could not but recall Franz Schorn's words on
+the platform, and the impression which they had made upon me was
+deepened when my hand met the small pieces of rope. I dreaded to see
+the fading light of the last lantern disappear in the narrow pathway. I
+was miserably uncomfortable in the spacious dark vault, where the light
+of a single lantern cast a ray of light so weak as only to enhance the
+black darkness of the place.
+
+The Judge seated himself close beside me, and when the Captain vanished
+in the narrow path he seized my hand.
+
+"Herr Professor," he said, modulating his voice to the lowest whisper,
+"I have been assailed by a horrible suspicion as I sat here. I feared I
+never should see you again. Was the accident which befell you
+occasioned by chance? If the rope was strong enough to sustain the
+heavy weight of Schorn, how could it break with the much lesser strain
+of your weight? Tell me, Herr Professor, does Franz Schorn know that
+you have told me of his meeting you in the forest on the day of the
+murder?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Then what I feared is but too certain. You saw him in the
+neighbourhood of the Lonely House on that day. The only witness against
+him must die. While he stood beneath us on the rocky platform he
+loosened the rope and cut it so that it parted as we were lowering you.
+We will examine the rope; there must be traces of a cut in it."
+
+Schorn had brought against this man the very accusation which was now
+brought against himself. He could have had no cause for his
+supposition, whilst the reason adduced by the Judge was not without
+probability.
+
+"Perhaps you will object," the Judge continued, "that he has saved your
+life; that without his aid you must have fallen into the chasm. He need
+not have stretched out his hand if he had wished to murder you. This
+thought also occurred to me, but, upon reflection, I find that my
+suspicion is only strengthened by your rescue. Perhaps his movement was
+involuntary--an impulse of the moment to seize a falling man--but,
+again, perhaps your rescue is only part of a cunning scheme. He makes
+sure that you never could decide to speak a word against the saviour of
+your life; he does not know that this word is already spoken. He
+thought, therefore, that he could save your life and yet attain his
+purpose without burdening his soul with a second murder. Indeed, should
+suspicion arise that the rope did not break accidentally, he might
+easily cast it upon another. Why else did he demand that I should take
+no part in drawing you up? He wished to arouse suspicion of me in your
+mind and in the Captain's. None could attach to him, were it discovered
+later that the rope had actually been cut, if he saved your life, and
+he will not fail to remind you that it was at the risk of his own. He
+is a thorough villain and incredibly cunning. I fear I shall have many
+difficulties to overcome before establishing the proof of his guilt and
+revealing him as the murderer of old Pollenz."
+
+The Judge's words produced a deep impression on me. Had not everything
+that he set forth actually happened? One thing was certain--the rope
+had been cut. Whose was the blame? The Judge's--who could have no
+interest in plunging me into the abyss? Why should he attempt to take
+my life? Franz Schorn's--who had saved my life at the risk of his own?
+However the Judge might endeavour to disparage the danger to which he
+had exposed himself, I knew better. I had felt him stagger as he leaned
+over beyond the rock and dragged me toward him. The success of this
+hazardous action was due to his physical strength and good luck; it was
+little short of a miracle that he had not been dragged down to the
+depths with me. Where lay the truth? In vain I pondered; I could not
+fathom it.
+
+Voices were heard coming through the narrow pathway, and the Captain,
+Rassak, Bela, and last of all, Schorn, appeared. Franz gave me a kindly
+nod; of the Judge he took not the smallest notice, but resumed his
+command and the guidance of the expedition. He directed the porters to
+strap together the ladders, of which we had hitherto made no use, and
+upon them placed the jackets of the men of the party, forming a litter
+for me. Rassak and Bela then bore me from beneath the vault to the
+entrance of the cave. I suffered intolerably; only when we had again
+entered the forest and my kind companions were able to make my litter
+softer with boughs and branches of trees did I find any relief from the
+torture I was enduring.
+
+In this melancholy wise we returned to Luttach, and thus ended my
+investigation of an unexplored Ukraine cave.
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XI.
+                           FORCED SECLUSION.
+
+
+I was confined to my lofty bed in my chamber in the inn for three days.
+The doctor insisted I must stay there with cold compresses upon my foot
+until the inflammation had entirely disappeared, and then a week at
+least must be spent in my room with the injured leg stretched out
+before me, nor could I dream of undertaking any further excursions
+until two weeks at least had elapsed.
+
+This was a melancholy prospect. Two weeks of imprisonment in the bare,
+low-ceiled guest-chamber No. 2; while out of doors the sun was shining
+and calling me to wanderings in the forest and on the mountains. But
+what cannot be cured must be endured.
+
+I could not complain of ennui. Of society I had more than enough; I
+sometimes longed to be alone for an hour to reflect upon my remarkable
+adventures, but I had visitors in unbroken succession, and until late
+in the evening I was not left for a moment to myself.
+
+All the gentlemen whom I had met about the round table in the
+dining-room came to testify in the friendliest manner their sympathy,
+and to beg me to relate my adventures, while Mizka and Frau Franzka by
+turns saw to my comfort, attending most carefully to the compresses
+upon my ankle. I could not have been more kindly and attentively cared
+for than in the Slavonic inn in Ukraine. But it was almost too much of
+a good thing. Their perpetual attention became burdensome, and the
+constant stream of visitors wearied me. To tell the same thing over
+and over again was not very amusing, especially as a number of my
+auditors--Weber, Gunther, Meyer, Mosic, and the notary, Deitrich--did
+not seem to give full credence to my story; that is, with regard to my
+rescue by Franz Schorn. They put all sorts of questions to me with
+regard to what had passed on the platform of rock, questions which I
+could not or would not answer, for, of course, I said not a word of the
+rope's bearing traces of having been cut, although this seemed to be
+just the very point to which they wished to lead me.
+
+Through the Clerk, Herr Von Einern, I at last learned the reason for
+their persistent questions. He expressed his indignation at the account
+which Herr Foligno had given on the evening of our adventure. It was
+eminently devised to arouse in his hearers a suspicion that in some
+manner Franz Schorn was to blame for my accident. He did not speak
+explicitly, but as unwilling to blame Schorn; he would leave that to
+me, who had sustained the injury; but in speaking thus he had contrived
+to increase the desire of those present to hear more.
+
+The Captain confirmed his statement, but was indignant not only with
+Franz Schorn, but with the conduct of the Judge himself. He would not
+forgive Schorn for accusing Herr Foligno to me, apparently without any
+reason, while he found the revenge taken by the Judge unworthy and
+mean. In his opinion there had simply been an unfortunate accident; the
+rope had been cut by some sharp projection in the rocks; Franz had
+certainly risked his life to save mine, but this did not justify him in
+what he had said of the Judge, which made Herr Foligno the direct cause
+of the fall.
+
+In the end I positively could not tell what to think of the affair. My
+harassing doubt was corroborated by a visit in the evening from the
+Judge. He had seen me during the day, but only for a few minutes at a
+time, to express his sympathy and to ask after my welfare, saying
+nothing during these short visits concerning my adventure; but in the
+evening he paid me a longer call, begging permission to bestow his
+society upon me for a while and to drink his wine in my room instead of
+in the dining-room below. He settled himself comfortably beside me,
+informing Mizka and Frau Franzka that he would assume the care of me
+during the evening and change my compresses. I tried to prevent this,
+but he would take no refusal, and rendered his services with assiduous
+precision. It was quite touching to see how careful he was to avoid
+giving me the least pain, and how he anticipated my every wish.
+
+I could not but be grateful, but I was not comfortable in his society,
+for as soon as Mizka and Frau Franzka had left the room he took the
+opportunity to express himself most clearly with regard to our
+adventure and Franz Schorn. He informed me that he had received a
+telegram from Laibach announcing that the investigating Judge and the
+Attorney General would visit Luttach on the morrow to conduct
+personally further inquiries, desirous of hearing from my own lips the
+manner of my meeting with Franz Schorn on the day of the murder. He
+coupled this information with the desire that I should not withhold
+from the gentlemen what I thought with regard to Franz Schorn's
+connection with my accident.
+
+When I refused point blank to do this and declared that I suspected
+Franz of nothing, that I was convinced that accident only had caused
+the breaking of the rope, he became very indignant at such ill-judged
+forbearance.
+
+"I cannot understand you, Herr Professor," he said angrily. "Suspicion
+is almost become certainty. Schorn has betrayed himself by superfluous
+caution. It is a common experience among lawyers that the criminal
+often furnishes the clue to his discovery by excess of caution, and
+this has been Schorn's case. To destroy all traces of a cut in the rope
+he has cut off both ends of the break and thrown them away in the cave.
+Perhaps they can still be found; but should this not be the case, the
+fact of his so disposing of them tells against him. What other aim
+could he have in thus destroying all traces of the cut?"
+
+"But he did not throw them away. He cut them off in my presence and
+gave them to me. Here they are," I replied, taking the ends of rope
+from my breast pocket.
+
+I spoke and acted without thought, as I felt the moment the words were
+out of my mouth and I perceived their effect upon my hearer. He started
+from his chair as if from an electric shock and took instant possession
+of the ends of rope.
+
+"He gave them to you," he cried, "and why? Ah! now I understand it all.
+Conscious of his guilt, he feared discovery, and bethought himself, in
+his over-caution, to inform you of what had been done. Suspicion must
+be thrown upon another, and I was that other. Tell me frankly, Herr
+Professor--I have a right to ask it--tell me, did he not hint to you
+that I had cut the rope?"
