It made immense talk next day, when Father Peter paid Solomon Isaacs in gold and left the rest of the money with him at interest. Also, there was a pleasant change: manyⒶalteration in the MS people called at the house to congratulate, and a numberⒶalteration in the MS of cool old friends became kind andⒶalteration in the MS friendly again; and to top all,Ⓐalteration in the MS MargetⒶalteration in the MS was invited to a party.Ⓐalteration in the MS

And there was no mystery; Father PeterⒶalteration in the MS told the whole circumstance just as it happened, and said he could not account for it, only it was the plain hand of Providence, so far as he could see.Ⓐalteration in the MS One or two shook their heads and said privatelyⒶalteration in the MS it looked more like the hand of Satan; and reallyⒶalteration in the MS that seemed a surprisingly good guess for ignorantⒶalteration in the MS people like that. Some came slyly buzzing aroundⒶalteration in the MS and tried to coaxⒶalteration in the MS us boys to come out and “tell the truth;” and promisedⒶalteration in the MS they wouldn't ever tell, but only wanted to know for their own satisfaction, because the whole thing was so curious. They even wanted to buy the secret, and pay money for it; and if we could have invented something that would answer—but we couldn't; we hadn't the ingenuity, so we had to let the chance go by, and it was a pity.

We carried that secret around without any trouble, butⒶalteration in the MS the other one, the big one, the splendid one, burnt the very vitals of usⒶalteration in the MS, it was so hot to get out and we so hot to let it out and astonishⒶalteration in the MS people with it. But we had to keep it in;Ⓐalteration in the MS in fact it kept itself in:Ⓐalteration in the MS Satan said it would, and it did.Ⓐalteration in the MS We went off every day and got to ourselves in the woods, so that we could talk about Satan, and really that was the only subject we thoughtⒶalteration in the MS of or cared anything about; and day and night we watched for him and hoped he would come, and we got more and more impatient all the time. We hadn't any interest in the other boys any more and wouldn't take part in their games and enterprises. That kind of boys seemed so tame, after Satan; and [begin page 60] their doings so trifling and commonplace after his adventures in antiquity and the constellations, and his miracles andⒶalteration in the MS meltings and explosions and all that.

During the first dayⒶalteration in the MS we were in a state of anxiety, on account of one thing, and we kept going to Father Peter's house on one pretext or another, to keep track of it. That was the gold coin; we were afraid it would crumble and turn to dirt, like fairy money. If it did . . . . but it didn't. At the end of the dayⒶalteration in the MS no complaint had been made about it; so after that we were satisfied that it was real gold, and dropped the anxiety out of our minds.

There was a question which we wanted to ask Father Peter, and finally we went there the second evening,Ⓐalteration in the MS a little diffidently, after drawing straws, and I asked it, as casually as I could, though it did not sound as casual as I wanted, because I did not know how—Ⓐalteration in the MS

“What is the moral sense, sir?”

He looked downⒶalteration in the MS surprised, over his greatⒶalteration in the MS spectacles, and said—

“Why, it is the faculty which enables us to distinguish good from evil.”

It threw some light, but not a glare, and I was a little disappointed, also in some degree embarrassed. He was waiting for me to goⒶalteration in the MS on; so, in default of anything else to say, I asked—

“Is it valuable?”

“Valuable! Ⓐalteration in the MS Heavens, lad, it is the one thing that lifts man above the beasts that perish and makes him heir to immortality!”

This did not remind me of anything further to say, so I got out, with the other boys, and we went away with that kind of indefinite sense you have oftenⒶalteration in the MS had of being filled but not fatted. They wanted me to explain, but I was tired.

We passed out through the parlor, and there was Marget at the spinet teaching Marie Lueger. So one of the deserting pupils was back; and an influential one, too: the others would follow. Marget jumped up and ran and thanked us again, with the tears in her eyes—this was the third time—for saving her and her uncleⒶalteration in the MS from being turned into the street, and we told her again we hadn't done it; but that was her way, she never could be grateful enough for anything a person did for her; so we let her have her say. And as we passedⒶtextual note [begin page 61] through the garden, there was Wilhelm MeidlingⒶalteration in the MS sitting there waiting, for it was getting toward the edge of the eveningⒶemendation, and he would be asking MargetⒶalteration in the MS to take a walk along the river with him whenⒶalteration in the MS she was done with the lesson. He was a young lawyer, and succeeding fairly well and working his way along, little by little. He was very fond of Marget, and she of him. He had not deserted along with the othersⒶalteration in the MS, but had stood his ground all through, although it had injured him in people's esteem and made his business fall off more or less. His faithfulness was not lost on Marget and her uncleⒶemendation Ⓐtextual note. He hadn't so very much talent, but he was handsome and good, and these are a kind of talents themselves and help along. He asked us how the lesson was getting along, and we told him it was about done. And maybe it was so; we didn't know anything about it, but we judged it would please him, and it did; and didn't cost us anything.

