f his violent hate, had completely
unnerved him. When Birnier had dragged him within and cut his bonds, he
had grunted curt, official thanks for the rescue. As sullenly he had
hesitated at the offer of the pyjamas, but as if deciding that he could
not retain any dignity in his own bloodied skin, had accepted them, as
well as a sorely needed drink of water.

The reaction after the crisis, and possibly the influence of the general
hysteria in the air, had distorted Birnier's vision of things. He was very
conscious of a neurotic desire to laugh unrestrainedly. Thus it was that
for nearly half an hour the two men remained in the gloom in silence.
Birnier had a psychological comprehension of the highly nervous tension of
his guest. For he had long ago realized that the only solution of zu
Pfeiffer's crazy statement that he was engaged to the wife of a man to
whom he was speaking, indicated a form of insanity.

A psychological law is that natural emotions must have an outlet; if they
are repressed they are apt to cause a state of mental disease which in an
aggravated form may lead the patient to the asylum, but in the incipient
stage are as common as jackals in Africa. Zu Pfeiffer was suffering from
such a case of mild psychosis. Brought up under an iron code which did not
permit his instincts to react, the repressed emotions bubbled out in the
form of a deification of his Kaiser and the adoration of Lucille, both
states being absolutely apart from all reason, indeed approached to a
state of dissociation of consciousness. The desired unattainable is
projected into the dream plane, the realm of myth. Such a case is the
historical one of the man who, keenly intelligent upon every subject
mentioned, startles the visitor by the demand for a piece of toast,
gravely explaining that he is a poached egg and that he wishes to sit
down; or as Pascal, who ever had beside him the great black dog. To
attempt to rationalise with such an one was merely to excite the insane
part of him. So it was that Birnier determined to ignore the subject
entirely, perfectly aware that the sullenness of the man sitting in the
camp chair opposite to him was caused by an exaggerated terror that he
would insist upon speaking of the one subject which should be tabu.

The associative suggestion of Lucille diverted his mind until he became
immersed in thoughts of her. A queer vision of a well-fed tiger playing
with a kid entered his mind. More conscious than e