Otto on the shoulder.

Wilhelm played.

"Do sing!" said Wilhelm; all besought him to do so, and Otto sang the
Jutlandish song for them.

"See, you sang that with the proper humor," said Sophie, and clapped her
hands in applause. With that all arose, offered to him their hands,
and Wilhelm whispered to him, yet so that the sisters heard it, "This
evening you have been right amiable!"

Otto and Wilhelm went to their sleeping-room.

"But, my good friend," said Wilhelm, "what did you really go into the
garden for? Be so good as to confess to me: you were not unwell! You did
not go only into the garden! you went into the wood, and you remained a
long time there! I saw it! You made a little visit to the handsome
woman while the fiddler was here, did you not? I do not trust you so
entirely!"

"You are joking!" answered Otto.

"Yes, yes," continued Wilhelm, "she is a pretty little woman. Do you not
remember how, last year at the mowing-feast, I threw roses at her? Now
she is Peter Cripple's wife. When she comes with her husband then we
have, bodily, 'Beauty and the Beast.'"

That which Otto desired was, that Wilhelm should now soon go to sleep,
and, therefore, he would not contradict him; he confessed even that the
young wife was handsome, but added that she, as Peter Cripple's wife,
was to him like a beautiful flower upon which a toad had set itself,--it
would be disgusting to him to press the flower to his lips.

The friends were soon in bed. They bade each other good night, and
seemed both of them to sleep; and with Wilhelm this was the case.

Otto lay awake; his pulse throbbed violently.

Now the great hall clock struck twelve. All was still, quite still; but
Otto did not yet dare to raise himself. It struck a quarter past the
hour. He raised himself slowly, and glanced toward the bed where Wilhelm
lay. Otto arose and dressed himself, suppressing the while his very
breathing. A hunting-knife which hung upon the wall, and which belonged
to Wilhelm, he put in his pocket; and lifted up, to take with him, the
fire-tongs, with which he intended to break the iron staple that held
the padlock. Yet once more he looked toward Wilhelm, who slept soundly.
He opened the door, and went out without his shoes.

He looked out from the passage-windows to see if lights were visible
from any part of the building. All was still; all was in repose. That
which he now feared most was, that one of the dogs might be lying in the
lob