have been done by some person more or less
imbecile," said Axel; "otherwise one of the good buildings, whose
destruction would really have harmed me, would have been chosen."

"He must be hunted down, imbecile or not," said Dellwig.

"I shall do my duty," said Axel stiffly.

"You may rely on my help," said Dellwig.

"You are very good," said Axel.

Dellwig's voice had something ominous about it that made Anna shiver.
What a detestable man he was, always and at all times. His whole manner
to-night struck her as specially offensive. "What will be done to the
poor wretch when he is caught?" she asked Axel.

"He will be imprisoned," Dellwig answered promptly.

She turned her back on him. "Even though he is half-witted?" she said to
Axel. "Are you obliged to look for him? Can't you leave him alone? He
has done you a service, after all."

"I must look for him," said Axel; "it is my duty as Amtsvorsteher."

"And the gracious Miss should consider----" shouted Dellwig from behind.

"I'll consider nothing," said Anna, turning to him quickly.

"--should consider the demands of justice----"

"First the demands of humanity," said Anna, her back to him.

"Noble," murmured Manske.

"The gracious Miss's sentiments invariably do credit to her heart," said
Dellwig, bowing profoundly.

"But not to her head, he thinks," said Anna to Axel in English, faintly
smiling.

"Don't talk to him," Axel replied in a low voice; "the man so palpably
hates us both. You must go home. Where is your carriage? Princess, take
her home."

"_Ach, Herr Dellwig, seien Sie so freundlich_----" began the princess
mellifluously; and despatched him in search of Fritz.

When they reached Kleinwalde, silent, wornout, and only desiring to
creep upstairs and into their beds, they were met by Frau von Treumann
and the baroness, who both wore injured and disapproving faces. Letty
slipped up to her room at once, afraid of criticisms of her
hairlessness.

"We have waited for you all night, Anna," said Frau von Treumann in an
aggrieved voice.

"You oughtn't to have," said Anna wearily.

"We could not suppose that you were really looking at the fire all this
time," said the baroness.

"And we were anxious," said Frau von Treumann. "My dear, you should not
make us anxious."

"You might have left word, or taken us with you," said the baroness.

"We are quite as much interested in Herr von Lohm as Letty or Princess
Ludwig can be," said Frau von Tre