+
+I had acted like a fool and was now painfully embarrassed. I was
+obliged to confess to him that his suspicion was correct. He instantly
+grew excessively angry.
+
+"What doubly detestable villainy," he cried, "refinement of
+rascality--to throw suspicion on me and to adduce as proof the cut
+which his own knife had made, and which, of course, he knew well enough
+where to find! Of course I know that his words did not make the
+smallest impression on you. Nevertheless they anger me beyond
+expression. I did not credit even the villain that he is with such
+rascality, but it shall react upon himself. These two fragments shall
+bear witness against him. I shall give them to the Attorney General
+to-morrow."
+
+"Indeed you will not," I replied firmly. "I owe my life to Franz
+Schorn. Without his aid I should now be lying dead in the depths of the
+cave. I do not know whether a knife or a sharp stone worked the
+mischief, but I do know that Schorn risked his own life for mine. This
+is solely my affair. My life was imperilled and I surely have the right
+to demand that no evil shall be said of him who preserved it."
+
+"Will you deny me the right to clear myself from all suspicion? This
+can be done only by proving that Schorn himself cut the rope."
+
+"No one has suspected you except Franz Schorn, and to me alone has he
+expressed his suspicion. I am sure that the breaking of the rope was an
+accident. I shall not allow suspicion to attach to any one, either to
+you or to Schorn. I require of you to return to me the pieces of rope
+and to be silent to the Attorney General concerning the whole matter;
+the affair concerns myself alone."
+
+Herr Foligno made many objections to my demand. I found it difficult to
+soothe him; he was so indignant with Schorn for showing me the ends as
+proof against him. He burned with the desire for revenge for such an
+insult, and I succeeded only with great trouble and much entreaty in
+persuading him to be silent and to return to me the ends of rope.
+
+He remained until far into the night--a civility I could easily have
+dispensed with. I was not comfortable in his society. I tried in vain
+to talk on indifferent subjects; he persisted in returning to the
+adventure in the cave and always with an attempt to cast further
+suspicion upon Schorn. His hatred for Franz and his indignation at what
+Franz had said to me was so great that he could think of nothing else.
+He would have tormented me, I believe, until daybreak with his
+accusations and his discussions of the matter; but at last I frankly
+told him that I had need of repose, and then he bade me good-night.
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XII.
+                               AN ARREST.
+
+
+I had to undergo a long examination. The investigating Judge and the
+Attorney General came from Laibach. Immediately after receiving Herr
+Foligno's deposition, they determined to take the very uncomfortable
+journey to Luttach to hear for themselves from witnesses on the spot
+all that was known regarding Franz Schorn's actions and whereabouts
+during the last few weeks. The investigating Judge told me of this with
+all the courtesy of an Austrian official. With entire lack of reserve,
+he informed me that although Herr Foligno's carefully prepared paper
+was quite sufficient to attach suspicion to Schorn, it did not at all
+suffice to convince him of the young man's guilt. He requested me to
+tell everything that I knew of Schorn and to hold back nothing out of
+regard for the man who, as he had already heard in Adelsberg, had saved
+my life. It was my duty to tell not only the truth, but the whole
+truth.
+
+The Judge was a handsome, kindly man, so courteous that he would not
+have me summoned for my examination to the court house, but took down
+my deposition in my room. Yet with all his amiability and in spite of
+the sympathy which he apparently felt for Franz Schorn, his inquiries
+were frightfully searching; he forced me to tell him more than I wished
+to.
+
+I had intended at this hearing to confine myself to what I had dictated
+in the Judge's deposition, but I could not keep my resolution. When the
+Judge asked me if Franz Schorn, of whom I had seen much in the last few
+weeks, had never told me his reason for avoiding me in the forest, I
+could not reply in the negative, and I was forced to assent, and to
+relate the conversation I had had with Franz and his betrothed. I could
+not conceal that each had requested me to say nothing of the meeting in
+the forest. Such an interview as this of mine with the Judge is very
+curious. The witness knows that every word he utters is upon his oath,
+and also that it may decide the fate of a fellow mortal. Every
+consideration vanishes before such a responsibility, and I could have
+none for the Judge. I had to acknowledge to my examiner that Anna and
+Franz had given as a reason of the request for my silence that the
+Judge's hatred of the young man was so intense that he would surely use
+my meeting with Franz as evidence against him.
+
+The Judge shook his head thoughtfully on hearing this; he evidently did
+not credit their explanation. Had I cherished no suspicion? Had it
+never occurred to me as odd that Franz Schorn should have wounded his
+hand? I could not deny that such a suspicion had occurred to me, but I
+could declare with a good conscience that it had vanished entirely
+after I had come to know Schorn better.
+
+What was the reason that after this first awakening of suspicion I had
+not informed the authorities of my meeting with the young man in the
+neighborhood? Why had I withheld this information until the day before
+yesterday? This keen questioning forced me to an exact reply. I told of
+how I had desired to give information immediately of my meeting with
+Schorn, and I gave Herr Foligno's reason for begging me not to insert
+it in an official deposition, and as a natural consequence I related
+the reasoning by which he had induced me to render to him my official
+statement.
+
+"Strange; very strange," said the Judge, more to himself than to me.
+"Herr Foligno has allowed personal considerations, personal feelings to
+influence his official action. Very unjustifiable!"
+
+He was silent for a while and then questioned me further with continued
+and frightful thoroughness. I did not wish to speak of the adventure in
+the cave, but when the interview was over, I had told everything that I
+knew about my fall, my rescue, and the accusations made by Schorn and
+the Judge with regard to the cut ends of rope. After the official paper
+had been read to me and I had signed it, the Judge offered me his hand.
+
+"Your testimony has been of the greatest importance, Herr Professor,"
+he said gravely. "You have so far confirmed suspicion against Schorn
+that the young man's arrest is an unavoidable necessity, but at the
+same time you have proved to me that an influence has been at work in
+this unfortunate affair which I must investigate further. Whatever may
+be the true history of the strange adventure in the cave, Schorn
+undoubtedly saved your life and you owe him gratitude for it. If you
+wish to testify this, you can do so by preserving profound silence with
+regard to your testimony of to-day as well towards the friends as to
+the foes of Herr Schorn, and, of course, to Judge Foligno. He has
+nothing to do further with the official investigation; he must in his
+turn appear as a witness, and it is especially desirable for the
+establishment of the truth that your testimony with regard to him
+should remain unknown. May I hope that you will promise me inviolable
+secrecy towards Herr Foligno, Herr Professor?"
+
+"Certainly, most willingly; but what am I to reply when Herr Foligno
+questions me? He wanted to send you an account of the adventure in the
+cave, and only desisted at my express desire."
+
+"Do not let this consideration influence you. It is of the greatest
+importance in the investigation that the Judge should know nothing of
+your testimony with regard to the adventure in the cave. If he asks
+you, tell him the simple truth; it is unlawful for witnesses to discuss
+together their testimony, and he is henceforth a witness like yourself.
+Tell him that I told you this, and that I enjoined it upon you to
+refuse even the slightest information with regard to your testimony."
+
+With this counsel, which I determined to follow implicitly, the Judge
+took his leave. He left me in an indescribable agitation, which
+increased when the District Judge paid me a visit immediately after. He
+came, as he told me frankly, to learn how the investigating Judge had
+received my testimony. When I told him of the promise which I had
+given, he was greatly surprised.
+
+"I! A witness like all the rest?" he cried indignantly. "These
+government officials are so puffed up with pride and self-conceit that
+they don't know what they are about. They owe to me, to my activity, to
+my research, every ray of light cast upon the darkness of the crime,
+and now they push me aside, rob me of the reward of my discovery, and
+regard me as a simple witness; but they shall not succeed; I will not
+submit; and you, too, Herr Professor, you need not feel yourself bound
+by a promise which no one had a right to exact from you; you may
+without fear tell me anything that you desire."
+
+"I do not know whether I should be justified in doing so or not," I
+replied, shrugging my shoulders. "I do not know the Austrian laws, but
+I am well aware that if I have undertaken no legal responsibility, a
+moral one rests upon me not to speak of my testimony after the promise
+which I have given. You must pardon me, Herr Foligno, if I preserve
+absolute silence."
+
+He looked at me angrily and evilly. "As you please; I shall make no
+further request of you," he said after a little pause. "One thing I
+have a right to demand of you in a matter which concerns me personally.
+Have you----"
+
+"I regret that I can make no reply to any question, whatever it may be.
+My promise to be silent was given unconditionally."
+
+He cast at me a glance full of rage and left the room without saying
+farewell. I had deeply offended him by my persistent refusal. I sat
+alone with a heavy heart, discontented with myself. I had offended the
+man who had been so kind and courteous to me during my stay in Luttach,
+and I had also placed him in a perilous position by my testimony to his
+superior. This was a very disagreeable thought. He was not aware of it,
+but when he learned it, would he not have a right to be angry with me
+and to accuse me of a breach of confidence? I had strengthened
+suspicion against Franz Schorn, the saviour of my life. It was my fault
+that the young man was now threatened with the loss of his liberty. I
+was provoked with myself for my imprudent and frank expressions, and
+yet again, when I reflected on the late examination and the questioning
+I had undergone, I could not have answered differently in accordance
+with the truth. I had surely only fulfilled my duty as a witness. In
+the deepest anxiety and with torturing impatience I awaited further
+developments. It was desperately hard to lie there and have cold
+bandages on my sprained ankle. I would have given anything to be able
+to do something, or that the visitors whom I had found so tiresome
+yesterday would return to-day, but I was, and remained, alone, confined
+to my bed.
