ut it in another pocket. Then he folded his arms over his breast,
and looked peacefully and serenely before him.

"Might I be permitted to read Fraeulein Perini's note?" said Bella,
extending her hand.

Otto took it out, hastily ran through it again, and handed it to his
sister. It contained the information that Eric had gone away, and that
he had held a secret interview with Frau Ceres; the details must be
given by word of mouth.

Otto said that he wanted, some time or other, an answer to this riddle.

"The riddle is solved for me," said Bella exultingly. "Lina, the
Justice's daughter--it just occurs to me that Egmont's Clara had no
surname, needed none--well, Lina, the Justice's daughter, has declared
to all the world, that the Captain World-soul was with her at the
convent where Manna is, and without saying a word about it, he gets
himself introduced by you, the next day, to her father. You then, as
well as the rest of us, have been taken in by this loftily sublime
World-soul."

Pranken drew a long breath, doubled up his fist, and then made a
repelling motion with his hand. Bella imparted the further information
that she had seen to it, at the coffee-party, that the World-soul--this
word seemed to her just the one to designate Eric--should be obliged to
seek another abiding place; the Justice would give the finishing stroke
to him. Bella perceived, to her amazement, that Otto did not agree with
her in this method of proceeding. It was entirely unworthy of the
higher life--he did not explain whether he meant the higher social or
spiritual life--to intrigue in this way against a poor deceitful
wretch; he would much rather go openly to work, and directly enlighten
Sonnenkamp.

Bella was in very good spirits, and took it in good part. She began
with saying, that it was in the highest degree contemptible to make
such a stir about the appointment of a private tutor, a personage that
must always play a subordinate part, however fine may be his
appearance. She advised her brother, in the mean while, not to let the
Justice be beforehand with him if he himself wanted to have credit in
the matter.

Otto declared his intent to visit Herr Sonnenkamp the next day, and
then to cut off Dournay's secret threads. But he let the next day, and
yet another, pass by, without going to the villa. If other tools and
other hands did the work of annihilation, so much the better. The
Justice should have time to carry out his design. Ot