On the fourth day comes FatherⒶemendation Adolf home from the ancient priory up the valley, where he had heard the news, I reckon. He had a private talk with us, and was very much interested, and we told him all about it. He sat there studying and studying a while to himself, then he asked—

“How many ducats did you say?”

“Eleven hundred and seven, sir.”

Then he said, as if he was talking to himself—

“It is ve-ry singular. Yes . . . . . very strange. A cu-rious coincidence.”

Then he began to ask questions, and went over the whole ground, from the beginning, we answering. By and by he said—

“Eleven hundred and six ducats. It is a large sum.”

“Seven,” said SeppiⒶalteration in the MS, correcting him.

“Oh, seven, was it? Of course a ducat more or less isn't of consequence, but you said eleven hundred and six, before.”

It would not have become us to say he was mistaken, but we knew he was. Nikolaus said—

“Since your reverence says we said it, we did; but we meant to say seven.”

“Oh, it is no matter, lad, it was merely that I noticed the discrep- [begin page 62] ancy . It is several days, and you cannot be expected to remember precisely. One is apt to be inexact when there is no particular circumstance to impress the count upon the memory.”

“But there was one, FatherⒶemendation,” said Seppi, eagerly.

“What was it, my son,” asked FatherⒶemendation Adolf, indifferently.

“First, we all counted the piles of coin, each in turn, and all made it the same—eleven hundred and six. But I had slipped one out, for fun, when the count began, and now I slipped it back and said, ‘I think there is a mistake—there are eleven hundred and seven; let us count again.’ We did, and of course I was right. They were astonished; then I told how it came aboutⒶalteration in the MS.”

Father Adolf asked us if this was so, and we said it was.

“That settles it,” he said. “I know the thief, now. Lads, the money was stolen.”

Then he went away, leaving us very much troubled, and wondering what he could mean. In about an hour we found out; for by that time it was all over the village that FatherⒶemendation Peter had been arrested for stealing a greatⒶalteration in the MS sum of money from FatherⒶemendation Adolf. Everybody'sⒶalteration in the MS tongueⒶalteration in the MS was loose and going. Many said it was not in FatherⒶemendation Peter's character and must be a mistake; but the others shook their heads and said misery and want could drive a suffering man to almost anything. About one detail there were no differences: all agreed that FatherⒶemendation Peter's account of how the money came into his hands was just about unbelievable, it had such an impossible look. Our characters began to suffer, now. We were FatherⒶemendation Peter's only witnesses; how much did he probably pay us to back up his fantastic tale? People talked that kind of talk to us pretty freely and frankly, and were full of scoffings when we begged them to believe we had really told only the truth. Our parents were harder on us than any one else. Our fathers said we were disgracing our families, and they commanded us to purge ourselves of our lie, and there was no limit to their anger when we continued to say we had spoken true. Our mothers cried over us and begged us to give back our bribe and get back our honest names and save ourⒶalteration in the MS families from shame, and come out and honorably confess. And at last we were so worried and harassed that we [begin page 63] tried to tell the whole thing, Satan and all—but no, it wouldn't come out. We were hoping and longing, all the time, that Satan would come and help us out of our trouble, but there was no sign of him.Ⓐalteration in the MS

Within an hour after FatherⒶemendation Adolf's talk with us FatherⒶemendation Peter was in prison and the money sealed up and in the hands of the officers of the law. The money was in a bag, and Solomon Isaacs said he had not touched it since he had counted it; his oath was taken that it was the same money, and that the amount was eleven hundred and seven ducats. Father Peter claimed trial by the ecclesiastical court, but FatherⒶemendation Adolf didn't want that, and said an ecclesiastical court hadn't jurisdiction over a suspended priest. The Bishop upheld him. That settled it; the case would go to trial in the civil court. The court would not sit for some time to come. Wilhelm Meidling would be FatherⒶemendation Peter's lawyer and do the best he could, of course, but he told us privately that a weak case on his side and all the power and prejudice on the other made the outlook bad.

