nt, who, as
usual, held her cup aloft in her left hand, and dipped her cake in it
from time to time. She had always the very best appetite.

"Yes, that is interesting too," assented Frau Lay-Figure, smiling so as
to show her teeth.

It was remarkable that no one ventured at first to allude to Frau
Bella, until the wife of the steamboat-agent told how she had gone with
her eldest daughter to the dentist, and he had told her he was never so
startled in his life as when the Countess von Wolfsgarten came to him,
the very night Count Clodwig was so ill, to have a front tooth set.

The Doctor's wife said that Frau Bella was not guiltless of her
husband's death.

All now fell upon her. She must tell them what she knew; and, before
she could explain herself, Frau Lay-Figure added,--

"And no doubt Herr Sonnenkamp was guilty too! Who knows what he did?"

The good Doctor's lady turned pale; but though she protested earnestly
and solemnly, that her husband had said nothing about it, that she
never would have spoken if he had, they would not believe her. The
Doctor's wife was exceedingly sorry, and retracted her remarks, that
Bella, in a passionate outburst, had wounded deeply her husband's
feelings. The mistaken declaration of the coroner, so strenuously
contradicted, was revived; and they said it was evident that Frau Bella
had felt herself in some way to blame, and had fled on this account.

"I pity Herr von Pranken," said Lina suddenly.

All eyes were turned upon her; and Lina quietly continued,--

"Yes, he is not so bad a man after all. He has lost his bride, and now
his sister has deserted him; and for so much shame and misery to be
heaped upon his head is too hard."

The wife of the Director of the Waterworks praised Lina's
kind-heartedness, and wanted to know more about Bella's character. Frau
Lay-Figure said she was the one to inform her; for she had a cook who
had formerly lived with Bella. The latter was not bad to her servants,
only capricious. She sometimes scolded them dreadfully, but made them
presents afterwards, and took care to have them enjoy themselves.

A good deal of curiosity was expressed by one and another, as to
whether Eric and Manna would soon marry. The death of Frau Ceres and
the Priest's violent harangue were next discussed.

The steamboat-agent's wife had some further information to give about
Bella's nocturnal journey. She had questioned the pilot; and universal
astonishment was expres