e is no
time to spare. Good-by for a while!" Apollonius, who moved more
quickly than the councilman, was soon out of sight. All the way to St.
George's, amid the cries, the horns, drums, storm and thunder, the
councilman kept repeating to himself: "Either I shall never see the
good fellow again, or he will be well when he returns." He did not try
to explain to himself how he had come to this conclusion. There was no
time. His duty as municipal inspector demanded his entire attention.

The cry "Nettenmair! Where is Nettenmair?" greeted Apollonius on all
sides and echoed in the distance. The confidence of his
fellow-citizens awakened in him a renewed sense of his own worth.
When, upon returning from afar, he had seen his native town stretched
out before him, he had dedicated himself to her and her service. The
opportunity now presented itself to show whether he had meant this vow
in earnest. He reviewed in his mind all the possible forms of danger
and how they could best be met. A fire-sprinkler lay ready in the
roof-truss, and cloths were at hand to dip into water and protect the
places most in danger. The journeyman had been instructed to have hot
water ready. The beams were connected everywhere by ladders. For the
first time since his return from Brambach he threw his whole soul into
his work. Before real necessity and its demands the visions of his
brooding fancy receded like dissolving shadows. All his old elasticity
and buoyancy were [Illustration: The Prophet Jeremiah] [Blank Page]
called into being again, intensified by the feeling of relief which
had taken possession of him. Thoughts can be refuted by thoughts,
against feelings they are a very weak weapon. In vain had his spirit
seen the way of salvation; he had fallen a victim to the general
apathy about him. Now a strong, healthful feeling sprang up in
opposition to the strong, morbid ones and devoured them in the ardor
of its flame. He knew, without any special thought on the subject,
that he had found the solution which brings redemption, and that this
was the cause of his renewed being. He knew that dizziness would not
overcome him, but if he should remain it would be a sacrifice made to
duty, not to guilt, and God and the gratitude of the town would assume
in his stead the responsibility for his loved ones.

St. George's Square was thronged with people who gazed in troubled
fear at the roof of the tower. The ancient building stood like a rock
in the fierc