oman looked at him as if hypnotised and answered almost in a
whisper: "I saw you Tuesday morning for the first time, Tuesday morning
when the family were going away. Then I saw you pass through our street
twice again that same day. This morning you went past the garden gate
and now I find you here. What-what is it you want of us?"

"I will tell you what I want, Mrs. Bernauer, but first I want to speak
to you alone. Mr. Franz doesn't mind leaving us for a while, does he?"

"But why?" said the old man hesitatingly. He didn't understand at all
what was going on and he would much rather have remained.

"Because I came here for the special purpose of speaking to Mrs.
Bernauer," replied Muller calmly.

"Then you didn't come on account of the dog?"

"No, I didn't come on account of the dog."

"Then you--you lied to me?"

"Partly."

"And you're no veterinary?"

"No--I can help your dog, but I am not a veterinary and never have
been."

"What are you then?"

"I will tell Mrs. Bernauer who and what I am when you are
outside--outside in the courtyard there. You can walk about in the
garden if you want to, or else go and get some simple purgative for this
dog. That is all he needs; he has been over-fed."

Franz was quite bewildered. These new developments promised to be
interesting and he was torn between his desire to know more, and his
doubts as to the propriety of leaving the housekeeper with this queer
stranger. He hesitated until the woman herself motioned to him to go. He
went out into the hall, then into the courtyard, watched by the two in
the room who stood silently in the window until they saw the butler pass
down into the garden. Then they looked at each other.

"You belong to the police?" asked Adele Bernauer finally with a deep
sigh.

"That was a good guess," replied Muller with an ironic smile, adding:
"All who have any reason to fear us are very quick in recognising us."

"What do you mean by that?" she exclaimed with a start. "What are you
thinking of?"

"I am thinking about the same thing that you are thinking of--that I
have proved you are thinking of--the same thing that drove you out into
the street yesterday and this morning to buy the papers. These papers
print news which is interesting many people just now, and some people a
great deals. I am thinking of the same thing that was evidently in your
thoughts as you peered out of the garden gate this morning, although you
would not come out int