There was a very dull week, now, for Satan did not come, nothing much was going on, and we boys could not venture to go and see Marget,Ⓐalteration in the MS because the nights were moonlit and our parents might find us out if we tried. But we came across Ursula a couple of times taking a walk in the meadows beyond the river to air the cat, and we learned from her that things were going well. She had natty new clothes on and bore a prosperous look. The four groschen a day were arriving without a break but were not being spent for food and wine and such things—the cat attended to all that. Marget was enduring her forsakenness and isolation fairlyⒶalteration in the MS well, all things considered, and was cheerfulⒶalteration in the MS, by help of Wilhelm Meidling. She spent an hour or two every night in the jail with her uncle, and had fattened him up with the cat's contributions. But she was curious to know more about Philip Traum, and hoped IⒶalteration in the MS would bring him again. Ursula was curious about him herself, and asked a good many questions about his uncle. It made the boys laugh, for I had told them the nonsense Satan had been stuffing her with. She got no satisfaction out of us, our tongues being tied. UrsulaⒶalteration in the MS gave us a small item of information: money being plenty now, she had taken on a servant to help about the house and run errands. She tried to tell it in a commonplace matter-of-course way, but she was so set up by it and so vain of it that her pride in it leaked out pretty plainly. It was beautiful to see her veiledⒶalteration in the MS delight in this grandeur, poor old thing, but when we heard the name of the servant we wondered if she had been altogether wise; for although we were young, and often thoughtless, we had fairly good perception in some matters. This boy was GottfriedⒶemendation Narr, a dull goodⒶalteration in the MS creature with no harm in him and nothing against him, personally; still, he was under a cloud, and properly so, for it had not been six months [begin page 78] since a social blight had mildewed the family—his grandmother had been burnt as a witch. When that kind of a malady is in the blood it does not always come out with just one burning. Father Adolf had often said so, and had warned the people to keep a lookout on those Narrs. Just now was not a good time for Ursula and Marget to be having dealings with a member of such a family, for the witch-terror had risen higher during the past year than it had ever reached in the memory of the oldest villagers. The mere mention of a witch was almost enough to frighten us out of our wits. This was natural enough, because of late years there were more kinds of witches than there used to beⒶalteration in the MS; in old times it had been only oldⒶalteration in the MS women, but of late years they were of all ages—even children of eight and nine; so it was getting so that anybody might turn out to be a familiar of the devil—age and sex hadn't anything to do with it. In our little region we had tried to extirpate the witches, but the more of them we burned the more of the breed rose up in their places.

Once, in a school for girls only ten miles away, the nuns found that the back of one of the girls was all red and inflamed, and they were greatly frightened, believing it to be the devil's marks. The girl was scared, and begged them not to denounce her, and said it was only fleas; and indeed that is what it looked like; but of course it would not do to let the matter rest there. All the girls were examined, and eleven out of the fifty were badly marked, the rest less so. A commission was appointed, but the elevenⒶemendation only cried for their mothers and would not confess. Then they were shut up, each by herself, in the dark, and put on black bread and water, for ten days and nights; and by that time they were haggard and wild, and their eyes were dry and they did not cry any more, but only sat and mumbled, and would not take the food. Then one of them confessed, and said they had often ridden through the air on broomsticks to the witches' sabbath, and in a bleak place high up in the mountains had danced and drunk and caroused with several hundred other witches and with Satan, and all had conducted themselves in a scandalous way and had reviled the priests and blasphemed God. That is what she said—not in narrative form, for she [begin page 79] was not able to remember any of the details without having them called to her mind one after the other; but the commission did that, for they knew just what questions to ask, they being all written down by the PopeⒺexplanatory note for the use of witch-commissions two centuries before.Ⓐalteration in the MS They asked “Did you do so and so?” and she always said yes, and looked weary and tired and took no interest in it. And so when the other ten heard that this one had confessed, they confessed too, and answered yes to theⒶalteration in the MS questions. Then they were burnt at the stake all together, which was just andⒶalteration in the MS right; and everybody went from all the countryside to see it. I went, too; but when I saw that one of them was a bonny sweet girl I used to play with, and looked so pitiful there chained to the stake and her mother crying over her and devouring her with kisses and clinging around her neck and saying “Oh, my God! oh, my God!” it was too dreadful and I went away.

