promised to remain until the
next day.

I sat up alone to await Richard's return. He did not come until near
midnight.

He wanted to bid me a short "good-night," but I detained him. He sat
down and told me that the Baron and Annette had met Rautenkron down by
the lake, and that he had ridiculed their undertaking. He had said, and
rightly too: "Where there are no frogs, there is no stork; where there
are no flies and worms, there are no birds or fishes. In what was
called 'all-bountiful nature' one beast used the other for its blessed
meal; and, besides that, the lake was entirely frozen over every
winter, and had no outlet that was open through the whole year. If
fishes were in it, they would become suffocated for want of air."

Rautenkron had displayed much knowledge in the matter, but he would not
consent to assist them. He was delighted, moreover, that nature
contained much that was egotistic and was of no use to mankind. Thus
spoke Richard.

I was indignant. I could hardly conceive how Richard could talk about
such subjects, and not make the slightest allusion to what had happened
between him and Martella. I thought of Ernst's letter that I had
received on the day of my wife's death. No one had seen it but I; for
why should I have cared to spread the knowledge of Ernst's wickedness
in offering his betrothed to another? Could it be that an open rupture
with Annette had urged Richard to this unheard-of deed?

I endeavored to stifle my indignation, and said, "You talk of the Wild
Lake--Wild Lake, indeed; you have an unfathomable one in yourself."

He looked at me with surprise.

"What do you mean, father?"

"How can you ask? You dare to touch that which should be holy in your
eyes--the betrothed of your brother!"

"Father, did she tell you herself?" he said hesitatingly.

And I replied:

"What matters that? Until now, I had always thought that you were even
a better man than I was at your age; do not undeceive me."

I said nothing more, and that was enough.

On the following morning, Richard announced that he was about to
depart, and it cost me a great effort to induce Martella to permit him
to take leave of her. At last she came, on condition that I would
remain present while Richard bade her farewell.

Richard said:

"Martella, you have a right to be angry with me, but I am angrier at
myself than you can possibly be. I make no protestations, no oaths; but
I pledge my honor as a man, that you will