So Marget's newⒶalteration in the MS happiness died a quick death. No friends came to condole with her, and none were expected; an unsigned note withdrew her invitation to the party.Ⓐalteration in the MS There would be no scholars to take lessons. How could she support herself? She could remain in the house, for the mortgage was paid off, though the government and not poor Solomon Isaacs had the mortgage-money in its grip for the present. Old Ursula, who was cook, chambermaid, housekeeper, laundress and everything else for FatherⒶemendation Peter, and had been Marget's nurse in earlier years, said God would provide. But she said that from habit, for she was a good Catholic and such speeches were a slang of the trade; but she meant to help in the providing, to make sure, if she could find a way.

We boys wanted to go and see Marget and show friendliness for her, but our parents were afraid of offending FatherⒶemendation Adolf, and wouldn't let us. He was going around inflaming everybody against FatherⒶemendation Peter and saying he was an abandoned thief and had stolen eleven hundred and seven gold ducats from him. He said he knew he was the thief from that fact, for it was exactly the sum which he had lost and which FatherⒶemendation Peter pretended he had “found.”

[begin page 64]

In the afternoon of the fourth day after the catastrophe old Ursula appeared at our house and askedⒶalteration in the MS for some washing to do, and begged my mother to keep this a secret, to save Marget's pride, who would stop this project if she found it out, yet Marget had not enough to eat and was growing weak. Ursula was growing weak herself, and showed it; and she ate of the food that was offered her like a starving person, but could not be persuaded to carry any home, for Marget would not eat charity food. She took some clothes down to the stream to wash them, but we saw from the window that handling the bat was too much for her strength; so she was called back and a trifle of money offered her, which she was afraid to take, lest Marget should suspect; then took it, saying she would explain that she found it in the road. To keep it from being a lie and damning her soul, she got me to go and drop it, while she watched; then she went along by there and foundⒶalteration in the MS it, and exclaimed with surprise and joy, and picked it up and went her way. Like the rest of the village she could tell every-day lies fast enough, and without taking out any precautions against fire and brimstone on their account; but this was a new kind of lieⒶalteration in the MS and it had a dangerous look because she hadn't had any practice in it. After a week's practice it wouldn't have given her any trouble. It is the way we are made.

I was in troubleⒶtextual note, for how would Marget live? Ursula could not find a coin in the road every day—perhaps not even a second one. And I was ashamed, too, for not having been near Marget, and she so in need of friends; but that was my parents' fault, not mine, and I couldn't help it.

I was walking along the path, feeling very down-hearted, when a most cheery and tingling freshening-up sensation went rippling through me, and I was too glad for any words; for I knew by that sign that Satan was by. I had noticed it before. Next moment he was alongsideⒶalteration in the MS of me and I was telling him all my trouble and what had been happening to Marget and her uncle. While we were talking we turned a curve and saw old Ursula resting in the shade of a tree, and she had a lean stray kitten in her lap and was petting it. I asked her where she got it, and she said it came out of the woods and followed her; and she said it probably hadn't any mother [begin page 65] or any friends and she was going to take it home and take care of it. Satan said—

“I understand you are very poor; why do you want to add another mouth to feed? Why don't you give it to some rich person?”

Ursula bridled at this, and said—

“Perhaps you would like to have it. You must be rich, with your fine clothes and quality airs.” Then she sniffed, and said, “Give it to the rich—the idea! The rich don't care for anybody but themselves; it's only the poor that have feeling for the poor, and help them. The poor and God. God will provide for this kitten.”

“What makes you think so?”

Ursula's eyes snapped with anger.

“Because I know it!” she said. “Not a sparrowⒺexplanatory note falls to the ground without His seeing it.”

“But it falls, just the same. What good is seeing it fall?”

Old Ursula's jaws worked, but she could not get any words out for the moment,Ⓐemendation she was so horrified.Ⓐalteration in the MS When she got her tongue she stormed out—

“Go about your business, you puppy, or I will take a stick to you!”

