"O God! O God!" sighed he, and then relapsed into silence. But in the
tone of his words could be noticed the terrible agony he was suffering.

"Is the wound deep--is it dangerous?" asked the young man.

"No, sir, no! The wound on my forehead is nothing--signifies nothing;
but in here," pointing to his breast--"in here are care, anxiety,
despair. I am thankful, sir, for your sympathy; it is soothing. But you
may go your way; the blows signify nothing."

CHAPTER V.

Gerlach whispered something to the banker. Holt pressed his
pocket-handkerchief to the wound.

"Please yourself!" said the banker loudly, in a business tone. Seraphin
again approached the beaten man.

"Will you please, my good man, to accompany us?"

"What for, sir?"

"Because I would like to do something towards healing up your wound; I
mean the wound in there."

Holt stood motionless before the stranger, and looked at him.

"I thank you, sir; there is no remedy for me; I am doomed!"

"Still, I will assist you. Follow me."

"Who are you, sir, if I may ask the question?"

"I am a man whom Providence seems to have chosen to rescue the prey
from the jaws of a usurer. Come along with us, and fear nothing."

"Very well, I will go in the name of God! I do not precisely know your
object, and you are a stranger to me. But your countenance looks
innocent and kind, therefore I will go with you."

They passed through alleys and streets.

"Do you often visit that tavern?" inquired Seraphin.

"Not six times in a year," answered Holt. "Sometimes of a Sunday I
drink half a glass of wine, that's all. I am poor, and have to be
saving. I would not have gone to the tavern to-day but that I wanted to
get rid of my feelings of misery."

"I overheard your story," rejoined Seraphin. "Shund's treatment of you
was inhuman. He behaved towards you like a trickish devil."

"That he did! And I am ruined together with my family," replied the
poor man dejectedly.

"Take my advice, and never abuse Shund. You know how respectable he has
suddenly got to be, how many influential friends he has. You can easily
perceive that one cannot say anything unfavorable of such a man without
great risk, no matter were it true ten times over."

"I am not given to disputing," replied Holt. "But it stirred the bile
within me to hear him extolled, and it broke out. Oh! I have learned to
suffer in silence. I haven't time to think of other matters.