+
+Two hours passed. At last quick footsteps approached my door. Mizka
+entered breathless, her cheeks crimson, her eyes glowing, to tell me of
+what was the talk at present of all Luttach. Franz Schorn was the
+murderer of old Pollenz. The gentlemen from Laibach had been searching
+Schorn's house at his farm outside the town, and had found quantities
+of money, banknotes, and stock, and government bonds and other papers
+of value, all the wealth of the murdered man. Nevertheless Franz had
+denied everything, declaring that he was innocent, but his brazen
+falsehood had done him no good; he had been arrested, his hands
+fettered, and thus manacled had been brought between two gendarmes to
+Luttach. As he passed the house of the doctor, his betrothed was
+sitting at the window. She had seen him and had rushed down into the
+street. She had embraced him before everybody--he, the murderer of her
+father! The gendarmes were obliged to unclasp her arms. She had not
+wept a tear; she had looked up at him with sparkling eyes when the
+gendarmes bore him away.
+
+"Do not despair, Franz," she had called after him. "God will not suffer
+the innocent to be condemned."
+
+Then she had quietly gone with the doctor, who led her back into the
+house. Franz, however, had walked on between the gendarmes, his eyes
+cast gloomily on the ground. He had replied not a word to the abuse
+which was showered on him from all sides.
+
+"Murderer!" "Dog of a German!" and other insulting epithets had been
+hurled after him by an increasing crowd of common people. He did not
+seem even to hear them. The people were so excited against him, so
+infuriated that the gendarmes had the greatest trouble in shielding him
+from their attack, and could hardly have succeeded in doing so if the
+Judge himself had not protected him from a couple of savage fellows,
+two labourers who had been dismissed from Schorn's farm and would
+gladly have revenged themselves upon their former master for their
+dismissal. By earnest admonition and threats of punishment the Judge
+had succeeded in quieting the mob, assuring the people that the
+murderer would not escape justice. He accompanied the prisoner to the
+court house, receiving no thanks from him for his protection. Not a
+word did Franz address to him.
+
+Upon an order from Herr Foligno, Herr Gunther provided a vehicle and
+horses, and, accompanied by the two gendarmes, bore off the manacled
+prisoner. The Judge said he would be taken to prison in Laibach and
+kept there until the court assembled, when he would be certainly tried
+as a murderer and hanged.
+
+All this Mizka detailed to me in the greatest agitation. Evidently she
+felt much satisfaction in the discovery of the murderer, and that it
+should be precisely Franz Schorn, whom every one hated, who was now
+delivered over to the law. Not a word of sympathy did the girl, usually
+so good-humoured, have for the unfortunate man; not a doubt of his
+guilt stirred within her; with a triumphant smile she left me after she
+had told her news.
+
+"The voice of the people is the voice of God," the Judge had once said.
+The doctor had replied, "The people's gossip is the voice of the
+devil." Was the Judge now proved to be right? The proof of Schorn's
+guilt seemed to grow clearer, and yet, strangely enough, my doubt of it
+grew stronger with every hour. My reason told me that there could be no
+room for doubt, now that upon searching his house the booty had been
+discovered, but my heart rebelled against even this proof. I felt for
+the first time that I had taken more than a fleeting interest in the
+young man, that there had been between us a heartfelt sympathy which
+forbade me in the face of all proof yet adduced, to believe in the
+possibility of his guilt.
+
+I was not long left to my melancholy reflections. A visitor interrupted
+them. The Burgomaster came, not only to inquire after my welfare, but
+to tell me of the discoveries made with regard to Schorn and of all
+that had been going on in the town while I lay bedridden. He had not
+yet left me before another visitor appeared, and he was followed by a
+third and a fourth. All the evening cronies of the round table made up
+for their absence in the morning, and through the entire afternoon I
+was not again alone. All my visitors brought melancholy confirmation of
+what Mizka had told me. Even the Captain and the Burgomaster were now
+convinced of Schorn's guilt, and acknowledged their conviction openly.
+The search in his house had brought much to light; so much money had
+been found that it was impossible to believe Franz had come by it
+honestly. His very conduct told against him--his bare-faced denial, as
+well as his unbroken silence when no credit was given to his words.
+There was but one opinion as to his guilt, and also as to the behaviour
+of the Judge. Even the Judge's opponents declared that Franz owed his
+escape from the indignant mob to his magnanimous protection. There was
+also but one voice with regard to the conduct of the Laibach court. It
+had been admirable, particularly that of the investigating Judge, who
+in a single day had discovered every particular concerning Schorn's
+life during the last few weeks. Almost all the gentlemen and a number
+of other people besides, as well as Bela and Rassak, had been examined
+by him. The officials had said nothing of the result of their evidence,
+and had enjoined the strictest silence upon the witnesses, who,
+however, were at liberty to declare that they considered Franz Schorn
+guilty, and they did so. The Clerk alone, Herr von Einern, prudently
+withheld his opinion in the matter.
+
+Did the doctor also believe in Franz Schorn's guilt? He and the Judge
+were the only ones who paid me no visit on this day. The Judge probably
+could not forget my refusal to answer his questions, and was still
+offended. I was at heart very glad that he did not come. His visit
+could have given rise only to unpleasant discussions; but the doctor I
+should like to have seen, partly to obtain medical advice for the
+night, and partly to learn his opinion of the discoveries concerning
+Schorn. My wish was fulfilled late in the evening, when it was nearly
+nine o'clock. The doctor came, but he was not alone. To my great
+surprise he was accompanied by Anna Pollenz. My astonishment when I saw
+the lovely Anna enter the room on the arm of her old friend must have
+been mirrored in my face, for Anna blushed, and the doctor, with his
+characteristic short laugh, which I was always glad to hear, said:
+
+"You wonder at this strange visit so late in the evening, Herr
+Professor. Well, you are right. This little girl might as well have
+come to you to-morrow morning, at a more fitting time; but she gave me
+no rest until I complied with her wish and brought her to you. If I had
+not consented she might perhaps have come all alone, and have given
+occasion for all sorts of gossip in Luttach. The entire population of
+the town has run mad; even the most sensible are infected with the
+nonsense which is heard on all sides. I could not have believed it, but
+since Franz's arrest and removal to Laibach, even the Captain and the
+Burgomaster have lost faith in him and consider him guilty, and yet
+everything adduced against him is thorough, unmitigated bosh. Not a
+word of it is true. The gentlemen from Laibach are principally to
+blame, with their arrest. They would hardly have proceeded to such
+extremities if the Judge had not taken care that they should hear from
+all sides the falsehoods invented by himself. This poor little girl has
+had a frightful day. Not only has her Franz been arrested--that is not
+the worst, for he will very soon be free again--but all the world, with
+the exception of the Clerk and myself, believe in Franz's guilt, and
+people are not ashamed to declare this openly. This makes my little
+Anna desperate. 'The Herr Professor, who loves Franz so much, cannot
+think him guilty,' she said, and insisted upon coming to you. I could
+not but do as she asked, and here we are. Well, perhaps it is all
+right; the poor child will not speak here to deaf ears, and will be
+soothed to see that every one does not consider Franz a murderer and
+thief. Sit down, my child, here in this chair, and pour out your heart
+to the Herr Professor. He will listen to you kindly."
+
+I had been observing Anna during this long introduction. Her colour
+changed from red to pale and then to red again as the old doctor
+continued. Her eyes sparkled as she turned to me, and she gazed at me
+with an imploring expression in them. She was wonderfully lovely. My
+heart gave a throb. Was I altogether free from blame?
+
+Anna seated herself at her old friend's bidding beside my bed and gazed
+at me with a long, searching look in her dark eyes, as if to read in my
+face the possibility of my thinking her Franz guilty.
+
+"You cannot mistrust him, Herr Professor," she said, "he has such a
+regard for you, and he saved your life."
+
+There was not much logic in these words, but they made me ashamed of
+myself nevertheless. Franz could not be guilty unless she were his
+accomplice, and I had almost believed in his guilt. I could not endure
+the look of those pure, clear eyes; my own dropped before them. I was
+ashamed.
+
+"If all the rest think him guilty," she continued in a tone of firm
+conviction, "you cannot. You believe in him, and you must feel it your
+duty to do everything you can to prove his innocence, for he saved
+your life. Therefore I come to you; I wished to speak to you before
+to-morrow. I shall sleep quietly, for I know that you will stand by me.
+Franz told me yesterday evening that the Judge had tried to take your
+life; that he is your worst enemy. You will counsel me truly when I
+have confided to you a secret which I have kept until now, a suspicion
+which I have not ventured to utter even to my dearest friend and
+relative."
+
+"Speak, dear child," I replied, taking her hand and pressing it
+cordially. "I assure you that I have no dearer wish than to establish
+the innocence of the saviour of my life."
+
+"I know it and will trust you," she replied frankly. "You and my kind
+friend, the doctor, both of you shall counsel me," she continued,
+clasping my hand in one of hers and extending the other to the doctor.
+
+"What do you mean, you strange child?" the doctor cried. "If you have a
+secret upon your soul, you ought to have told me of it long ago. If you
+needed counsel, you could always have had it from me."
+
+"I did not dare to. Franz forbade me. Franz himself did not believe me
+until yesterday evening. He is innocent. He always said that my fear of
+Herr Foligno and my detestation of him misled me."