I could not speak, I was so scared. I knew that with his notions about the human race Satan would consider it a matter of no consequence to strike her dead, there being “plenty more;” but my tongue stood still, I could give her no warning. But nothing happened; Satan remained tranquil; tranquil and indifferent. I reckon he couldn't be insulted by Ursula, any more than the King could be insulted by a tumble-bug. The old woman jumped to her feet when she made her remark; and did it as briskly as a young girl. It had been many years since she had done the like of that. That was Satan's influence; he was a fresh breeze to the weak and the sick, wherever he came. His presence affected even the lean kitten, and it skipped to the ground and began to chase a leaf. This surprised Ursula, and she stood looking at the creature and nodding her head wonderingly, her anger quite forgotten.

“What's come over it?” she saidⒶalteration in the MS. “A while ago it could hardly walk.”

“You have not seen a kitten of that breed before,” said Satan.

[begin page 66]

Ursula was not proposing to be friendly with the mocking stranger, and she gave him an ungentle look and retorted—

“Who asked you to come here and pester me, I'd like to know? And what do you know about what I've seen and what I haven't seen?”

“You haven't seen a kittenⒶalteration in the MS with the hair-spines on its tongue pointing to the front, have you?”

“No—nor you either.”

“Well, examine this one and see.”

Ursula was become pretty spry, but the kitten was spryer, and she could not catch it, and had to give it up. Then Satan said—

“Give it a name, and maybe it will come.”

Ursula tried several names, but the kitten was not interested.

“Call it Agnes. Try that.”

The creature answered to the name and came. Ursula examined its tongue.

“Upon my word it's true,” she said. “I have not seen this kind of a cat before. Is it yours?”

“No.”

“Then how did you know its name so pat?”

“Because all cats of that breed are named Agnes; they will not answer to any other.”

Ursula was impressed.

“It is the most wonderful thing!” Then a shadow of trouble came into her face, for her superstitions were arousedⒶalteration in the MS, and she reluctantly put the creature down, saying, “I suppose I must let it go; I am not afraid—no, not exactly that, though the priest—well, I've heard people—indeed many people . . . . And besides, it is quite well, now, and can take care of itself.” She sighed, and turned to go, murmuring, “It is such a pretty one, too, and would be such company—and the house is so sad and lonesome these troubled days. . . . . Miss Marget so mournful and just a shadow, and the old master shut up in the jail.”

“It seems a pity not to keep it,” said Satan.

Ursula turned quickly—just as if she was hoping some one would encourage her.

[begin page 67]

“Why?” she asked, wistfully.

“Because this breed brings luck.”

“Does it? Is it true? Young man, do you know it to be true? How does it bring luck?”

“Well, it brings money, anyway.”

Ursula looked disappointed.

“Money? A cat bring money—the idea! You could never sell it here; people do not buy cats here; one can't even give them away.” She turned to go.

“I don't mean sell it. I mean have an income from it. This kind is called the Lucky Cat. Its owner finds four silver groschen in his pocket every morning.”

I saw the indignation rising in the old woman's face. She was insulted. This boy was making fun of her. That was her thought. She thrust her hands into her pockets and straightened up to give him a piece of her mind.Ⓐalteration in the MS Her temper was all up, and hot.Ⓐalteration in the MS Her mouth came open and let out three words of a bitterⒶalteration in the MS sentence . . . . . . then it fell silent, and theⒶalteration in the MS anger in her face turned to surprise, or wonder, or fear, or something, and she slowly brought out her hands from her pockets and opened them and held them so. In one was my piece of money, in the other lay four silver groschen. She gazed a little while, perhaps to see if the groschen would vanish away, then she said, fervently—

“It's true—it's true—and I am ashamed and beg forgiveness, oh dear master and benefactor!” and she ran to Satan and kissed his hand, over and over again, according to the Austrian custom.Ⓐalteration in the MS

In her heart she probably believed it was a witch-cat and an agent of the devil; but no matter, it was all the more certain to be able to keep its contract and furnish a daily good living for the family, for in matters of finance even the piousest of our peasants would have more confidence in an arrangement with the devil than with an archangel. Ursula started homeward, with Agnes in her arms, and I said I wished I had her privilege of seeing Marget.