It was bitter cold weather when Gottfried's grandmother was burnt. It was chargedⒶalteration in the MS Ⓔexplanatory note that she had cured bad headaches by kneading the person's head and neck with her fingers—as she said—but really by the devil's help, as everybody knew. They were going to examine her, but she stopped them, and confessed straight off that her power was from the devil. So they appointed to burn her next morning early, in our market square. The officer who was to prepare the fire was there first, and preparedⒶalteration in the MS it. She was there next,—brought by the constables, who left her and went to fetch another witch.Ⓐalteration in the MS Her family did not come with her. They might be reviled, maybe stoned, if the people were excited. I came, and gave her an apple. She was squatting at the fire, warming herself, and waiting; and her old lips and hands were blue with the cold. A stranger came next. He was a traveler, passing through; and he spoke to her gently, and seeing nobody but me there to hear, said he was sorry for her. And he asked her if what she had confessed was true, and she said no. He looked surprised, and still more sorry, then, and asked her—

“Then why did you confess?”

“I am old and very poor,” she said, “and I work for my living. There was no way but to confess. If I hadn't, they might have set [begin page 80] me free. That would ruin me; for no one would forget that I had been suspected of being a witch, and so I would get no more work, and wherever I went they would set the dogs on me. In a little while I should starve. The fire is best, it is soon over. You have been good to me, you two, and I thank you.”

She snuggled closer to the fire, and put out her hands to warm them, the snow-flakes descending soft and still on her old gray head and making it white and whiter. The crowd was gathering, now, and an egg came flying, and struck her in the eye, and broke and ran down her face. There was a laugh, at thatⒶalteration in the MS.

I told Satan all about the eleven girls and the old woman, once, but it did not affect him. He only said it was the human race, and what the human race did was of no consequence. And he said he had seen it made; and it was not made of clay, it was made of mud —part of it was, anyway. I knew what he meant by that—the Moral Sense. He saw the thought in my head, and it tickled him and made him laugh. Then he called a bullock out of a pasture and petted it and talked with it, and said—

“There—he wouldn't drive children mad with hunger and fright and loneliness, and then burn them for confessing to things invented for them which had never happened. And neither would he break the hearts of innocent poor old women and make them afraid to trust themselves among their own race; and he would not insult them in their death-agony. For he is not besmirched with the Moral Sense, but is as pure from it as the angels are, and knows no wrong and never does it.”

Lovely as he was, Satan could be cruelly offensive when he chose; and he always chose, when the human race was brought to his attention. He always turned up his nose at it, and never had a kind word for it. I do not see how a person can act so.

Well, as I was saying, we boys doubted if it was a good time for Ursula to be hiring a member of the Narr family. We were right. When the people found it out they were naturally indignant. And moreover, since Marget and Ursula hadn't enough to eat, themselves, where was the money to come from to feed another mouth? That is what they wanted to know; and in order to find out, they [begin page 81] stopped avoiding Gottfried and began to seek his society and have sociableⒶalteration in the MS conversations with him. He was pleased—not thinking any harm,Ⓐalteration in the MS and not seeing the trap—and so he talked innocently along, and was no discreeter than a cow.

“Money!” he said, “they've got plenty of it. They pay me two groschen a week, besides my keep. And they live on the fat of the land, I can tell you; the Prince himself can't beat their table.”

This astonishing statement was conveyed to Father Adolf on a Sunday morning when he was returning from mass. He was deeply moved, and said—Ⓐemendation

“Hell and flinders! this must be looked into.”

He said there was witchcraft at the bottom of this outrage, and told the villagers to resume relations with Marget and Ursula in a private and unostentatious way and keep both eyes open. They were to keep their own counsel, and not rouse the suspicions of the household. The villagers were at firstⒶalteration in the MS a bit reluctant to enter such a dreadful place, but the priest said they would be under his protection while there, and no harm would come to them, particularly if they carried a trifle of holy water along and kept their beads and crosses handy. This satisfied them and made them willing to go; envy and malice made the baser sort even eager to go.

And so poor Marget began to have company again, and was as pleased as a cat. She was like ’most anybody else—just human, and happy in her prosperities and not averse from showing them off a little; and she was humanly grateful to have the warm shoulder turned to her and be smiled upon by her friends and the village again; for of all the hard things to bear, to be cut by your neighbors and left in contemptuous solitude is maybe the hardest.

