ch her, catch her!" on hearing which Kate
held her breath as though frozen. She felt quite weak, all the blood
left her heart. That was Wolfgang! Her Wolfgang!

Then he bounded after a girl who, with a cry of delight, flew across
the road in front of him and into the wood on the other side among the
tree-trunks. He rushed after her. For a moment the girl's light dress
and Wolfgang's flying shadow were seen whisking round the pines, and
then nothing more. But he must have reached her, for her shrill scream
and his laugh were heard; both drove the blood into Kate's cheeks. It
sounded so offensive to her, so vulgar. So he had got so far? He
wandered about there with such, such--persons? Ah, a couple of others
were following them, they belonged to the party, too. A hulking fellow
with a very hot and red face and chubby cheeks followed the couple that
had disappeared noisily shouting hallo, and the slender rascal who came
last laughed so knowingly and slyly.

"Paul, Paul!" Kate wanted to call out, "Paul, just look, look!" But
then she did not call, and did not move. There was nothing
more to be done. She leant back in her corner of the carriage quite
silent: she had wanted the boy, she must not complain. Oh, if only she
had left him where he was. Now she must be silent, close both her eyes
firmly and pretend she had not seen anything.

But everything was spoilt for her. And when her husband pointed out
the moon swimming in the light grey ether in an opening between the
tops of two pines, and the bright, quietly gleaming star to the right
of it, she had only an indifferent "Oh yes," in answer to his
delighted: "Isn't that beautiful?"

That depressed him. She had taken such pleasure in nature formerly,
the greatest, purest pleasure--now she no longer did so. Was that over
too? Everything was over. He sighed.

And both remained silent, each leaning in a corner of the carriage.
They gazed into the twilight that was growing deeper and deeper with
sad eyes. Evening was coming on, the day--their day too--was over.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Wolfgang had gone on an excursion into the country, with Frida
Laemke, her brother, and Hans Flebbe, which had been planned a long
time. Frida was not going back to business that afternoon; she had
succeeded in getting away as an exception, and because she pleaded an
extremely urgent reason for her absence. And now she was almost beside
herself with gl