+
+"Of whom are you speaking, child!" asked the doctor.
+
+Instead of answering, Anna turned to me.
+
+"When you reached the Lonely House on that terrible day, Herr
+Professor, did you not see in its neighbourhood another man beside
+Franz?" she asked.
+
+"No. No one."
+
+"I did not mean near the house itself, but on the upper path, the one
+leading along the rocks to Luttach?"
+
+"I saw no one there either."
+
+"You did not see him? I am sorry. Franz was sure yesterday that you
+did."
+
+"But who in all the world should the Professor have seen!" asked the
+doctor curiously.
+
+"The Judge," Anna replied. "I was sure I saw him, but I would not say
+so decidedly, and Franz, until yesterday, thought I might be mistaken
+and would not allow me to found an unjust suspicion upon an uncertain
+fact."
+
+The doctor was as astonished and startled as was I by Anna's words. He
+desired to know more from her, and when I begged the young girl to give
+us her full confidence and to tell us all that she knew and believed,
+she yielded to our request and related what had lain so long upon her
+heart.
+
+When on that dreadful day Anna had left home and was going down the
+path with her old Johanna to Luttach, she looked up by chance where the
+oaks grew thin and saw on the upper pathway a man approaching the
+Lonely House. She thought she recognized the Judge, but she could not
+be certain, for she had seen the figure only for a moment and had taken
+no trouble to recognize it, since she attached no importance to what
+she saw. The Judge had often gone to her father and had usually taken
+the upper pathway, wherefore she did not think of it again. Only upon
+hearing the terrible news of the murder of her father was the strange
+suspicion suddenly aroused within her that the Judge was the murderer,
+and this suspicion had been gradually confirmed. To hardly one other
+human being except to his friend the Judge, would her father have
+opened the locked front door. While he was alone he would have admitted
+no other. The Judge had known that her father had large sums of money
+in the house and was quite familiar with the place where they would be
+found.
+
+"But had I a right upon such slight grounds to found a suspicion of a
+respectable man? I asked myself," Anna proceeded. "I answered no, but
+in spite of this 'no' I could not combat my thoughts, and it was most
+terrible for me that I myself was partly to blame for my father's death
+if my suspicion were correct. The day before the Judge had come to
+visit my father, and had not found him at home. My father had left
+word, however, that he would soon return, and I thought I ought to tell
+this to the visitor because it might have provoked my father to know
+that I had turned away his friend. The Judge then begged my permission
+to wait, and when I gave it reluctantly, he sat down by me in my room
+and began a conversation. During this conversation I told him that my
+father had gone to Luttach to get papers of value from the post. He
+would not send old Johanna because the sum in question was too large to
+be entrusted to so old a woman. The Judge knew also from me that my
+father had much money in the house, and that I was going on the
+following day to visit my Aunt Laucic in Luttach, when Johanna would
+accompany me, so that after eleven o'clock he might see my father
+alone. All this I told him, and it all recurred to my mind. I had
+myself told the murderer when his victim would be alone and when he
+could commit the deed."
+
+In her distress Anna went on to say that she did not venture to mention
+her suspicion to the Captain--he was a friend of the Judge's--and only
+to her betrothed, from whom she kept no secrets, did she tell what was
+in her mind. He begged her, however, not to confide in any other human
+being. Franz declared that the Judge was not capable of such villainy.
+He tried to prove to her that her suspicions were groundless. "Does not
+he often climb about the rocks?" he asked. "Even had he been in the
+neighbourhood of the Lonely House, that ought to be no ground of
+suspicion against him, for I myself was met by the Herr Professor in
+the forest, as I was prowling about in hopes of meeting you." When her
+lover said this, Anna was seized with a dreadful anxiety lest he might
+really be suspected, and Franz, too, could understand that he was in
+peril. He knew how he was disliked, and how any opportunity would be
+seized to do him harm.
+
+Franz had insisted, however, that the Judge was incapable of the
+murder, and he had forbidden Anna to say one word further upon the
+subject. "Because he is my enemy," he told her; "because he is always
+circulating damaging reports of me behind my back, we must take care
+not to be unjust towards him." He had spoken thus until yesterday, but
+when he returned from the expedition to the cave and told Anna of his
+adventure there, he had suddenly changed his opinion with regard to
+what she had always thought. "It is beyond doubt," he said, "that the
+Judge cut the rope. What reason could he have for such an act! He
+wished to plunge the Professor into the abyss. I am now convinced that
+the Professor saw him also in the neighbourhood of the Lonely House.
+You were not deceived when you recognized him on the upper pathway. He
+fears that the Professor may betray him, and wishes to put so dangerous
+a witness out of the way. There could be no other reason for his
+infamous attempt upon the life of the kind old man, whose friend he
+pretends to be. He planned a murder, and now I can believe also that he
+is the murderer of your father. Let him take care; I shall speak to the
+Professor. I will tell him of your suspicion; he will tell me whether
+he saw the Judge that day." But Franz soon after was arrested and Anna
+felt it her duty to do what he had wished to do.
+
+"That is why I am come to you, Herr Professor," she concluded; "you
+must counsel me. You must help me to discover the real criminal and to
+set an innocent man at liberty."
+
+While Anna had been speaking, the doctor, who had also seated himself
+beside my bed, had been continually getting up and sitting down again,
+possessed by a feverish restlessness, although listening in silence to
+every word spoken by the young girl. Now that Anna had finished, he
+exclaimed:
+
+"Do you want to drive two old men crazy with your deuce of a story?
+Child, have you had such thoughts in your head and heart for weeks and
+never said a word of them? Think of what might have been done in those
+weeks! Think of how suspicion might have been turned in other
+directions! You are sure, Herr Professor, that you did not see the
+Judge on the rocky pathway?"
+
+"I am sure of it."
+
+"But may he not have been there without your seeing him, or are you
+sure that he was not there?"
+
+"I believe that he was there."
+
+[Illustration: "You must help me!"]
+
+"And what reason have you for your belief? Out with it, Herr Professor!
+The scales are falling from my eyes. I begin to see clearly. This deuce
+of a girl has enlightened my stupidity, but what is the use of my
+seeing? Franz and the child have both shown confidence in you, and you
+must justify it. Out with what you know without any reserve!"
+
+He was right; I could not be silent. The half promise which I had once
+given to the Judge to protect him from any chaffing to which he might
+be subjected with regard to the pocket handkerchief found where it had
+been could not bind me. I told of my finding the bloody handkerchief
+and of the Judge's explanation.
+
+"It is he! It is he and no other!" exclaimed the doctor, quite beside
+himself. "Did I not always say that the murderer must have been an
+intimate friend of the old man? Oh, blind fool that I have been! Why
+did I not think of him, when for two weeks he wore a black glove on his
+right hand? He had good reason to wish to see you vanish in the abyss.
+You, who could bring such evidence against him. And you fell into his
+trap, and have been silent all this while, without harbouring any
+suspicion of him! For shame, Herr Professor! No, you need not be
+ashamed of yourself, you kind, old, unsuspicious man; but I could tear
+my hair for being such a fool and letting him lead me by the nose as he
+has done."
+
+"Are you sure now that you are not deceiving yourself?" I asked very
+gravely. My heart was beating violently. There is something fearful in
+such a suspicion. Suddenly as it had arisen, it had now entire
+possession of me; but had I not entertained the same, and perhaps with
+more reason, of Franz Schorn? Could I trust myself since I had once
+deceived myself?
+
+No such reflections troubled the doctor:
+
+"I am so convinced," he said, clapping his hands as if in triumph,
+"that I would myself condemn the fellow to be hanged, if it lay in my
+province to do so. Hanged he shall be, I promise you, little girl, and
+we will take your Franz in triumph from the prison in Laibach and carry
+him home. How it is to be done, I do not see at present; but, rely upon
+it, I will do it. I will follow the murderer's tracks like a
+bloodhound. He has no idea that he is suspected, and that I have
+discovered his plots. He shall find it out, but only when we are taking
+Franz from prison in Laibach. Until then not a word to anybody, Herr
+Professor."
+
+"Is it not our duty to inform the court in Laibach of what we suspect
+and of our grounds for doing so?"
+
+"Not a word in that quarter. With all due reverence for the gentlemen
+in Laibach, the Judges and the Attorney General; before they can make
+up their minds to believe that a colleague, a District Judge, is a
+common murderer and thief, the proofs must be as clear as daylight.
+Only when we deliver him over to them, and they must do their part, can
+we be sure of them. I would sooner confide in our Clerk; he would throw
+all forbearance to the winds; but should we admit him to our confidence
+now, we should be placing him in a very embarrassing position, for the
+District Judge is, after all, his chief. Therefore, not a word, Herr
+Professor, until we have further proofs against the scoundrel. Now that
+we are on the scent, it will, I hope, not be long."
+
+I was obliged to admit that the doctor's plan was the right one, and my
+admission flattered him.
+
+"Do you not remember how day before yesterday evening the Judge said
+with a sneer, 'A great criminal lawyer is lost in you, doctor'? I will
+prove to him that he was right. Only trust me, Herr Professor; you
+shall not repent it. But be sure to follow a piece of advice which I
+must give you. Remember that it is to the Judge's interest to be rid of
+you; therefore, beware of him. It will do no harm to have your revolver
+where you can reach it in a moment, day or night."
