nd an unknown gentleman. You
remember?

IDA.

I have thought of it incessantly.

ADELAIDE.

Good! On the same day on which this lady finds her knight again shall
you also be reconciled with your professor--not sooner, not later.
Thus it is written.

IDA.

I am so glad to believe you. And when will the day come?

ADELAIDE.

Yes, dear, I do not know that exactly. But I will confide in you,
since we girls are alone, that the said lady is heartily tired of the
long hoping and waiting and will, I fear, do something desperate.

IDA (_embracing her_).

If only she will hurry up!

ADELAIDE (_holding her_).

Hush! Some man might hear us! [_Enter_ KORB.] What is it, old friend?

KORB.

Miss Adelaide, out there is Mr. Bellmaus, the friend--

ADELAIDE.

Very well, and he wishes to speak to me?

KORB.

Yes. I myself advised him to come to you; he has something to tell
you.

ADELAIDE.

Bring him in here! [_Exit_ KORB.]

IDA.

Let me go away; my eyes are red with weeping.

ADELAIDE.

Well go, dear. In a few minutes I will rejoin you. (_Exit_ IDA.)

He too! The whole _Union_--one after the other!

_Enter_ BEULMAUS.

BELLMAUS (_shyly, bowing repeatedly_).

You permit me, Miss Runeck!

ADELAIDE (_kindly_).

I am glad to receive your visit, and am curious about the interesting
disclosures you have to make to me.

BELLMAUS.

There is no one to whom I would rather confide what I have heard, Miss
Runeck, than to you. Having learned from Mr. Korb that you are a
subscriber to our newspaper I feel sure--

ADELAIDE.

That I deserve, too, to be a friend of the editors. Thank you for the
good opinion.

BELLMAUS.

There is this man Schmock! He is a poor fellow who has been little in
good society and was until now on the staff of the _Coriolanus_.

ADELAIDE. I remember having seen him.

BELLMAUS.

At Bolz's request I gave him a few glasses of punch. He thereupon grew
jolly and told me of a great plot that Senden and the editor of the
_Coriolanus_ have hatched between them. These two gentlemen, so he
assures me, had planned to discredit Professor Oldendorf in the
Colonel's eyes and so drove the Colonel into writing articles for the
_Coriolanus_.

ADELAIDE.

But is the young man who made you these revelations at all
trustworthy?

BELLMAUS.

He can't stand much punch, and after three glasses he told me all this
of his own accord. In general I don't consider him very reputable. I
should