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246, and about the Mayor, into the bargain! Diederich felt he could hold his head high. He made for Kühnchen's group, which was steering towards the refreshment room, leaving behind a wake of moral indignation. The Mayor's mother-in-law, purple in the face, swore that "this crew" would in future see her house only from the outside. Several of the ladies seconded the resolution, in spite of the defection of Frau Cohn, who, in the absence of further information, doubted the whole story, because a moral lapse of that kind by a tried and true old Liberal like Herr Buck seemed inconceivable. Professor Kühnchen was rather of the opinion that morality was being threatened by exaggerated radicalism. Even Dr. Heuteufel, although he had instituted the freethought Sunday festivals, remarked that old Buck had never lacked a sense of family, of nepotism, he might say. "You can all easily recall cases in point. That he should now try to marry his illegitimate with his legitimate offspring, in order to keep the money in the family, I should diagnose medically as the senile manifestation of a natural tendency hitherto repressed." At this the ladies looked shocked and the Pastor's wife sent Kathchen to the cloak-room to fetch her handkerchief.

On her way Kathchen passed Guste Daimchen, but she hung down her head and did not salute her. Guste seemed crushed. In the refreshment room people noticed this and expressions of disapproval were mixed with sympathy. Guste was now to learn what it meant to defy public morality. It might have been remembered in her favour that she perhaps had been deceived and influenced for evil. But Frau Daimchen knew the exact circumstances and she was warned! The Mayor's mother-in-law related her visit to Guste's mother, and her vain efforts, by pointed allusion, to wring a confession from the hardened old lady, whose youthful dream was doubtless realised by this legitimate connection with the Buck family!

"Well, but what about Herr Buck, barrister-at-law?"