Then I caught my breath, for we were there! There in the parlor, and Marget standing looking at us, astonished. She was feeble and pale, but I knew that those conditions would not last in Satan's [begin page 68] atmosphere, and it turned out so. I introduced Satan—that is, Philip Traum,—Ⓐalteration in the MSand we sat down and talked. There was no constraint. We were simple folk, in our village, and when a stranger was a pleasant person we were soon friends. Marget wondered how we got in without her hearing us. Traum said the door was open, and we walked in and waited until she should turn around and greet us. This was not true; no door was open; we entered through the walls, or the roof, or down the chimney, or somehow; but no matter, what Satan wished a person to believe, the person was sure to believe, and so Marget was quite satisfied with that explanation. And then the main part of her mind was on Traum, anyway; she couldn't keep her eyes off him, he was so beautiful. That gratified me, and made me proud. I hoped he would show off, some, but he didn't. He seemed only interested in being friendly and telling lies. He said he was an orphan. That made Marget pity him. The water came into her eyes. He said he had never known his mamma; she passed away while he was a young thing; and said his papa was in shattered health, and had no property to speak of—in fact none of any earthly value—but he had an uncle in business down in the tropics, and he was very well off and had a monopoly, and it was from this uncle that he drew his support. The very mention of a kind uncle was enough to remind Marget of her own, and her eyes filled again. She said she hoped their two uncles would meet, some day. It made me shudder.Ⓐalteration in the MS Philip saidⒶalteration in the MS he hoped so, too, and that made me shudder again.

“Maybe they will,” said Marget; “does your uncle travel much?”

“Oh, yes, he goes all about; he has business everywhere.”

“Then he may come here—I hope he will. I should be so glad to see him. What is his business?”

“Souls.”

“Shoe-souls?”

“Yes. He trades in them. Buys them.”

She asked where he lived; but Philip generalised on that, and merely said it was a foreign country.

“Is he a foreigner himself?Ⓐalteration in the MS Was he born there?”

“Well, no. No, he was an emigrant.”

[begin page 69]

“Is it a trying climate?”

“For some—yes; but he doesn't mind it.”

“Acclimated, I suppose.”

“Yes.”

“Is it a colony?”

“Yes.”

“What nationality?”

“Mixed. But mainly French.”

“And so that is the language in use?”

“It is the official language.”Ⓐalteration in the MS

And so they went on chatting, and poor Marget forgot her sorrows for one little while, anyway. It was probably the only really bright and cheery hour she had known lately. I saw she liked Philip, and I knew she would; anybody would. And when he told her he was studying for the ministry I could see that she liked him better than ever. And then, when he promised to get her admitted to the jail so that she could see her uncle, that was the capstone. He said he would give the guards a little present, and she must always go in the evening after dark, and say nothing, “but just show this paper and pass in, and show it again when you come out”—and he scribbledⒶalteration in the MS some queer marks on the paper and gave it her, and she was ever so thankful, and right away was in a fever for the sun to go down; for in that old cruel time prisoners were not allowed to see their friends, and sometimes they spent years in the jails without ever seeing a friendly face. I judged that the marks on the paper were an enchantment, and that the guards would not know what they were doing, nor have any memory of it afterward; and that was indeed the way of it. Ursula put her head in at the door, now, and said—

“Supper's ready, Miss.” Then she saw us and looked frightened, and motionedⒶalteration in the MS me to come to her, which I did, and she asked if weⒶalteration in the MS had told about the cat. I said no, and she was relieved, and said please don't; for if Miss MargetⒶalteration in the MS knew, she wouldⒶalteration in the MS think it was an unholy cat and would send for a priest and have its gifts all purified out of it, and then there wouldn't be any more dividends. So I said we wouldn't tell, and she was satisfied. Then I was beginning to say [begin page 70] good-bye to Marget, but Satan interrupted and said, ever so politely —well, I don't remember just the words, but anyway he as good as invited himself to supper, and me, too. Of course Marget was miserably embarrassed, for she had no reason to supposeⒶalteration in the MS there would be half enough food for a sick bird. Ursula heard him, and she came straight into the room, not a bit pleased. At first she was astonished to see Marget looking so fresh and rosy, and said so; then she spoke up in her native tongue, which was Bohemian and said—as I learned afterward—

“The impudent thing! inviting himself when nobody's asked him. It's just like him—I've never seen the beat of him for making himself easy on a short acquaintance. Send him packing, Miss Marget—there's not victuals enough.”

