Very well, I’d rather have it that way!... But surely that isn’t possible.
Otto
It won’t be, unless you want it yourself. We have ample time before us. It is almost certain that the real criminal will be discovered between now and this evening.
The Burgomaster
The real criminal? Do you know where you’ve got to look for him? Among your own men! It is simply one of your soldiers who has taken the opportunity to rid himself of an officer who ill-treated him. You yourself told me, before the Major came in, that Lieutenant von Schaunberg was an insufferable lout and that he was generally hated and loathed.
Otto
I dare say; but it’s a far cry from that to murder. In any case, I will myself make enquiries on that side; you, on yours, had better question Claus; he may give us a clue that will prove useful.
The Burgomaster
I don’t mind, but I don’t expect much: the poor man evidently knows nothing, or he would have told me already. Between ourselves, do you think the Major was speaking seriously? Does he really mean to place me in this awful dilemma and condemn me to death if I refuse to surrender an innocent man?
Otto