tern burning at the front gate, and with it he lighted the doctor
through the court and up the stairs.

Then he sat down on the bench in the kitchen; how long he sat there he
did not know; he bent his body forward and buried his head in his hands.
The screams became worse and worse: they were no longer the cries of
Eleanore but of some unsouled, dehumanised being. Daniel heard them
all; he could think of nothing, he could feel nothing but that voice. At
times the terrible cry ran through his heart: Sisters! Sisters!

Frau Hadebusch came out several times to get hot water. The yellow tooth
in her lower jaw stuck out like a cracked, lecherous remainder and
reminder of her past life. Once Dr. Dingolfinger himself came out,
rummaged around in his leather case, which he had left in the hall,
looked at Daniel, and said: "It is going to come out all right; it will
all be over in a short while." At that Philippina poked at the fire, and
put on fresh coals. She looked at Daniel out of one corner of her eye,
and went on her way. From time to time old Jordan rapped on the wall to
have Philippina come up and tell him how things were going.

It must have been about four o'clock in the morning; the gloomy, grey
stones in the walls of the court yard were already being covered with
rosy tints from the East. There was a cry so fearful, so like that of a
voice from the wilds of the heart, that Daniel sprang to his feet and
stood trembling in every limb.

Then it became quiet, mysteriously, uncannily quiet.

XIX

He sat down again; after a while his eyes closed, and he fell asleep.

He must have slept about half an hour when he was wakened by the sound
of footsteps.

Standing around him were the physician, Frau Hadebusch, and Philippina.
The doctor said something at which Daniel shook his head. It sounded
like: "Unfortunately I cannot keep the sad news from you." Daniel did
not understand him; he drew his lips apart, and thought: "The idea of
dreaming such disordered stuff!"

"Mother and child are both dead," said the old physician, with tears in
his eyes. "Both dead. It was a boy. Science was powerless; nature was
hostile and the stronger of the two."

"So delicately built," murmured Frau Hadebusch, in a tone of
disapproval, "as delicate as the stem of a plant."

When Daniel at last realised that he was not dreaming, that these were
in bitter truth Philippina's glistening eyes and Frau Hade