The barsⒶalteration in the MS were down, and we could all go there now, and we did —our parents and all. Day after day. The cat began to strain herself. She provided the top of everything for those companies, and in abundance—among them many a dish and many a wine which they had not tasted before and which they had not even heard of except at second hand from the Prince's servants.Ⓐalteration in the MS And the table-ware was much above ordinary, too.Ⓐalteration in the MS

Marget was troubled at first, and pursued Ursula with questions [begin page 82] to an uncomfortable degree; but Ursula stood her ground and stuck to it that it was Providence, and said no word about the cat. Marget knew that nothing was impossible to Providence, but she could not help having doubts that this effort was from thence,Ⓐalteration in the MS though she was afraid to say so, lest disaster come of it. Witchcraft occurred to her, but she put the thought aside, for this was before Gottfried joined the household, and she knew Ursula was pious and a bitter hater of witches. By the time Gottfried arrived Providence was established, unshakably intrenched, and getting all the gratitude. The cat made no murmur, but went on composedly working the commissariat and improving in style and prodigality by experience.Ⓐalteration in the MS

In any community, big or little, there is always a fair proportion of peopleⒶalteration in the MS who are not malicious or unkind by nature, and who never do unkind things except when they are overmastered by fear, or when their self-interest is greatly in danger, or some such matter as that. Eseldorf had its proportion of such people, and ordinarily their good and gentle influence was felt, but these were not ordinary times—on account of the witch-dread—Ⓐalteration in the MSand so we did not seem to have any gentle and compassionate hearts left, to speak of. Every person was frightened at the unaccountable state of things at Marget's house, not doubting that witchcraft was at the bottom of it, and fright frenzied their reason. Naturally there were some who pitied Marget and Ursula for the danger that was gathering about them, but naturally they did not say so—it would not have been safe. So the others had it all their own way, and there was none to advise the ignorant girlⒶalteration in the MS and the foolish old woman and warn them to modify their doings. We boys wanted to warn them, but we backed down when it came to the pinch, being afraid Father Adolf would find it out. We found that we were not manly enough nor brave enough to do a generous action when there was a chance that it could get us into trouble. Neither of us confessed this poor spirit to the others, but didⒶalteration in the MS as other people would have done—dropped the subject and talked about something else. And I know we all felt mean, eating and drinking Marget's fine things along with those companies of spies, and petting her and complimenting her with [begin page 83] the rest, and seeing with self-reproach how foolishly happy she was, and never saying a word to put her on her guard. And indeed she was happy, and as proud as a princess, and so grateful to have friends again. And all the time those people were watching with all their eyes and reporting all they saw to Father Adolf.

But he couldn't make head nor tail of the situation. There must be an enchanter somewhere on the premises, but who was it? Marget was not seen to do any jugglery, nor was Ursula, nor yet Gottfried; and still the wines and dainties never ran short, and a guest could not call for a thing and not get it. To produce these effects was usual enough with witches and enchanters—that part of it was not new; but to do it without any incantations, or even any rumblings or earthquakes or lightnings or apparitions—that was new, novel, wholly irregular. There was nothing in the books like this. Enchanted things were always unreal: gold turned to dirt in an unenchanted atmosphere, food withered away and vanished. But this test failed, in the present case. The spies brought samples: Father Adolf prayed over them, exorcised them, swore at them, but it did no good; they remained sound and real, they yielded to natural decay only, and took the usual time to it.

Father Adolf was not merely puzzled, he was also exasperated; for these evidences very nearlyⒶalteration in the MS convinced him—privately—that there was no witchcraft in the matter. It did not wholly convince him, for this could be a new kind of witchcraft.Ⓐalteration in the MS There was a way to find out, as to this: if this prodigal abundance of provender was not brought in from the outside but produced on the premises, there was witchcraft, sure.

Marget announced a party, and invited forty people; the date for it was seven days away. This was Father Adolf's opportunity. Marget's house stood by itself, and could be easily watched. All the week it was watched night and day. Marget's household went out and in as usual, but they carried nothing in their hands, and neither they nor others brought anything to the house. This was ascertained. Evidently rations for forty people were not being fetched. If they were furnished any sustenance it would have to be [begin page 84] made on the premises. It was true that Marget went out with a basket every evening, but the spies ascertained that she alwaysⒶalteration in the MS brought it back empty.

