“ ‘I don’t know,’ Olz said.

“ ‘You’d better find out,’ the priest said, and put the blanket back. Olz didn’t say anything. The priest looked at him. Olz looked back at the priest. ‘You want to know?’

“ ‘I must know,’ the priest said.”

“This is where it’s good,” the innkeeper said. “Listen to this. Go on Franz.”

“ ‘Well,’ said Olz, ‘when she died I made the report to the commune and I put her in the shed across the top of the big wood. When I started to use the big wood she was stiff and I put her up against the wall. Her mouth was open and when I came into the shed at night to cut up the big wood, I hung the lantern from it.’

“ ‘Why did you do that?’ asked the priest.

“ ‘I don’t know,’ said Olz.

“ ‘Did you do that many times?’

“ ‘Every time I went to work in the shed at night.’

“ ‘It was very wrong,’ said the priest. ‘Did you love your wife?’