“I give you two hours’ cawcer,” replied Rumpf with dignity. “You told me to put mythelf in your plathe!”
“Wumpf! you will thee what will happen! Open the door; I inthitht upon it!”
“You have no wight to talk to me in that tone. Jutht at pwethent I am the Herr Profeththor! You are merely the pupil Wilhelm Wumpf. Be thtill! I will not bwook oppothition!”
“Dear Wumpf! I will fawgive you thith onthe. Pleathe open the door like a good fellow. Your penalty shall be a vewy slight one. I give you my word faw it, you shall not be exthpelled. Do you hear what I thay?”
Dear Rumpf did not hear. He had crept stealthily along the hall and was now hastening downstairs to complete his escape.
As he was passing the pedell’s door a tempting idea took possession of him.
He put his eye to the keyhole. Inaddler was standing upon a ladder, his back to the door, and was just attempting to put a heavily-pasted strip of paper in place. Wilhelm Rumpf just lifted the latch, and called out with the purest Heinzerling accent of which he was capable—
“I am going now, Inaddlaw. Keep an eye on that fellow Wumpf. The lad is cawying on at a gweat wate. He ith thtill keeping up hith impertinent nonthenthe. You keep wight on with your work. All I want to thay ith that you are not to open the door faw him on any conthideration. The fellow ith quite capable of knocking you down and wunning away. Do you hear what I thay, Inaddlaw?”
“Very good, Herr Professor. Excuse me for not getting down——”
“Thtay wight where you are, I thay, and finish your papawing. Good mawning.”