+
+I promised to follow his advice. We talked on for half an hour very
+pleasantly. The doctor was in the best humour in the world, and the
+charming little Anna was now so full of hope for a speedy reunion with
+her Franz that she almost forgot her grief at his imprisonment. She was
+indeed a lovely child, and as she talked on so heart-free and
+confidentially with us two old men, I was really in love with her
+myself. Upon their departure the doctor promised me that he would allow
+me to leave my bed on the following day, and Anna promised to pay me
+repeated visits so long as I was confined to my room. Thus we parted in
+the most friendly manner. The doctor turned as he was about to close
+the door behind him and said:
+
+"Do you know, Herr Professor, what comforts me in this cursed affair?"
+
+"What?"
+
+"That Foligno is no Slav, but an Italian. Believe me, a Slav would be
+incapable of such villainy. Good-night, Herr Professor."
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER XIII.
+                             AN OLD CHEST.
+
+
+Three very wearisome days ensued. To be sure, I was allowed to leave my
+bed and was no longer forced to apply cold bandages to my sprained
+ankle, but I was a prisoner on a very uncomfortable sofa, whereon my
+leg was stretched out, and therefore condemned to intolerable,
+tedious idleness. I could not even move sufficiently to prepare my
+treasures--the butterflies and beetles--for my collection. My beautiful
+_Caecigena_ caterpillars had to be fed by Mizka, and I was obliged to
+congratulate myself that she undertook what must have been a very
+humdrum task with amiable readiness.
+
+For three days the doctor had decreed that I must keep a recumbent
+position; thereafter I might sit up on the sofa and move about the room
+a little. I looked forward to the expiration of this time with
+unfeigned longing, for such enforced idleness is intolerable for a
+healthy man. Visitors were not lacking during those endless three days.
+The gentlemen of Luttach took pains to entertain me, but their visits
+were more of a pain than a pleasure, for the subject of their
+conversation was forever the same--the assured guilt of Franz Schorn.
+No one had the least doubt that he was the criminal. The Judge had
+shown them so many proofs of it that they were almost provoked with me
+because I would not join in the universal condemnation of the man, but
+declared that it was our duty to believe in the possibility of his
+innocence as long as he was not officially condemned. More than this I
+could not say, after my promise to the doctor, therefore I was
+compelled to listen silently when the alleged proofs of Schorn's guilt
+were discussed, which were downright fabrications. I looked forward
+with some dread to a visit from the Judge. It would have been almost
+impossible for me to appear unembarrassed in his presence. But the duty
+of playing the hypocrite and feigning friendship was fortunately not
+enforced upon me. He not only did not call upon me, but sent an excuse
+by Mizka. He was forced to go to Goerz for a few days, and had so much
+to do before his departure that he had not a quarter of an hour to call
+his own. Upon his return he hoped to find me entirely recovered.
+
+The doctor was irritated by this journey. It deranged his schemes. He
+wished to have an opportunity to watch the man narrowly, which it would
+be impossible for him to do in Goerz, the doctor was not, therefore, in
+a very good humour, and his visits would have contributed but little to
+my enlivenment had not the charming little Anna always accompanied him.
+The lovely young girl crept further and further into my heart with
+every visit. While we two old men were feverish with impatience to act,
+she bore this state of anxiety with angelic patience and admirable
+serenity. She was firm in her pious faith in Divine justice; she was
+sure that we should succeed in rescuing the innocent and in bringing
+the guilty to punishment. This conviction made it possible for her to
+wait patiently.
+
+At last the tiresome three days were over. On the fourth day the doctor
+gave me permission to sit up on the sofa, and as long as my foot did
+not pain me, to take several steps about my room. I breathed more
+freely. Now I could occupy myself. Before my accident I had collected a
+wealth of material which had all to be arranged. My _Lepidoptera_ were
+to be mounted, my _Coleoptera_ prepared, some doubtful species named,
+etc. Thus I had an abundance of work for several days and need fear no
+ennui.
+
+Of course, I wished to begin work immediately, when an obstacle
+presented itself which I had never thought of. I had no place to spread
+out my entomological treasures, or where I could put my boards for
+mounting the butterflies, which were now packed together in my trunk,
+but would take considerable room when spread out to receive the
+precious insects. Hitherto I had found the lack of furniture in my
+simple room not inconvenient, but now it became so. If I could only
+have a bureau with two or three drawers in which I could lay the boards
+for the accommodation of my spoils, all would be well and I should be
+quite content.
+
+Perhaps Frau Franzka could help me. There must be some such bureau in
+Luttach. Frau Franzka was summoned. The word "bureau" she did not
+understand, but when I described to her the piece of furniture that I
+wished, she exclaimed joyfully:
+
+"Ah, the Herr Professor means a chest! That is easily procured.
+Upstairs in the Judge's sleeping-room there is a large old chest with
+four drawers. It is not beautiful, but very roomy. If the Herr
+Professor would like it, I will gladly have it brought down."
+
+Its lack of beauty was of no consequence to me, in consideration of the
+space it afforded, but I did not like to take the chest from the
+chamber of the Judge. I preferred not to ask of him the smallest
+favour. I said so to Frau Franzka, but she made light of my scruples,
+saying:
+
+"The Herr Foligno never uses the old chest. He used to put his linen in
+it, but now he keeps it in a very fine new chest which I bought for
+him, and which stands in his parlour. The old chest is empty; the Judge
+will be glad to have it taken out of his room."
+
+"But Herr Foligno is still away. You cannot ask his permission."
+
+"It is not necessary. The chest belongs to me. Herr Foligno, besides,
+owes me a great deal of money, and he cannot object to my bringing down
+for the Herr Professor an old chest which he does not use."
+
+I tried to make objection, but Frau Franzka was a resolute lady, and
+persisted in what she had once decided upon. She called her husband and
+a servant, and sent them up into the Judge's sleeping-room to bring
+down the chest, and in a few minutes, against the long bare wall of my
+room there stood a large, old-fashioned bureau, not elegant, indeed,
+but painted black, and with four drawers which gave abundant room for
+my requirements.
+
+"There is the old chest," Frau Franzka said with satisfaction. "The
+Herr Professor need not fear; I will take it upon myself to settle
+matters with the Judge; but I must see if he has left anything in the
+drawers. I don't think so, but if it should be the case, I can easily
+transfer them to his new chest."
+
+She tried to draw out the topmost drawer by its metal handles, but it
+would not open.
+
+"That is strange," she said. "The wood must have swelled so that the
+drawer sticks."
+
+"Perhaps it is locked," I remarked.
+
+"Oh, no, certainly not. The Judge never locks his chests; he always
+leaves them open, and, besides, I do not know whether he had any
+key, but we can soon see. There is just such another chest in our
+sleeping-room; my husband has the key and we can see if it will open
+it."
+
+She said several words in Slavonic to her husband, and he took a queer
+little key out of his pocket and handed it to her.
+
+The key fitted in the lock and turned. Frau Franzka then opened the
+topmost drawer without difficulty. She glanced inside it and recoiled
+with a slight scream.
+
+"Oh, Holy Virgin!" she cried, clasping her hands. "What is all this? A
+shirt, a summer suit, a silk pocket handkerchief, all spotted with
+blood, and oh, blessed Maria, who would have thought that Herr Foligno
+had so much money hid away in this old chest!"
+
+Instantly I was possessed by a strange foreboding. There lay the money
+which the murderer had stolen from his victim. I sprang up from the
+sofa without thinking of my sprained ankle and walked hastily across
+the room, never heeding the pain.
+
+Yes, there lay the stolen money. Several packages of banknotes of a
+hundred gulden each, and beside them a bundle of papers of value, the
+topmost of these showing the same dark spots, traces of the blood from
+the wounded hand of the murderer, who had taken no care to avoid
+staining them. Here, hidden away in the old chest, were the proofs of
+the murderer's guilt; the bloodstained clothing which he had worn when
+he committed the deed; and the handkerchief which I had given to him
+was there also. If there had been any doubt until now as to the
+identity of the criminal, it vanished on the instant. Link by link in
+an indestructible chain the proofs were clearly here for the conviction
+of the District Judge. In fancy I saw him contemplating his murderous
+scheme, walking up the rocky path towards the Lonely House. He knew
+that he should find the old man alone there; he had been told this on
+the day before. Anna had thoughtlessly informed him that her father
+would be alone in the afternoon. Her account of the considerable amount
+of money which the old man had received by the morning's post had
+begotten the murderous scheme. He reaches the house, no one having seen
+him on the rocky pathway. He looks about him. No human being is near
+who could observe him. He does not dream that Anna has seen him. He
+knocks. The old man opens the door and conducts him to his room, where
+a struggle ensues, a struggle in which the murderer wounds his hand,
+but from which he comes forth victorious. The crime is committed. The
+murderer with his bleeding hand has taken the banknotes and papers from
+the desk which he knew so well; in his excitement he has hardly noticed
+that he was wounded. He is suddenly conscious of pain in his hand, and
+the thought occurs to him that his wound might betray him. With terror
+he perceives that his dress, his shirt, his waistcoat and trousers, all
+wear bloody traces of the struggle. He tries to remove them with his
+handkerchief, but in vain. How can he explain these stains when he
+returns to Luttach? He devises one means--to declare that he fell among
+the rocks and wounded his hand. Every one knows that he frequently
+climbs about among the rocks and how easily such an accident might
+occur. If he can bring back to the old naturalist a rare plant which
+usually grows upon almost inaccessible rocks, his story of a fall will
+be all the more credible. The _Ophrys Bertolini_ grows in the
+neighbourhood; except himself no one knows the locality. It is easily
+reached; he hastily plucks the beautiful flowers, losing his
+handkerchief as he does so, but without noticing it he hurries away
+from the neighbourhood of the Lonely House.
