't been stolen. Moreover, I c'n tell
you," she said, as she felt that his distrust was taking on a
threatening aspect, "mother give it to me on the sly. She didn't want me
to be without a penny if anything happened. For my father--he would like
to see me strung up. She give it to me, I say, on the side, and she made
me swear before the cross that I would never let any one know about it."

This tale of horror made Daniel shake his head; he had his doubts. He
felt she was lying, and yet there was a mysterious force back of her
statement and in her eyes. He was undecided; he thought it over. His
livelihood was at stake. Weeks, months might pass by before he could get
another piano. Philippina's readiness to help him was a riddle to him,
everything she said was repulsive and banal; but after all she was
willing to help in a most substantial way, and he was in such
difficulties that voices of admonition simply had to be drowned out.

"It is nothing but money," he thought contemptuously, and sat down to
put his name to the note.

Philippina drew up her shoulders, and never once breathed until he had
signed the note and handed it over to her in silence. Then she looked at
him imploringly, and said: "Now Daniel, you must never again treat me
like you would a scurvy cat."

XV

There had been an unusual amount of talk this year about the parade on
Shrove Tuesday. On the afternoon of that day the whole city was on its
feet.

Daniel was on his way home; he had reached the corner of Theresa Street
when he ran into the crowd. He stopped out of idle curiosity. The first
division of the parade came up: it consisted of three heralds in gaudy
mediaeval costumes, and back of them were three councillors on horseback.

Next in the procession was a condemned witch on a wheelbarrow. Her face
had been hideously painted, and in her hand she swung a huge whiskey
bottle. She was followed by a group of Chinese, each with a long
pigtail, and they by a troupe of dancing Kameruns.

The procession moved on in the following order: a giant carrying
twenty-seven quart beer mugs; a woman's orchestra consisting exclusively
of old women; a wagon from one of the peasant districts bearing the
inscription, "Adorers of Taxes"; a smoking club with the Swedish match
merchant; a wagon with a replica of the Spittler Gate made of beer kegs;
the so-called guard against sparks; a nurse with a grown child in
diapers and Huss