ard such a holy man, to whom a martyr's crown would be a
fitting reward. What I've brought here, is only a little book, a neat
pocket edition of Thomas a Kempis. Your name is written on the first
page, I mean your real name, before you believed in a second baptism
and exchanged the somewhat foul old Adam of your 'Lorinser' for a speck
and span 'Moser.' Do you recognize the little book?"

He held it out, and when the other had assented to the question with a
silent bend of the head, laid it on the table. "Thank you," he
continued; "you'll make this business easier for both of us, if you'll
drop all unavailing and useless lies. I found this little book in a
room in Dorotheenstrasse, from which on the day of your nocturnal
visit, a lady in whom I'm interested, disappeared. I was fortunate
enough to find her two nights after, and, as you're perhaps unaware,
with dripping garments and in a very silent mood. We worked for five
hours to obtain the smallest word. When she at last decided to open her
eyes and lips, of course there was no mention of you. But the little
Thomas a Kempis, probably in revenge for having been taken in paths
where there can be no question of the 'Imitation of Christ,' committed
the indiscretion of gossiping; the old maid-servant, who unlocked the
room for you in the evening and saw you creep out again at a much later
hour--you probably supposed you'd be seen only by God, who is already
accustomed to close his eyes to your doings--this worthy person, I say,
in reply to my questions, told me all and then suffered her mouth to be
sealed forever. So there are only four persons who know this secret of
that night. Three of them have good reasons to keep silence; but the
fourth might in some devilish mood, against which we must be on our
guard, or for some 'benevolent' or profligate object, tell the tale. To
prevent this, my dear fellow, you'll say to that fourth person, that I
am determined in such a case to stop his mouth forever, by shooting him
down like a mad dog or finding some other way to silence him. You've
understood me? A syllable, a wink, a shrug of the shoulders, which
would impugn that lady's honor, and you'll receive a passport into the
better world." He was silent, as if he expected some explicit answer.
Lorinser had leaned his head back and was gazing at the ceiling. He
coughed several times and passed his long, pliant fingers through his
beard.

"And is this all that has brought you to me?"