t was almost distracted by the old man's fatal delusion, which was
ruining all his happiness, he broke out in his exceeding great pain,
"Father, father, you are unjust towards me, exasperatingly unjust."

One day when the family were assembled at the decorator Leberfink's,
and Jonathan also was present, Master Wacht began to tell how somebody
had been saying that Sebastian Engelbrecht, although apprehended as a
criminal, could yet make good by action at law his claim against Master
Wacht, who had been his guardian. Then, smiling venomously and turning
to Jonathan, he went on, "That would be a pretty case for a young
advocate. I thought you might take up the suit; you might play a part
in it yourself; perhaps I have cheated you as well?" This made the
young lawyer start to his feet; his eyes flashed, his bosom heaved; he
seemed all of a sudden to be quite a different man; stretching his hand
towards Heaven he cried, "No, you shall no longer be my father; you
must be insane to sacrifice without scruple the peace and happiness of
the most loving of children to a ridiculous prejudice. You will never
see me again; I will go and at once accept the offer which the American
consul made to me to-day; I will go to America." "Yes," replied Wacht
filled with rage and anger, "ay, away out of my eyes, brother of the
fratricide, who've sold your soul to Satan." Casting upon Nanni, who
was half fainting, a look full of hopeless love and anguish and
despair, the young advocate hurriedly left the garden.

It was remarked earlier in the course of this story when the young
lawyer threatened to shoot himself _a la_ Werther,[21] what a good
thing it was that the indispensable pistol was in very many cases not
within reach. And here it will be just as useful to remark that the
young advocate was not able, to his own good be it said, to embark
there and then on the Regnitz and sail straight away to Philadelphia.
Hence it was that his threat to leave Bamberg and his darling Nanni for
ever remained still unfulfilled, even when at last, after two years
more had elapsed, the wedding-day of Herr Leberfink, decorator and
gilder, was come. Leberfink would have been inconsolable at this unjust
postponement of his happiness, although the delay was almost a matter
of necessity after the terrible events which had fallen blow after blow
in Wacht's house, had it not afforded him an opportunity to decorate
over again in deep red and appropriate gold the orn