ement was too crowded, and hung on the outskirts of the
throng. As I loitered there, a cigar in my mouth, I felt a hand on my
shoulder. Turning round, I saw the lieutenant. He was in uniform. By his
side was Rischenheim.

"You're here too, are you?" said I. "Well, nothing seems to be
happening, does it?"

For No. 19 showed no sign of life. The shutters were up, the door
closed; the little shop was not open for business that day.

Bernenstein shook his head with a smile. His companion took no heed of
my remark; he was evidently in a state of great agitation, and his eyes
never left the door of the house. I was about to address him, when my
attention was abruptly and completely diverted by a glimpse of a head,
caught across the shoulders of the bystanders.

The fellow whom I saw wore a brown wide-awake hat. The hat was pulled
down low over his forehead, but nevertheless beneath its rim there
appeared a white bandage running round his head. I could not see the
face, but the bullet-shaped skull was very familiar to me. I was sure
from the first moment that the bandaged man was Bauer. Saying nothing
to Bernenstein, I began to steal round outside the crowd. As I went, I
heard somebody saying that it was all nonsense; the king was not there:
what should the king do in such a house? The answer was a reference
to one of the first loungers; he replied that he did not know what the
devil the king did there, but that the king or his double had certainly
gone in, and had as certainly not yet come out again. I wished I could
have made myself known to them and persuaded them to go away; but my
presence would have outweighed my declarations, and been taken as a
sure sign that the king was in the house. So I kept on the outskirts and
worked my way unobtrusively towards the bandaged head. Evidently Bauer's
hurt had not been so serious as to prevent him leaving the infirmary to
which the police had carried him: he was come now to await, even as
I was awaiting, the issue of Rudolf's visit to the house in the
Konigstrasse.

He had not seen me, for he was looking at No. 19 as intently as
Rischenheim. Apparently neither had caught sight of the other, or
Rischenheim would have shown some embarrassment, Bauer some excitement.
I wormed my way quickly towards my former servant. My mind was full
of the idea of getting hold of him. I could not forget Bernenstein's
remark, "Only Bauer now!" If I could secure Bauer we were safe. Safe in
what? I