ed people, to make me soft-hearted; act in public as my
friends, to make me confide again in their falseness! Yes, that is it.
It is a preconcerted plan! They will find they have miscalculated!

_Enter_ CARL.

CARL.

Dr. Bolz!

COLONEL.

I am at home to no one any longer!

CARL.

So I told the gentleman; but he insisted on speaking to you, saying
that he came in on an affair of honor.

COLONEL.

What? But Oldendorf won't be so insane--show him in here!

_Enter_ BOLZ.

BOLZ (_with dignity_).

Colonel, I come to make you an announcement which the honor of a third
person necessitates.

COLONEL.

I am prepared for it, and beg you not to prolong it unduly.

BOLZ.

No more than is requisite. The article in this evening's _Union_
which deals with your personality was written by me and inserted by me
in the paper without Oldendorf's knowledge.

COLONEL.

It can interest me little to know who wrote the article.

BOLZ (_courteously_).

But I consider it important to tell you that it is not by Oldendorf
and that Oldendorf knew nothing about it. My friend was so taken up
these last weeks with his own sad and painful experiences that he left
the management of the paper entirely to me. For all that has lately
appeared in it I alone am responsible.

COLONEL.

And why do you impart this information?

BOLZ.

You have sufficient penetration to realize, Colonel, that, after the
scene which took place today between you and my friend, Oldendorf as a
man of honor could neither write such an article nor allow it to
appear in his paper.

COLONEL.

How so, sir? In the article itself I saw nothing unsuitable.

BOLZ.

The article exposes my friend in your eyes to the suspicion of having
tried to regain your good-will by unworthy flattery. Nothing is
further from his thoughts than such a method. You, Colonel, are too
honorable a man yourself to consider a mean action natural to your
friend.

COLONEL.

You are right. (_Aside_.) This defiance is unbearable! (_Aloud_.) Is
your explanation at an end?

BOLZ.

It is. I must add still another: that I myself regret very much having
written this article.

COLONEL.

I imagine I do not wrong you in assuming that you have already written
others that were still more to be regretted.

BOLZ (_continuing_).

I had the article printed before hearing of your last interview with
Oldendorf. (_Very courteously_.) My reason for regretting it is, that
it is not qu