n a big bed with nothing on but a flimsy chemise. Frau Hadebusch,
pimp always, had rented the bed from a second-hand dealer; it covered a
half of the room. Before Dorothea was a plate of cherries; she had been
amusing herself by shooting the pits at her lover. He likewise was
lacking nearly all the garments ordinarily worn by men when in the
presence of women. He was sitting astride on a chair, smoking a
short-stemmed pipe.

When Daniel, with bloody hands--he had scratched himself while breaking
in the door--with his hair flying wild about his face, panting, and pale
as death, stepped over the door, Dorothea again began to scream; she
screamed seven or eight times. She was filled with despair and terrible
anxiety.

Daniel rushed at the young man, and seized him by the throat. While he
held the American in a death-like grip, while he saw Dorothea, as if in
a roseate haze, with uplifted arms, leave the bed screaming at the top
of her voice, while an extraordinary power of observation, despite his
insane rage, came over him, while he watched the cherries as they rolled
across the bed and saw the green stems, some of which were withered,
showing that the cherries were half rotten, while he felt a taste on his
tongue as if he too had eaten cherries--while he saw all these things
and had this sensation, he thought to himself without either doubt or
relief: "This is the downfall; this is chaos."

The American--it later became known that he was a wandering artist who
had, with an equal amount of nerve and adroitness, worked his way into
the private social life of the city--thrust his antagonist back with all
his might, and struck up the position of a professional boxer. Daniel,
however, gave him no time to strike; he fell on him, wrapped his arms
tight about him, threw him to the floor, and was trying to choke him. He
groaned, struggled, got his fist loose, struck Daniel in the face, and
cried, "You damned fool!" But it was the cry of a whipped man.

Loud noise broke out downstairs. A crowd of people collected on the
sidewalk. "Police, police!" shrieked the shrill voice of a woman. The
people began to make their way up the stairs.

"Oh, oh, oh!" moaned Dorothea. In half a minute she had her dress on.
"Out of this place and away," she said, as she looked for her gloves and
umbrella.

Frau Hadebusch appeared in the hall, wringing her hands. Behind her
stood Philippina. Two men forced their way in, ran up to Daniel and the