He made a sign to draw Franz's attention to the landlady, who was inquisitively drinking in the scene.
"I am glad to see you," he said meaningly. "I am going to continue my journey at once."
"Excuse me, Marie," said Franz, turning to her, "but I have something to say to this gentleman. He is an old acquaintance."
"After all!" she cried, and left the room shaking her head.
"She will listen," whispered Berger. "Come here, Franz, and sit beside me."
"Oh, how terrified I am," he replied in the same whisper. "So people suspect nothing? It would have been frightful if misfortune had come now, now, when everything is going so well. Certainly my fears were foolish; how should it be found out? We had arranged everything with such care: even the duplicate keys were not made at Bolosch, but at Dresden, where Brigitta was waiting for us."
"Enough!" said Berger, checking him. "I don't wish to know anything about it. How has Baron Sendlingen been since?"
"Bad enough at first!" replied Franz. "We did not eat, nor sleep, and we fell into a worse decline than at Bolosch--but it was perhaps less from the fear of discovery than from remorse. And yet we had only done, what had to be done--isn't that so, Dr. Berger?"
Berger looked on the ground and was silent. Old Franz sighed deeply. "If even you--" he began, but he interrupted himself and continued his story. "Gradually we became calmer again. Fear vanished though remorse remained, but for this too there was a salve in seeing how the poor child blossomed again. Then we began to write a book. It deals with the punishment of--h'm. Dr. Berger----"
"I know the work," said Berger.