onrad, seizing
the man by the arm as he was hastening away. 'It has been exactly like
that for several days now, and no harm has come of it. Pray don't give
an alarm, or the end of it will be you'll get my step-father into a
mess, and then what is to become of me?'

'Such talk is all no use,' answered Prieme, 'no use at all; not even if
Juechziger were your real father, which he isn't.'

'But only think what all the people in the town would say if I got my
step-father into trouble. Didn't everybody except the governor praise
Hillner when he wouldn't shoot at his father?'

'That's a totally different thing,' said Prieme impatiently; 'then it
was only one Swede, and it didn't much matter whether he lived or died.
But, boy, if many thousand innocent people are about to perish through
one man's knavish trick, ought we not to bring the traitor to justice,
ay, though he be father, brother, or son? Look at that dear, good
woman, your blind mother! Do you want the Swedes to get in and
slaughter her? Are you going to let sixty thousand brave men and women
perish, and all our toils and struggles be in vain, just to save one
villain from the punishment he deserves?'

'Oh, dear me, whatever shall I do? No, indeed, neighbour Prieme,' said
Conrad, in great distress. 'But I'm sure I don't know anything at all
about my step-father, except that he'--

'Juechziger is to come instantly to the Burgomaster,' cried a well-known
voice, as the door of the living-room opened, and Roller's bandaged
head appeared.

'Yes,' said Prieme in a tone of vexation; 'but the bird has flown, and
even now I am busy with his brood. Good woman, cannot you give us some
information about your husband?'

'Nothing more,' said Mistress Juechziger, 'than this, that about an hour
ago, while Conrad was gone out of the room, my husband was burning
something over the lamp. At first I thought it was only tinder, but
there was a sudden noise at the room door, and I fancied I heard my
husband hastily crumple up a piece of paper, and throw it either under
the window-seat or the cupboard. No one entered as my husband seemed
to expect; it was only the cat scratching to be let in.'

'You here!' cried Roller to his dog, which had followed him in, and
which now went open-mouthed at the cat, she in her turn retiring under
the cupboard, a safe refuge into which the dog could not follow her.
'You here!' said Roller again. 'Get out, Turk!'

Turk had planted hi