f that time I was either at the very height of
hope or the very bottom of despair.

The news came in a startling and unexpected way at last. About four
o'clock on the afternoon of the third day a rapid step came up the
stair, and somebody knocked with an angry and passionate insistence at
the outer door of my chambers. Hinge, startled by the unusual exigence
of the summons, ran to answer it. I learned from him who my visitor was,
for as he opened the door he sang out:

"Good Lord, Mr. Brunow, what on earth's the matter?"

"Stand on one side!" cried Brunow, in a loud and angry voice; and
scarcely a second later he entered the room I sat in, and, banging the
door noisily behind him, faced me, still grasping in his right hand the
walking-cane with which he had offered such a startling announcement of
his presence.

"You damned traitor!" said Brunow; "you infernal traitor!"

He had hardly spoken, indeed he had hardly turned his white and wrathful
face towards me, when I understood precisely what had happened. Of
course an absolute certainty was out of the question, but I felt
the next thing to it; and what with the exulting thought that it was
possible and the fear that it might not be true, I was so taken aback
that I had no answer for this unusual greeting.

"You blackguard!" Brunow stammered, his stick quivering in his hand.

"Come, come," I answered, rising, and keeping a careful eye on him, for
he looked as if he were fit for any sort of mischief, "this is curious
language. Will you be good enough to tell me how you justify it?"

"You know well enough how I justify it!" cried Brunow. "Your dirty
under-plot has succeeded. You have that for your comfort, but you may
take this to flavor it. I took you for an honest man until a quarter of
an hour ago, and now I know that you are as dirty and as despicable a
hypocrite and backbiter as any in the world!"

"That is a lie, my dear Brunow, whoever says it!" I responded. "You
will be good enough to tell me at once on what grounds you bring such a
charge against me."

"Oh," cried Brunow, "I'm not going to debase myself with quarrelling
with a man like you! You have my opinion of you, and you know how you
have earned it. That's enough for me. Good-afternoon."

He turned, but I was at the door before him.

"That may be enough for you, my dear Brunow, but it isn't enough for me.
You don't leave this room with my good-will until you have given me some
justification for