mouth. The man no
longer recognised himself; his calmness had abandoned him, the boy's
obstinacy made him lose his temper. How he struggled against the hand
that was holding him, how he stared at him with his bold eyes. How
dared he shout at him like that? "You"--he shook him--"so you are so
insolent? So ungrateful? What would have become of you? You would have
died in misery--yes--it's she who has made something out of you--who
picked you up out of----"

"Paul!" His wife's scream interrupted the man. Kate seized hold of
his arm as though she were out of her mind: "No, no, leave him. You are
not to--no!" She held her hand in front of his mouth. And when he
pushed her away angrily and seized hold of the boy more firmly, she
tore him away from him and pressed his head against her dress
as if to protect him. She held her hand before his ears. Her face was
deathly white, and, turning her dilated eyes to her husband, she
implored him full of terror: "Not a word! I beseech you, I beseech
you!"

The man's anger had not yet cooled. Kate must really have lost her
senses. Why did she take the boy away from the punishment he so richly
deserved? He approached the boy once more with a hard: "Well, really,
Kate I'm not going to condone this."

Then she fled with him to the door and pushed him outside, bolted it
and then placed herself in front of it, as though to bar her husband's
egress.

Now Wolfgang had gone. They were both alone now, she and her
husband, and with a cry full of reproach: "You had almost betrayed it
to him," she tottered to the sofa. She fell rather than sat down on it,
and broke out in hopeless weeping.

Paul Schlieben strode up and down the room. He had indeed almost
allowed himself to be carried away by his indignation. But would it
have been a misfortune if he had told the boy about it? Let him know
where he came from, and that he had nothing, really nothing whatever to
do there. That he received everything as a favour. It was absolutely
unnecessary--in fact, more prejudicial than desirable--to keep it a
secret from him. But if she would not allow it on any account!

He interrupted his walk to and fro, remained standing before his
wife, who was weeping in the corner of the sofa, and looked down at
her. He felt so extremely sorry for her. That was the reward for all
her kindness, her unselfishness, for all her devotion! He laid his hand
softly on her drooping head without saying a word.

Then she start