+
+Fortune favours him. No one meets him; no one sees him when he reaches
+the inn and hastens to his chamber. There he locks himself in; he must
+change his clothes; but what shall he do with his bloodstained apparel?
+Suddenly the old bureau occurs to him; it stands unused in his
+sleeping-room. He could not have a better, a more secure hiding place.
+He conceals the clothes and his plunder in the top drawer, locks it,
+and puts the key in his pocket. Now he is safe; no suspicion can
+possibly fall upon him, the Judge, the most prominent official in the
+town. There can be no searching of his room. He himself would
+superintend whatever search there might be. The bloodstained clothing,
+the banknotes and the papers could be nowhere more safe from discovery
+than in the locked drawer of the old bureau. He breathes more freely.
+There is a knock at the door. The old Professor asks for admission. He
+is obliged to receive him. This will give him an opportunity of
+relating the story of his fall among the rocks. He is dismayed at
+learning that the murder has been discovered sooner than he
+anticipated, but he composes himself, and when he hears that Franz
+Schorn has been seen in the vicinity of the Lonely House, he devises a
+plan for throwing suspicion upon him, his mortal enemy, and with
+vindictive cunning proceeds to carry it out, using every circumstance
+that could lead step by step to the consummation of the crime without
+exposing himself at any point. Thus he feels perfectly safe, when
+suddenly he makes the terrible discovery that there exists a witness
+against him. The old Professor has found his bloody handkerchief near
+the Lonely House. He finds it easy to deceive the unsuspicious old man.
+He succeeds in convincing him that Franz Schorn is the murderer, but as
+long as the Professor lives, the danger of detection hangs over his
+head. He induces the foolish old man to undertake expeditions among the
+most dangerous rocks, in the hope of his falling a victim to some
+accident, but when this scheme fails, he determines to efface all trace
+of the first murder by a second. The exploration of the cave, in which
+he asks to join, furnishes a means to do so. The Professor must die,
+but before his death he must send the official deposition which is so
+essential for Schorn's conviction.
+
+Here also his murderous design fails, but he manages to cast suspicion
+upon Franz Schorn in the matter of cutting the rope, and the young man
+is arrested. The murderer triumphs.
+
+Then by a marvellous chance the old chest is opened during his absence
+from home, and the clear proofs of his guilt are discovered by the very
+man whom he wished, as the only witness against him, to remove from his
+path.
+
+I stood paralyzed before the open drawer. All the past, which it has
+taken minutes to relate, flashed upon my mind with the speed of
+lightning. The proofs of the murderer's guilt which the doctor had been
+so anxious to obtain were now before me. Chance had placed them in my
+hands. What was I to make of this chance was the next question.
+
+"We must not touch these things," I said to Frau Franzka, who with her
+old husband stood speechless with astonishment, gazing at the money in
+the drawer. They had never in their lives seen so much at a time. "The
+Judge might suspect us of having taken some of his heap of money. Lock
+the drawer again, Frau Franzka; we will give the key to the Clerk, and
+the doctor shall be witness that we do so. We three, you, your husband
+and I, will stay here until Mizka fetches the doctor and the Clerk, and
+we can each testify that none of the money has been taken."
+
+"So much money! And he owes me over five hundred gulden, with all that
+pile in his drawer!" exclaimed Frau Franzka, who was reluctant to lose
+sight of the banknotes, but on my reiterated request, she locked it up,
+and then called Mizka, telling her to go immediately for the Herr
+Einern and the doctor, begging them to come as quick as possible to the
+Herr Professor in the "Golden Vine."
+
+We had not long to wait. The doctor came first. Mizka met him in the
+street near the house. I drew him aside and told him in a whisper of
+the contents of the upper drawer of the bureau. He was beside himself
+with joy.
+
+"We have him! We have him!" he exclaimed aloud, with what was almost a
+leap in the air. Only when he saw the stare with which Frau Franzka and
+her husband regarded him--they might well have supposed he had lost his
+wits--he grew calmer, and I told him that I had sent also for the
+Clerk.
+
+"Quite right," he said. "We must tell him everything. Now that we have
+such positive proof of the Judge's guilt, he can act, and he must act.
+He is a brave and honourable man. He will fulfil the promise he once
+made to our little Anna. Here he comes. I hear his step on the stair."
+
+The Clerk entered the room. He seemed surprised on finding the doctor
+and my host and hostess. Frau Franzka hurried towards him. She had been
+silent so long that she was eager to pour out her heart. In a burst of
+Slavonic, of which I did not understand one syllable, she talked away
+to the Clerk, who listened with the deepest attention. I would not
+interrupt her, for I could easily perceive from her gestures what she
+was relating. The Clerk's face grew darker and darker as Frau Franzka
+continued. At last she paused and delivered to him the key of the
+bureau. He then turned to me and said very gravely:
+
+"Frau Franzka has told me of the remarkable discovery which she has
+made in that bureau. Before I examine its contents I wish to hear what
+you have to say, Herr Professor. I assume that you have summoned me
+hither, not as your friend of the evenings about the round table, but
+as the Clerk, the only representative of the law in the Judge's
+absence. I shall therefore receive what you have to say, not as the
+testimony of a friend, but officially. Frau Franzka, you will retire to
+another room with your husband, while I hear what the Herr Professor
+has to tell. I warn you to say not one word to any one--I repeat, to
+_any one_--of what you have discovered in the drawer there. You will
+expose yourself to grave penalties if you should refuse to follow my
+direction. Wait quietly until I send for you. Very shortly I will
+summon you and your husband to swear to whatever you have to say. Now
+go. Do you desire, Herr Professor, that the doctor should withdraw
+also?"
+
+"No. On the contrary, I desire his presence during my deposition, which
+I must make to you. He can complete what I have to say."
+
+I waited until the host and hostess had obediently withdrawn, and then
+I addressed the Clerk.
+
+"On the day on which the miserable old Pollenz was murdered, it was to
+you that his daughter turned, enjoining upon you the duty of
+discovering the murderer and delivering him to justice. I heard the
+young girl's moving appeal and was a witness of your silent promise to
+her. I now desire from you the fulfilment of that promise."
+
+"I will fulfil my duty. The guilty man, whosoever he may be, shall not
+escape punishment if proof sufficient can be adduced of his guilt."
+
+"This proof I am prepared to give, and so clearly that no doubt can
+remain in your mind. Listen."
+
+I had imposed a hard task upon myself--that of succinctly informing the
+Clerk of all the facts which sufficed to weld a chain of proof against
+the murderer; the part he had played towards me, arousing in me
+suspicions not only of Franz Schorn, but of the lovely Anna, in order
+to procure my signature to the deposition which he made out and sent to
+Laibach. I recalled as well as I could the words which the murderer had
+dictated to me; every one of those words seemed to form a link in the
+chain of proof; and, in conclusion, I described to him the contents of
+the old bureau, saying:
+
+"This is the accumulated evidence which I hand over to you, and I
+demand that in virtue of your office the true criminal shall be
+delivered to the authorities in Laibach, so that an innocent man may
+not wear disgraceful fetters an hour longer than is absolutely
+necessary."
+
+"You impose a fearful responsibility upon me, but I shall not refuse to
+accept it," the Clerk replied with a profound sigh. "What you have just
+told me confirms a horrible suspicion which I have had ever since the
+day of the murder. I never believed in Schorn's guilt. I always had a
+secret doubt of the Judge, but I dared not give expression to it; it
+was impossible to gather the smallest evidence against him. I take upon
+myself great responsibility in proceeding against my chief, in
+arresting him, and transferring him to Laibach, but it must be
+done as soon as he returns from Goerz. I will employ this day in
+examining all the testimony you have here given me, as well as the
+witnesses--yourself, Fraeulein Anna Pollenz, Frau Franzka and her
+husband--and then I will send to Laibach all the material I have
+collected, with the bloodstained clothing and the banknotes. The
+Attorney General there will do his duty. I transcend my powers perhaps
+in thus forestalling my chief. I will----" he paused, listening.
+
+A vehicle rolled through the narrow street and stopped before the
+house. The doctor hurried to the window.
+
+"The Judge," he cried, "has just descended from the carriage and has
+entered the house."
+
+The Clerk started and grew pale.
+
+"He comes too early," he said. "I have no officially confirmed evidence
+against him. I have no right to arrest him."
+
+"Will you give him time to escape?" cried the doctor. "If he goes to
+his chamber and misses the old bureau, he will know that he is found
+out."
+
+"You are right. I will dare all. Let me have paper, pen and ink, Herr
+Professor, as quickly as possible, for at this moment I am the
+representative of the law in Luttach. The Judge has not yet exhausted
+his leave of absence; he has not yet resumed the duties of his office."
+He wrote a few lines hurriedly. "This order must go immediately to the
+captain of the gendarmes. Will you undertake to carry it, Herr Doctor?"
+
+"With all the pleasure in life. In five minutes I will be here again
+with the gendarmes. The bird shall not escape," cried the doctor, as he
+snatched the order from the Clerk's hand and rushed away without a
+moment's delay. He could hardly have reached the front door, when from
+above came the voice of the Judge, calling:
+
+"Mizka! Mizka!"
+
+Mizka replied from below in a few Slavonic words, and a loud, brief
+conversation ensued in that language.
