Egbert had turned pale as death; upon his features was mirrored the conflict that was raging within his soul. But now he slowly raised his eyes.
"You condemn me, and yet, if put in my place, would perhaps not act differently. I have often enough heard from your own mouth that discipline is the first and highest law of every great undertaking. I have bowed and must bow to this iron law--what it has cost me, nobody but myself knows."
"I ask obedience from my men," said Dernburg coldly. "I do not compel them to commit treason."
Egbert writhed, and a glance almost threatening flashed from his eyes.
"Herr Dernburg, I can take much from you, especially in this hour; but that word--that word I cannot bear."
"You will have to bear it. What have you done out yonder at Radefeld?"
"What I can answer for, to you and myself."
"Then you have performed your task poorly and they will have their revenge upon you. Yet, why bring up the past? The question is about the present. You are the candidate of your party, then, and have accepted the nomination?"
"Since it is a party measure--yes! I must submit to it."
"You must!" repeated Dernburg with bitter scorn. "That is every third word with you, now; formerly you were a stranger to it. Then it was only you would. You deemed me a tyrant, because I would not forthwith adopt your sublunary ideas about the welfare of the people, and rejected this hand, that would have guided you. You wanted your course in life to be unimpeded. And, lo! now you bow your neck to a yoke, that enchains your whole being, forcing you to break with all that is dear to you, that lowers you even down to treachery--do not flare up so, Egbert, it is so! You should not have come back to Odensburg, if you had known that such an hour as the present must come. You should not have remained when you learned that they would force you to heed the opposition against me--but you did come back, and stayed because they bade you do it. Call it what you like, I call it treachery! And now go, we are done with one another!"