ged him to tell her what
arrangements had been made, he said:--

"Wife, I let you enjoy a peaceful night and morning, so now show some
strength of mind, and hear my tidings with composure and resignation.
At this very hour, my lawyer is announcing my bankruptcy in the next
town."

The Landlady sat for a time dumb and motionless; at last she said:--

"And pray why did you not tell me this last night?"

"From the wish to spare you, and to let you pass the night in peace and
quiet."

"Spare me? You? A greater simpleton does not live! If you had told me
all this last night, I might have contrived to put out of the way a
vast deal of property, that would have stood us in good stead for years
to come, but now the thing is impossible. Help! Help! Oh Heavens!"
screamed the landlady, suddenly, in the midst of their calm
conversation, sinking back into a chair, apparently fainting.

The maids from the kitchen, and Gregor the postilion, rushed into the
room. The Landlady started up and said, sobbing and turning to her
husband:--

"You hid it from me, you never told me a word about it, or that you are
now a bankrupt. All the shame, and all the disgrace rest on you; I am
innocent, wretched creature that I am!"

It would now have been the Landlord's turn to faint away, if his
determined will had not supported him; his spectacles fell down from
his forehead over his eyes of their own accord, to let him see plainly
if what was passing here was really true: this woman, who had never
rested till he, the experienced baker and brewer, went into partnership
with her brother in a large concern for selling clocks, and when his
brother-in-law died, almost forced him to continue the business alone,
although he understood very little of such a traffic;--this woman, who
had always urged him on to fresh speculations, and knew his
involvements even better than he did himself;--this woman had now
summoned the rabble as witnesses, in order to devolve the whole shame
and blame on him.

It was not till this minute that the Landlord of the Lion fully
realized the extent of his misery; they had lived together thirty-five
years, on looking back,--and on looking forwards, who knows how many
more were to come?--and in order to save herself, and expose him to all
the blame, his wife could carry her hypocrisy to such an extent as
this.

His spectacles were dimmed, so that he could no longer see through
them; he first quietly wiped his glasses wi