ected at him.

"Why, don't you see? Don't you understand?" panted Jason Philip with a
scarlet red face, "the two geese--? The musical motif and the two
geese--? Isn't it clear yet?"

It was clear to Herr Carovius. He stuck the index finger of his right
hand in the air, and broke out in a neighing sort of laughter. Then he
took the apothecary by the arm, and in the pauses between salvos of
laughter he bleated: "Magnificent!--Under each arm a goose!--Priceless!
Say, Herr Schimmelweis, that was good. We will allow you one on that."

The connection was now clear to the apothecary. He slapped himself on
his hips and cried: "As sure as there is a devil, that's the best joke I
ever heard in my life."

Jason Philip Schimmelweis again got control of himself. He pressed his
hands to his stomach and said breathlessly: "Who would have thought that
the Goose Man moves about among us in bodily form?"

"Yes, who would have thought it?" said Herr Carovius as if conceding a
point. "It is a capital shot, a real discovery. We come to the simple
conclusion: Goose Man! And we are capable of drawing a conclusion, for
there are three of us. According to an old proverb, _Tres faciunt
collegium._"

"And they," stuttered Jason Philip, pointing to the group, as tears of
laughter trickled down over his pudgy cheeks, "they are three, too. See,
there are three of them!"

"Right," screamed Herr Carovius, "there are three of them, too. It is
all clear."

"Have a chew, gentlemen?" said the apothecary, taking his tobacco pouch
from his pocket.

"No," replied Jason Philip, "that joke deserves a cigar." The remark was
made between gulps of laughter.

"I suggest that we christen the story with a flask of Salvator," said
Herr Carovius.

The other two agreed to the proposal. The _collegium_ marched across the
square, stopped every now and then, broke out in fits of insuppressible
laughter, and then continued on their way to the inn with parched
throats.

It may have been only an evening shadow, or it may have been a rare
inspiration that created the impression. But the Goose Man, standing
there in all his pride behind the iron railing, seemed to follow them
with his eyes, in which there were traces of sorrow and astonishment.
The boys playing ball had soon forgotten the delectable episode.

PHILIPPINA STARTS A FIRE

I

Daniel and Eleanore had reached a stage of mutual silen