sat with his elbows on the table
and his head in his hands, and Jost was swearing roundly. Presently Jost
said, 'We will double our bets, Dietrich, and perhaps the luck will turn.'
Dietrich, only groaned. Then the red-haired fellow said, 'Come, let's go
down and play cards with the cattle-dealer, and take a glass of something
that will raise your spirits.'"

"Dietrich never used to gamble; nor to drink when he was not thirsty;"
cried Judith angrily.

"Pooh! When every one is playing cards, a fellow can't hold off and say he
won't join, and as for the drink, Dietrich has washed down a good deal of
vexation with it lately, and he took it powerfully too, I can tell you.
Well, the play began, and it went on fast. I noticed that the red man
looked mightily pleased, and urged them all on, and the louder the
cattle-dealer scolded, the more the red man filled up his glass. When the
quarrel came to blows, I heard the red-head call out to the
cattle-dealer, 'Come over here, you'll soon silence them,' So he kept
exciting him, and he struck out well with his great fists. The red-head
mixed in the crowd, and stuck close to the cattle-dealer, but he never
struck a blow himself; of course not, such a gentleman as he is! I did not
see Dietrich knock the Fohrensee fellow down, but just when the storm was
most furious, I saw Dietrich run out, and Jost after him, and I thought I
saw Jost give Dietrich something. I ran out after them, and I heard Jost
advising Dietrich to make off as fast as he could, and send him word where
he hid himself. When I came up to them, Jost pushed me back; I couldn't
get a word with Dietrich, who ran right off, and Jost pulled me into the
house. There the noise was increasing every minute, for the cattle-dealer
had discovered that his money-bag was gone, and red-head screamed out like
a mad-man, that nobody must get away, and everybody must be searched. When
they found that Dietrich had gone, the cattle-man started off after him,
and some others too, and then they all broke up. Now you know all that I
know. Nothing else happened; except that I went for the doctor, who said
the two men were not dead. When Jost tells Dietrich that, why, there's
nothing to prevent his coming back. That is, unless there's something
else."

"What do you mean by 'something else'?" said Judith sharply. "But
there--you're all alike. One repeats what another has said, till you all
get to saying the same thing and then of course you b