gh. Such things might indeed
be believed of the dreamer; but now he would not believe it of him.
"Of course!" he laughed still more wildly. "Even a stupider fellow
than that dreamer knows that no woman will do it for nothing. The
worst of them thinks herself worth something. One with such hair and
such eyes and such a body!" He seized her by the hair and gazed into
her eyes with a glance before which purity must blush; only depravity
could meet it and laugh. He took her blush for a confession and
laughed still more wildly. "You want to say that I am worse than he.
Ha, Ha! You're right; I married such a woman. He wouldn't have done
that. He isn't bad enough for that!"

Old Valentine must have failed to keep his word, or else Apollonius
passed the door by chance when his brother believed him far away. He
heard his brother's savage outbreak of anger, he heard the clear tone
of the wife's voice, still clear and melodious in spite of her
excitement. He heard them both without understanding what they were
saying. He was shocked. He had not imagined that the breach between
them had gone so far. And he was the cause of this breach. He must do
what he could to improve matters.

His brother stood in his threatening attitude as if turned to stone
when he caught sight of Apollonius entering. He had the feeling of a
man suddenly surprised while doing a wrong. If Apollonius had turned
on him as he deserved he would have groveled before him. But
Apollonius wanted to reconcile them, and said so calmly and from his
heart. He might indeed have known, for he had experienced it often
enough, that his gentleness only gave his brother the courage to be
sneeringly obstinate. It was the same this time. Fritz sneered at him,
laughing savagely, and said that he was making an excuse where he was
master. Was that the reason he had made himself master of the house?
He knew that in Apollonius' place he would have behaved quite
differently. He would have let the woman feel it whom he knew to be in
his power. He was an honest fellow, and did not need to pretend to be
so sweet. It occurred to him, moreover, how often he had sneaked about
the door in vain, hoping to surprise Apollonius in the room. Now he
was in the room. He had come in because he had not expected to find
him. It was Apollonius who must be startled, Apollonius was the person
caught, not he. The reconciliation was merely the first excuse on
which Apollonius had seized. That was why he