+
+"He has missed the bureau and Mizka is telling him that it has been
+taken down to your room because you needed it, Herr Professor," the
+Clerk whispered to me.
+
+The Judge overhead uttered a wild Slavonic curse. We heard his
+resounding tread as he rushed down the stairs and then, without
+knocking, threw open the door of my room and entered. When he found
+that I was not alone, but that the Clerk was with me, he started back,
+and remained for a moment on the threshold gazing at the Clerk and
+myself with a keen, searching look, which afterwards flashed round the
+room as if in quest of something. When it rested on the blackened, old
+bureau, he fell into a rage, and, coming up to me, demanded in a
+furious tone:
+
+"How dared you have my furniture removed from my room in my absence and
+placed here for your own use?"
+
+As he spoke these words he was ghastly to look upon; his pale lips
+quivered, his dark eyes glittered in his sallow face, and were again
+riveted with an indescribable expression upon the old bureau.
+
+His insolence aroused my indignation, but I forced myself to reply to
+him calmly.
+
+"I must beg you to speak more courteously," I answered, suppressing my
+detestation. "If you conceive that there has been an infringement of
+your rights, it is not to me that you must appeal, but to Frau Franzka.
+She told me that this old bureau was never used by you, and that you
+would be glad to have so superfluous a piece of furniture removed from
+your room. Only upon her assurance that this was the case did I consent
+to have it brought hither."
+
+My reply seemed to quiet him somewhat. He lowered his voice as he
+continued:
+
+"You see that I do use it. The upper drawer is locked."
+
+He went up to the bureau and pulled the metal handles of the upper
+drawer. Upon finding that it would not open, he breathed more freely
+and turned to me again, with a wholly different expression of
+countenance.
+
+"Excuse my rude manner," he suddenly said, in a very friendly way; "I
+was angry. It irritated me that the furniture of my room should be
+meddled with. The old bureau serves me as a receptacle for old clothes.
+I must therefore beg that it be returned to me."
+
+"It was delivered to me by its owner, Frau Franzka. I have no authority
+over its removal."
+
+"You refuse?" he said, flaming up again; but he mastered himself, only
+giving me a sinister look, as he opened the door and called loudly into
+the hall:
+
+"Frau Franzka! Frau Franzka!"
+
+The host and hostess had been waiting in another room for the summons
+of the Clerk. They now appeared, Frau Franzka with a very embarrassed
+countenance, where the consciousness of guilt was openly to be seen.
+Now that the Judge was present, any command of the Clerk would avail
+nothing with her. She must reply to whatever the Judge should ask.
+
+"How dare you have that chest taken from my room! It must be carried up
+again immediately."
+
+Shyly and trembling with fear Frau Franzka gazed at the angry man.
+
+"Do not be so angry, Herr Foligno," she said. "I thought the chest was
+quite empty. I should not have brought it down here if I had known that
+you had so much money in it. But we did not touch it. Herr von Einern
+has the key."
+
+The effect of these words upon the man was terrible. He staggered back
+as if struck by a sudden blow, staring from Frau Franzka to the Clerk.
+He bit his lips without feeling that he drew blood and that a drop
+trickled down his chin. Frau Franzka's simple words had revealed all;
+his secret was betrayed; his guilt discovered.
+
+Only for a second did terror paralyze him. He quickly collected
+himself, seeing that the only possibility of escape lay in maintaining
+absolute calmness, and with wonderful self-control he said in a
+menacing tone:
+
+"You presumed to open the chest with a master key, and you, Herr von
+Einern, have this master key in your possession. I demand that it be
+instantly delivered to me."
+
+Hitherto the Clerk had stood with folded arms, a motionless spectator
+of the scene before him. A contemptuous smile played about his lips. He
+made no reply to the Judge's demand.
+
+"You do not answer me. You refuse to obey my orders?" the Judge
+continued. "I shall hold you accountable for this. Do not forget, sir,
+that this forcible breaking open of my property with a master key is a
+crime for which I hold you responsible. I leave you now to take instant
+steps for the enforcement of my right."
+
+He turned towards the door, but before he had advanced a step the Clerk
+laid his hand upon his shoulder and said with grave decision:
+
+"You can leave this room only as a prisoner, Herr Foligno. You are
+arrested."
+
+[Illustration: Then Began a Struggle, a Fight for Life and Death]
+
+The Judge's eyes flashed fire. His right hand sought his breast pocket
+and he drew from it a knife, but before he could use it the Clerk had
+seized him by the wrist, and then began a struggle, a fight for life
+and death between these two powerful men.
+
+Frau Franzka screamed with terror; her husband stood trembling beside
+her, not venturing to come to the help of the wrestling pair; but I
+summoned all the physical force that I possessed--my foot pained me
+terribly as I sprang up, but I did not heed the pain--and I was just in
+the nick of time; the Judge had torn his hand loose and had raised it
+for a deadly lunge with the knife. I seized his wrist from behind; the
+Clerk clutched him by the throat, and our united strength succeeded in
+overpowering him, throwing him on the ground, and holding tight his
+right hand, which still held the knife. It was a terrible moment; my
+strength was all but gone, for the desperate wretch made frantic
+efforts to tear himself loose, but help was at hand. The doctor rushed
+into the room with three gendarmes following him. Without a thought the
+active little man threw himself upon the Judge, kneeled upon his chest
+and helped me to hold down the hand that held the knife.
+
+"Seize and bind the monster!" he cried to the gendarmes, "or he will do
+more mischief with his knife."
+
+The Judge could not but see that all further resistance was vain. He
+dropped the knife, which I seized and hurled to the end of the room.
+
+"Let me go," he said sullenly. "You see that I can no longer defend
+myself."
+
+We arose; first the Clerk, then I; I limped back in positive agony to
+my sofa; my help was no longer required. The Judge, too, arose, and,
+panting, stood between the Clerk and the doctor. He had given up all
+hope of escape, for the three gendarmes blocked all egress from the
+room, but his feverishly active mind devised new food for hope.
+
+"Captain," he cried to the captain of the gendarmes, "captain, I call
+you to bear witness to the maltreatment I have received from these
+madmen, who have attacked me. I command you to stand by me--me, the
+District Judge. I order you to arrest these people, the Clerk, the
+doctor and the German Professor. I take all the responsibility upon
+myself."
+
+The captain's martial countenance betrayed embarrassment. He looked
+dubiously, first at the Judge, then at the Clerk.
+
+"I do not know what I ought to do," he said, turning to the Clerk. "You
+command me to arrest Herr Foligno; he commands me to arrest you. After
+all, he is the District Judge."
+
+The Clerk hastily approached the old, dingy bureau, took a key from his
+pocket and opened the upper drawer.
+
+"I command you to arrest a murderer," he said. "He, and not Franz
+Schorn, committed the murder in the Lonely House. Here are the
+proofs--his bloodstained clothing and the banknotes which he stole. The
+responsibility is yours if the murderer escapes and you disobey my
+commands."
+
+One look into the drawer, and the captain hesitated no longer. An hour
+afterwards, between two gendarmes, the murderer was driven to Laibach.
+Half the entire population of Luttach crowded about the court house to
+see him driven away. The report had circulated throughout the little
+town with incredible swiftness that not Franz Schorn, but the District
+Judge was the criminal. When the prisoner was led from the court house
+to the carriage a fierce shout of rage greeted him. The gendarmes were
+obliged with their weapons to keep off the indignant populace in order
+to shield the prisoner from their violence. He, on his part, was now
+pale and trembling with cowardly fear; curses and execrations followed
+him as the carriage drove through the crowd.
+
+But at that moment the lovely little Anna was seated on my sofa,
+thanking me over and over again, her eyes shining with joy--and what,
+after all, had I done to deserve her thanks?
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XIV.
+                  THE END OF THE PROFESSOR'S HOLIDAY.
+
+
+The doctor, the Burgomaster and the Captain had driven to Laibach to
+require personally the instant liberation of Franz Schorn, whose
+innocence no one longer doubted. The doctor had promised to inform me
+by letter of the result of his efforts, and he kept his word. On the
+second day I received a long letter from him. There had been a
+tremendous commotion in Laibach when the District Judge of Luttach,
+manacled like a common criminal, had been received at the prison. The
+ultra Slavonic newspapers had hitherto triumphed in the announcement
+that the only German agitator in Luttach was nothing more or less than
+a miserable, ordinary criminal, and now they suffered a terrible blow
+in that the German agitator was no murderer; the criminal was a man
+who, although of Italian descent, had always laboured in the Slavonic
+cause. The Slav party, on the other hand, were half-inclined to swear
+to the innocence of the Judge and to stake all on the guilt of the
+hated German. But the doctor took good care that every scrap of
+evidence against the true murderer should be well known; he was himself
+a zealous Slav, but so conscientious and honest a man, and so well
+known as prizing justice far above national prejudice, that he forced
+the newspapers of his party, by his truthful declarations, to advocate
+the cause of Franz Schorn, which they reluctantly did, although not
+very enthusiastically. They, as well as the doctor, found consolation,
+however, in the fact that District Judge Foligno was no true Slav, but
+in fact an Italian. Of course all national prejudices were powerless to
+influence the court at Laibach. The doctor wrote with real enthusiasm
+in regard to his reception by the investigating Judge, who had frankly
+informed him that suspicion of the District Judge had arisen in his
+mind while he was investigating the matter in Luttach, suspicion which
+was now substantiated by the admirable report of the Clerk, and that
+the evidence had created conviction. A most disagreeable task lay
+before him in having to investigate the actions of his superior in
+office, but he would unflinchingly follow his duty. The Attorney
+General, who had hitherto been firmly convinced of Schorn's guilt,
+could not but admit the evidence of his innocence and the proof of the
+Judge's criminality, and the honourable liberation of Schorn from
+imprisonment must take place immediately. It depended only upon certain
+formalities. If the Judge could be brought to confess, Schorn's freedom
+would be on the instant.
