"No; I left everything in perfect order."
"And Alice is well, I hope?" This last question was far more composedly put than had been its predecessor.
"Quite well; you have no cause for anxiety."
"Thank heaven! I was afraid something unfortunate had occurred to account for your sudden appearance. What brings you here so unexpectedly?"
"A matter of business, which I could not explain in writing," said Wolfgang, laying aside his hat. "I preferred to see you personally, although I could ill be spared from the railway."
"Well, then, let us talk over your business," replied the president, who was always ready to discuss affairs. "We shall be entirely undisturbed this evening. But first take some rest. I will give orders to have your rooms----"
"Thank you, sir," Elmhorst interrupted him, "but I should like to have the business that has brought me here settled at once; it is urgent,--at least for me. We are quite alone here?"
"We are; I generally insure myself privacy in my own apartments. But for security's sake you can close the door of the next room also."
Wolfgang complied, and then returned. As he advanced into the circle of light from the lamp his face looked pale and agitated. His pallor could hardly be the effect of fatigue from the long, unbroken ride; there was a frown on his brow, and his dark eyes had a stern, almost menacing expression.
"Your business must be important," the president observed, as he sat down, "or you would hardly have come yourself. Well, then.--But will you not be seated?"