e looked into Serpentina's eyes."

"The Cat will scratch them out," cried Veronica.

"Salamander, Salamander masters them all, all!" hallooed Conrector
Paulmann, in the highest fury. "But am I in a madhouse? Am I mad
myself? What crazy stuff am I chattering? Yes, I am mad too! mad too!"
And with this, Conrector Paulmann started up, tore the peruke from his
head and dashed it against the ceiling of the room, till the battered
locks whizzed, and, tangled into utter disorder, rained down the
powder far and wide. Then the student Anselmus and Registrator
Heerbrand seized the punch-bowl and the glasses, and, hallooing and
huzzaing, pitched them against the ceiling also, and the sherds fell
jingling and tingling about their ears.

"_Vivat_ the Salamander!--_Pereat, pereat_ the crone!--Break the
metal mirror!--Dig the cat's eyes out!--Bird, little Bird, from the
air--_Eheu--Eheu--Evoe--Evoe_, Salamander!" So shrieked and shouted
and bellowed the three, like utter maniacs. With loud weeping,
Fraenzchen ran out; but Veronica lay whimpering for pain and sorrow on
the sofa.

At this moment the door opened; all was instantly still; and a little
man, in a small gray cloak, came stepping in. His countenance had
a singular air of gravity; and especially the round hooked nose, on
which was a huge pair of spectacles, distinguished itself from all the
noses ever seen. He wore a strange peruke too--more like a feather-cap
than a wig.

"Ey, many good evenings!" grated and cackled the little comical
mannikin. "Is the student Herr Anselmus among you, gentlemen?--Best
compliments from Archivarius Lindhorst; he has waited today in vain
for Herr Anselmus; but tomorrow he begs most respectfully to request
that Herr Anselmus would not forget the hour."

And with this he went out again; and all of them now saw clearly
that the grave little mannikin was in fact a gray Parrot. Conrector
Paulmann and Registrator Heerbrand raised a horse-laugh, which
reverberated through the room, and, in the intervals, Veronica was
moaning and whimpering, as if torn by nameless sorrow; but as to the
student Anselmus, the madness of inward horror was darting through
him, and unconsciously he ran out of the door, into the street.
Instinctively he reached his house, his garret. Ere long Veronica came
in to him, with a peaceful and friendly look, and asked him why, in
his intoxication, he had so alarmed her; and desired him to be on
his guard against new imaginat