Before Marget could speak, Satan had the word, and was talking back at UrsulaⒶalteration in the MS in her own language—which was a surprise for her, and for her mistress, too. He asked—

“Didn't I see you down the road a while ago?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Ah, that pleases me; I see you remember me.”

“Why, of course, sir.Ⓐalteration in the MS Nobody that sees you once can forget you, I reckon. And besides, you are so good, and so—so—so aggravating.”

“Can you keep a secret?”

“I can try, sir. For your goodness, though; not for your aggravatingness.”

He stepped to her and whispered, “I told you it is a LuckyⒶalteration in the MS Cat. Don't be troubled—it will provide.”

That sponged the slate of Ursula's feelings clean of its anxieties, and a deep financial joy shone in her eyes. The cat's value was augmenting. It was getting full time for Marget to take some sort of notice of Satan's invitation, and she did it in the best way, the honest way that was natural to her. She said she had little to offer, but that we were welcome if we would share it with her.

We had supper in the kitchen, and Ursula waited at table. A small fish was in the frying-pan, crisp and brown and tempting, and one could see that Marget was not expecting such respectable food as this. Ursula brought it, and Marget divided it between Satan and [begin page 71] me, declining to take any of it herself; and was beginning to say she did not care for fish to-day, but she did not finish the remark. It was because she noticed that anotherⒶalteration in the MS fishⒺexplanatory note had appeared in the pan. She looked surprised, but did not say anything. She probably meant to inquire of Ursula about this, later. There were other surprises: flesh, and game, and wines and fruits—things which had been strangers in that house lately; but Marget made no exclamations, and did what she could to look unsurprised, which was human and natural. Satan talked right along, and was entertaining, and made the time pass pleasantly and cheerfully; and although he told a good many lies it was no harm in him, for he was only an angel and did not know any better. They do not know right from wrong; I knew this, because I remembered what he had said about it. He accomplished one thing which I was glad of—he got on the good side of Ursula. He praised her to Marget, confidentially, but speaking just loud enough for Ursula to hear. He said she was a fine woman, and he hoped some day to bring her and his uncle together. Very soon Ursula was mincing and simpering around in a ridiculous girly way, and smoothing out her gown and prinking at herself like a foolish old hen, and all the time pretending she was not hearing what Satan was saying. I was ashamed,Ⓐalteration in the MS for it showed us to be what Satan considered us, a silly raceⒶalteration in the MS and trivial. Satan said it was time his uncle was married, for he entertained a great deal, and always had company staying with himⒶalteration in the MS, and to have a clever woman presiding over the festivities would double the attractions of the place.

But your uncle is a gentleman, isn't he?” asked Marget.

“Yes,” said Satan, indifferently; “some even call him a Prince, out of compliment, but he is not bigoted; to him personal merit is everything, rank nothing.”

MargetⒶemendation thought he must be a most lovable gentleman and much sought after. Satan said he was; and a great help to the clergy—but for him they would have to go out of business.

My hand was hanging down by my chair; Agnes came along and licked it; by this act a secret was revealed. I started to say “It is all a mistake; this is just a common ordinary cat; the hair-needles on her [begin page 72] tongue point inward, not outward.” But the words did not come, because they couldn't. Satan smiled upon me, and I understood. It was as if he had said, “I know your thought, but you will keep it to yourself.”

When it was dark MargetⒶalteration in the MS took food and wine and fruit, in a basket, and hurried away to the jail, and Satan and I walked toward my home. I was thinking to myself that I should like to see what the inside of a jail was like; Satan overheard the thought, and the next moment we were in the jail. We were in the torture-chamber, Satan said. The rack was there, and the other instruments, and there was a smoky lantern or two hanging on the walls and helping to make the place look dim and dreadful. There were people there, —a priest and executioners,—Ⓐalteration in the MSbut as they took no notice of us, it meant that we were invisible. A young man lay bound, and Satan said he was suspected of being an unsound Catholic, and the priest and the executioners were about to inquire into it. They asked the man to confess to the charge, and he said he could not, for it was not true. Then they drove splinter after splinter under his nails, and he shrieked with the pain. Satan was not disturbed, for it was only a human being, but I could not endure it, and had to be whisked out of there. I was faint and sick, but the fresh air revived me, and we walked toward my home. I said it was a brutal thing.