+
+This hope, however, of bringing the criminal to an open confession was
+not destined to be fulfilled. He maintained his innocence with brazen
+effrontery until his hearing before the court, asserting that he was
+the victim of shameful intrigue. All the evidence which I, the German
+Professor, had brought against him was founded, he declared, partly on
+lies, partly on prejudice. It was not true that I had found his
+bloodstained handkerchief in the neighbourhood of the Lonely House, for
+the handkerchief found in the drawer he had never lost. The blood on
+his handkerchief, his waistcoat, and his trousers came from the wound
+in his hand due to a fall among the rocks on the morning of the day of
+the murder, and of which he had innocently informed the Professor. He
+declared that I had found him changing his dress when I came to inform
+him of the discovery of the murdered man in the Lonely House. He had
+locked up the bloody clothing in the upper drawer of the chest in his
+sleeping apartment in my presence, and, of course, I knew where it was.
+How the money and banknotes came in the drawer he did not know, but he
+suspected that during his absence I had placed them there myself, or
+had bribed Frau Franzka to put them into the chest in order that the
+farce might be played of the removal of the chest to my room and the
+discovery of the bloody articles, which would clear Franz Schorn of the
+guilt of the murder and throw it upon himself, the District Judge. He
+would not venture to assert that I was Schorn's accomplice in the
+crime, although it was possible, but I was certainly his accomplice in
+the theft of the money. Either to be rid of this accomplice, or to
+ensure his silence by saving his life, Schorn had cut the rope in the
+cave.
+
+When the investigating Judge pointed out to him the improbability, nay
+the evident falsehood of this clumsy invention, the prisoner stoutly
+maintained its truth, and even asserted that I had come to Luttach, on
+the pretense of pursuing natural history researches in Ukraine, in the
+interest of the German clique there, and to this end I had entered into
+close relations with Schorn, having as their result this scheme to ruin
+him. The Judge displayed an eloquence and keenness of intellect in
+proving the truth of his statements which the investigating Judge could
+not but admire; but, upon perceiving that he failed entirely in making
+any impression upon the impartial official, who was himself a Slav, he
+lost courage, and, declaring that he was too exhausted to endure
+further questioning, begged to be again conducted to prison.
+
+An hour later the investigating Judge was informed that the prisoner
+had committed suicide in his cell. How he had contrived to procure the
+knife with which he stabbed himself to the heart could not be
+discovered. The bitter opponents of the government and of the court in
+Laibach maintained that it had been conveyed to him for the purpose of
+suicide, in order that the court might be relieved from the necessity
+of presenting before a jury a Slavonic patriot and fellow-countryman as
+a murderer.
+
+"Since the Judge's suicide may be regarded as a confession," the
+doctor wrote, "we are momentarily awaiting the liberation of our Franz.
+We--the good Burgomaster, the Captain and myself--are burning with
+eagerness to conduct the liberated man in triumph to Luttach. I will
+tell you by telegram when we may be expected."
+
+The lovely little Anna was paying me a visit when I received the
+doctor's letter. We read it together. Tears of joy filled her eyes as
+we came to the end.
+
+"I would rather," she said, "have Franz come back quietly, without any
+public demonstration; but the good doctor is right; there ought to be
+some atonement for the unjust disgrace of his arrest, and this must be
+made by an honourable reception."
+
+All the men of the round table in the "Golden Vine" were of the same
+opinion.
+
+In the evening, more carried than supported by Mizka and Frau Franzka,
+I ventured to leave my room and to take my place once more at the round
+table. I was received with extravagant delight. When I read aloud to
+the company there assembled the letter from the doctor, they declared
+unanimously that all Luttach must combine in making brilliant amends to
+Franz. It was remarkable how one single day had changed the mood of
+every one. Mosic, Weber, Meyer, Gunther, and Dietrich, hitherto the
+most violent opponents of "the German," were now the most zealous to
+obliterate all remembrance of their opposition. They could not praise
+Franz sufficiently, and gravely maintained that they never had believed
+in his guilt.
+
+The telegram arrived on the morning of the next day, announcing that
+our friends would arrive in Luttach towards noon. I sent it to the
+Vice-Burgomaster, who had begged me to give him the earliest
+intelligence, that he might spread it through the town.
+
+The time for festal preparation was short, but it was used diligently
+in bringing loads of oaken boughs from the grove on the Rusina, in
+making wreaths and garlands wherewith Schorn's house and the "Golden
+Vine" were decorated, for Franz was to be conducted first to the
+"Golden Vine," where in the garden a cask of the best wine was to be
+broached, and the Vice-Burgomaster was to welcome him in the name of
+his Luttach fellow-citizens and to express the joy that all felt in his
+return, as they drank to his health and welfare. And thus it verily
+happened. All Luttach was astir by ten o'clock. There were crowds on
+the road to Adelsberg and on the square before the court house and
+in the street before the "Golden Vine." When the carriages--two of
+them--at last came in sight, Franz was sitting in the first with the
+Burgomaster, while in the second the doctor drove with the Captain.
+They were greeted with deafening applause and the crowd rushed towards
+them, all striving to be the first to extend a welcome to Franz Schorn.
+It was impossible for the carriage to proceed through the crowded
+streets, when suddenly a stentorian voice exclaimed:
+
+"Make way!"
+
+It was the voice of the gigantic Rassak. He dextrously unharnessed the
+horses, and, seizing the pole himself, assisted by two savage-looking
+fellows--the very ones who, a couple of days before, would have been
+willing to kill the "murderer" and the "German dog"--on they went to
+the "Golden Vine." A dozen men helped to pull and push the vehicle,
+while Franz kept bowing and smiling in grateful acknowledgment of the
+shouts of welcome. The carriage stopped before the gateway of the
+hotel. Franz would have descended, but strong arms lifted him to
+Rassak's shoulders, and thus he was carried into the garden. The
+doctor, the Burgomaster and the Captain followed, laughing. The festal
+programme was carried out in the garden, except that the Burgomaster's
+speech and one cask of wine did not suffice. Speech followed speech,
+and I should have had a fine opportunity of admiring the Slavonic
+eloquence, if I could have understood a word of it all, but,
+unfortunately, the words were all Slavonic, even those in which Franz
+thanked the assembly for its sympathetic welcome. I could only guess at
+what he said from the shouts of applause. It was a stormy occasion and,
+after a fashion, a brilliant one, but it was not exactly a comfortable
+festival. This we had in the evening at the house of the doctor. My
+presence there, pretty little Anna declared, was quite indispensable,
+and so Rassak carried me thither on his burly shoulders. I could not
+possibly have walked. The doctor had invited only the Burgomaster, the
+Captain, the Clerk and myself to share in the joy of this first evening
+of the reunion of the betrothed pair and to be the witnesses of their
+happiness.
+
+I certainly never passed a more delightful evening. It was a positive
+delight to me, old man that I am. It warmed my heart to behold the
+handsome couple so full of bright anticipations for the future. The
+merriment in our small circle was not loud; we were all somewhat under
+the influence of the very recent events, but we all quietly rejoiced in
+being delivered from our depressing anxiety. The doctor himself
+proposed the health of the young couple, and in a short speech
+congratulated us all upon the happy chance which had terminated the
+fearful episode. I noticed that as he spoke the beautiful young girl
+shook her head as if in disapproval. The toast was drunk with
+enthusiasm, and Anna joined in it; but, turning to the doctor and
+looking at him very gravely, she said:
+
+"It was no chance that saved my Franz. It was God's own doing. In order
+to hide his first crime, the Judge attempted a second; he cut through
+the rope in the cave and, as a result, Franz saved the Professor's
+life. If Franz had not thus ventured his own life, he would have been
+lost. The truth would never have come to light. If the Judge had not
+cut the rope, the Herr Professor would not have sprained his foot, and
+he would not have been forced thereby to keep his room, nor would Frau
+Franzka have tried to procure him space for his collection. Was this
+chance! No; it was an answer to my prayer. God ordained that Franz
+should risk his life to find his life."
+
+"There is logic in your words, child," the doctor said with a smile;
+"it is the logic of pious, grateful faith, of which I would in nowise
+deprive you. But you need not frown, little girl, if I speak of a
+chance which we must all bless. Chance or Providence, the words express
+the same idea, that of strangely combined circumstances leading to a
+certain end. Was it chance or Providence that brought our dear Herr
+Professor to Luttach to catch butterflies, and that the Captain sent
+him on the very first day up to St. Nikolas, whence he returned,
+thirsty, to the Lonely House? Keep your pious belief, child; it will be
+a source of hope and happiness for you while life lasts."
+
+                           *   *   *   *   *
+
+Two weeks after this delightful evening, I left Luttach to return to my
+northern home. I should have liked to have stayed longer in the
+charming little town, with people who had grown so dear to me, but my
+holidays were at an end, and the summer heat is so enervating at my
+age, that I did not dare to stay longer. I took leave of my dear ones
+there, but I have promised to return next spring, for I would not have
+the marriage of the happy couple celebrated without me.
+
+
+
+                                THE END.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Lonely House, by Adolph Streckfuss
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