took place according to unvarying usage--all leaving at
the same time. The abundant wine had robbed none of them of their
senses, though a few were not perfectly firm on their legs. As they
passed out, a fresh morning breeze was just springing up on the still
meadows of the English Garden. The trees shivered in the falling dew.
Arm-in-arm the friends sauntered along in the gray morning air, that
cooled their feverish foreheads, humming to themselves snatches of song
and fragments of the fandango; and last of all came Jansen and Felix,
arm-in-arm, now and then pressing closer to one another, both lost in
thought that found no words.

CHAPTER V.

Angelica threw down her brush. "It is strange," she said, "that
everything I do to-day is so absurd. At all events the proverb is false
to the core; the beginning is always easy, and only the completion has
its wretched trials. And then, besides, when no one else is working in
the whole house, one appears to one's self to be perfectly crazy with
diligence. Naturally, the saint-factory downstairs stands still on
Sunday. But then the others too! In Rosenbusch's room the mice are
squealing from pure hunger or _ennui_; and I have not heard Jansen's
door squeak once this morning. It is natural that they should be lazy
or have a headache after their night's revel; and they will certainly
miss the Sunday mass in the Pinakothek. Yesterday they were in
Paradise."

"Paradise?"

"That is the name they give to their secret society that meets every
four weeks. There must be wild goings on there; at least Rosenbusch,
who, as a general thing, cannot easily keep a secret from me, assumes a
face like the holy Vehm if I ever begin to speak about it. Oh, these
men, Julie, these men! This Maximilian Rosenbusch--I must say that I
really think he is by nature good; indeed, between ourselves, my
dearest, he would be more interesting to me if he looked a little
_less_ moral, did not play on the flute, and were really the terrible
scapegrace that he sometimes makes himself out. But there, one infects
the other, and the very name of 'Paradise!' One can easily conceive
that a pretty antediluvian tone must prevail there, somewhat highly
spiced and free and easy."

"Do they keep to themselves, or are 'ladies' also present?"

"I don't know. As a rule, they appear to amuse themselves in quite a
moral manner; but now and then, especially at carnival time, when, for