“No, it was a human thing. You should not insult the brutes by such a misuse of that word—they have not deserved it;” and he went on talking like that. “It is like your paltry race—always lying, always claiming virtues which it hasn't got, always denying them to the Higher Animals, which alone possess them. No bruteⒶalteration in the MS ever does a cruel thing—that is the monopoly of the snob with the Moral Sense. When a brute inflicts pain he does it innocently; it is not wrong; for him there is no such thing as wrong. And he does not inflict pain for the pleasure of inflicting it—only man does that. Inspired by that mongrelⒶalteration in the MS Moral Sense of his! A Sense whose function is to distinguish between right and wrong, withⒶalteration in the MS liberty to choose which of them he will do. Now what advantage can he get out of that? He is always choosing, and in nine cases out of ten he [begin page 73] prefers the wrong. There shouldn't be any wrong; and without the Moral Sense there couldn't be any. And yet he is such anⒶalteration in the MS unreasoning creature that he is not able to perceiveⒶalteration in the MS that the Moral Sense degrades him to the bottom layer of animated beings and is a shameful possession. Are you feeling better? Let me show you something.”

In a moment weⒶalteration in the MS were in a French village. We walked through a great factory of some sort, where men and women and little children were toiling in heat and dirt and a fog of dust; and they were clothed in rags, and drooped at their work, for they were worn, and half-starved, and weak and drowsy. Satan said—

“It is some moreⒶalteration in the MS MoralⒶalteration in the MS Sense. The proprietors are rich, and very holy; but the wage they pay to these poor brothers and sisters of theirs is only enough to keep them from dropping dead with hunger. The work-hours are fifteen per day, winter and summer—from 5 in the morning till 8 at nightⒶalteration in the MS—little children and all. And they walk to and from the pig-stiesⒶemendation which they inhabit—four miles each way, through mud and slush, rain, snow, sleet and storm, dailyⒶalteration in the MS, year in and year out. They get four hours of sleep. They kennel together, three families in a room, in unimaginable filth and stench; and disease comes, and they die offⒶalteration in the MS like flies. HaveⒶalteration in the MS they committed a crime, these poor mangyⒶalteration in the MS things? No. Have they offended the priest? No; they are his pets—they fatten him with their farthings, or he would have to work for his living. What have they done, that they are punished so? Nothing at all, except getting themselves born into your foolish race. You have seen how they treat a misdoer there in the jail, now you see how they treat the innocent and the worthy. Is your race logical? Are these ill-smellingⒶalteration in the MS innocents better off than that heretic? Indeed, no, his punishment is trivial compared withⒶalteration in the MS theirs. They broke him on the wheel and mashed him to rags and pulp after we left, and he is dead, now, and free of your precious race; but these poor slaves here—why, they have been dying for years, and some of them will not escape from life for years to come. It is the Moral Sense which teaches the factory-proprietors the difference between right and wrong—you [begin page 74] perceive the result. They think themselves better than dogs. Ah, you are such an illogical, unreasoning race! And paltry—oh, unspeakably!”

Then he dropped all seriousness and just overstrained himself making fun of us, and deriding our pride in our warlike deeds, our great heroes, our imperishable fames, our mighty Kings, our ancient aristocracies, our venerable history—and laughed and laughed till it was enough to make a person sick to hear him; and finally he sobered a little and said “but after all, it is not all ridiculous, there is a sort of pathos about it when one remembers how few are your daysⒶalteration in the MS, how childish your pomps, and what shadows you are!”

[ ] Ⓐtextual note

Presently all things vanished suddenly from my sight, and Iknew what it meant. The next moment we were walking along in our village; and down toward the river I saw the twinkling lights of the Golden Stag. ThenⒶalteration in the MS in the dark I heard a joyful cry—

“He's come again!”

It was Seppi Wohlmeyer. He had felt his blood leap and his spirits rise in a way that could mean onlyⒶalteration in the MS one thing, and he knew Satan was near although it was too dark to see him. He came to us and we walked along together, and Seppi poured out his gladness like water. It was as if he was a lover and had foundⒶalteration in the MS his sweetheart which had been lost. Seppi was a smartⒶalteration in the MS and animated boy, and had enthusiasm and expression, and was a contrast to Nikolaus and me. He was full of the lastⒶalteration in the MS new mystery, now—the disappearance of Hans Oppert, the village loafer. People were beginning to be curious about it, he said. He did not say anxious—curious was the right word, andⒶalteration in the MS strong enough. No one had seen Hans for a couple of days.

