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He had not yet reached the stairs when the door above was closed noisily with lock and bolt. Then Diederich's heart began to beat so fast that he had to stop. By the time he reached the top the voice with which he asked permission to enter was weak and breathless. There was no answer, but he heard something rattle on the washstand—and suddenly he waved his arms, shouted, banged on the door and yelled madly. Because of his own noise he did not hear her opening the door, and he was still shouting when she stood before him. "What do you want?" she asked angrily, whereupon Diederich recovered himself. From the stairs Frau Hessling and Guste were peeping up, out of horrified curiosity. "Stay down!" he commanded, pushing Emma back into the room. He shut the door. "The others needn't smell this," he said sharply, and he took out of the wash-jug a small sponge dripping with chloroform. He held it away from him with outstretched arm and asked: "Where did you get this?" She tossed her head and looked at him without replying. The longer this lasted the more unimportant Diederich felt the question becoming, which should, by rights, have been the first. Finally, he simply went to the window and threw out the sponge into the dark courtyard. There was a splash. It had fallen into the brook. Diederich gave a sigh of relief.

Now it was Emma's turn to ask questions. "What do you think you are doing up here? Kindly allow me to do what I think fit." This came to him as a surprise. "Yes, but &hellip; what are you doing?" She looked away and replied with a shrug: "That doesn't matter." "Oh, come now!" Diederich was indignant. "If you no longer have any respect for your divine Judge, which I personally cannot approve of, you might, at least, have a little regard for us here. You are not alone in the world."

Her indifference wounded him deeply. "I will have no scandal in my house. T am the first person who will suffer."

Suddenly she looked at him. "And I?"