“Not since he did that brutal thing, you know,” he said.

“What brutal thing?” It was Satan that asked.

“Well, he is always clubbing his dog, which is a good dog, and is his only friend, and is faithful, and loves him, and does no one any harm; and two days ago he was at it again, just for nothing—just for pleasure—and the dog was howling and begging, and Theodor and I begged, too, but he threatened us, and struck the dog again [begin page 75] with all his might and knocked one of itsⒶalteration in the MS eyes out, so that it hung down; and he said to us, ‘There, I hope you are satisfied, now—that's what you have got for him by your damned meddling’—and he laughed, the heartless brute.” Seppi's voice trembled with pity and anger. I guessed what Satan would say, and he said it.

“There is that misused word again—that shabby slander. Brutes do not act like that, but only men.”

“Well, it was inhuman, anyway.”

“No it wasn't, Seppi, it was human—quite distinctly human. It is not pleasant to hear you libel the Higher Animals by attributing to them dispositions which they are free from, and which are found nowhere but in the human heart. None of the Higher Animals is tainted with the disease called the Moral Sense. Purify your language, Seppi; drop those lying phrases out of it.”

He spoke pretty sternly—for him—and I was sorry I hadn't warned Seppi to be more particular about the words he used. I knew how he was feeling. He would not want to offend Satan; he would rather offend all his kin. There was an uncomfortable silence, but relief soon came, for that poor dog came along, now, with that eye hanging down,Ⓐalteration in the MS and went straight to Satan, and began to moan or mutter brokenly, and SatanⒶalteration in the MS began to answer in the same way, and it was plain that they were talking together in the dog language. We all sat down in the grass, in the moonlight, for the clouds were breaking away, now, and Satan took the dog's head in his lap and put the eye back in its place, and the dog was comfortable, and wagged his tail and licked Satan's hand, and looked thankful and said the same—I knew he was saying it, though I did not understand the words. Then the two talked together a bit, and Satan said—

“He says his master was drunk.”

“Yes, he was,” said we.

“And an hour laterⒶalteration in the MS he fell over the precipice there beyond the Cliff Pasture.”

“We know the place, it is three miles from here.”

“And the dog has been often to the village, begging people to go there, but he was only driven away and not listened to.”

[begin page 76]

We remembered it, but hadn't understood what he wanted.

“He only wanted help for the man who had misused him, and he thought only of that, and has had no food norⒶalteration in the MS sought any. He has watched by his master two nights. What do you think of your race? Is heaven reserved for it, and this dog ruled out, as your teachers tell you? Can your race add anything to this dog's stock of morals and magnanimities?”Ⓐalteration in the MS He spoke to the creature, who jumped up, eager and happy, and apparently ready for orders, and impatient to execute them. “Get some men; go with the dog—he will show you that carrion; and take a priest along to arrange about insurance, for death is near.”

With the last word he vanished, to our sorrow and disappointment. We got the men and the priest, and we saw the man die. Nobody cared but the dog, but he mourned and grieved, and licked the dead face, and could not be comforted. The man had died without the last sacraments, for he was unconscious and the priestⒶalteration in the MS refused them. We buried him where he was, and without a coffin, for he had no money, and no friend but the dog, and he could not be buried in holy ground, for he had died in sin. We buried him without any funeral services, for in the circumstances the priest would not perform them, of course, nor countenance the unholyⒶalteration in the MS burial with his presence. If we had been an hour earlier the priest would have been in time to send that poor creature to heaven, but now he was gone down into the awful fires, to burn forever. It seemed such a pity that in a world where so many people have difficulty to put in their time, one little hour could not have been spared for this poor creature who needed it so much, and to whom it would have made the difference between eternal joy and eternal pain. It gave me an appallingⒶemendation idea of the value of an hour, and I thought I could never waste one again without remorse and terror. Seppi was depressed and grieved, and said it must be so much better to be a dog and not run such awful risks. We took this one home with us and kept him for our own. Seppi had a very good thought as we were walking along, and it cheered us up and made us feel much better. He said the dog had forgiven the man that had wronged him so, and maybe God would accept that absolution in [begin page 77] place of the priest's, though it was furnished gratis and therefore was not really official and regular.