The guests arrived at noon, and filled the place. Father Adolf followed, afterⒶalteration in the MS a little, without an invitation. His spies informed him that neither at the back nor the front had any parcels been brought in. He entered, and found the eating and drinking going on finely, and everything going on in a lively and festive way. He glancedⒶalteration in the MS around and perceived that many of the cooked delicacies and all of the native and foreign fruits were of a perishable character, and he also recognised that these were fresh and perfect. No apparitions, no incantations, no thunder.Ⓐalteration in the MS That settled it. This was witchcraft. And not only that, but of a new kind—a kind never dreamed of before. It was a prodigious find,Ⓐalteration in the MS an illustrious find—and he the discoverer of it! The announcement of it would resound throughout the world, penetrate to the remotest lands, paralyse all the nations with amazement—and carry his name with it, and make him renowned forever. It was a wonderful piece of luck, a splendid piece of luck; the glory of it made him dizzy.

All the house made reverence to him, Marget seated him, Ursula ordered Gottfried to bring a special table for him, then she decked it and furnished it, and asked for his orders.

“Bring me what you will,” he said.

The two servants brought supplies from the pantry, together with white wine and red—a bottle of each. The priest took some water, blessed it, then sprinkled it over everything, bottles and all; then bowed his head and said grace.Ⓐalteration in the MS He poured out a beaker of red wine, drank it off, poured another, then began to eat, with a grand appetite.

I was not expecting Satan, for it was more than a week since I had seen him or heard of him, but now he came in—I knew it by the feel, though people were in the way and I could not see him. I heard him apologising for intruding; and he was going away, but Marget urged him to stay, and he thankedⒶemendation her and stayed. She brought him along, introducing him to the girls, and to Meidling and to some of the elders; and there was quite a rustle of whispers: [begin page 85] “It's the young stranger we hear so much about and can't get a sight of, he is away so much.” “Dear, dear, but he is beautiful—what is his name?” “Philip Traum.” “Ah, it fits him!” (You see, Traum is German for Dream.) “What does he do?” “Studying for the ministry, they say.” “His face is his fortune—he'll be a cardinal some day.” “Where is his home?” “Away down somewhere in the tropics, they say—has a rich uncle down there.” And so on. He made his way at once; everybody was anxious to know him and talk with him. Everybody noticed how cool and fresh it was, all of a sudden, and wondered at it, for they could see that the sun was beating down the same as before, outside, and the sky clear of clouds, but no one guessed the reason, of course.

Father Adolf had drunk his second beaker; he poured a third. He set the bottle down, and by accident overturned it. He seizedⒶemendation it before much was spilt, and held it up to the light, saying “What a pity—it is royal wine.” Then his face lighted with joy or triumph or something, and he said—

“Quick—bring a bowl.”

It was brought—a four-quart one. He took up that two-pint bottle and began to pour; went on pouring, and still pouring, the red liquor gurgling and gushing into the white bowl and rising higher and higher up its sides, everybody staring and holding their breath—and presently the bowl was full to the brim.

“Look at the bottle,” he said, holding it up; “it is full yet!” I glanced at Satan, and in that moment he vanished. The priest rose up, flushed and excited, crossed himself, and began to thunder in his bull voice: “This house is bewitched and accursed!” People began to cry and shriek and crowd toward the door. “I summon this detected household to . . . .” I saw Satan, a transparent film, melt into the priest's body; then the priest put up his hand, and apparently in his own big voice said, “Wait—remain where you are.” All stopped where they stood. “Bring a funnel.” Ursula brought it, trembling and scared, and he stuck it in the bottle and took up the great bowl and began to pour the wine back, the people gazing and dazed with astonishment, for they knew that the bottle was already full before he began. He emptied the whole of the bowl into the [begin page 86] bottle, then smiled out over the room, chuckled, and said, indifferently, “It is nothing—anybody can do it!”

A frightened cry burst out everywhere, “Oh, my God, he is possessed!” and there was a tumultuous rush for the door which swiftly emptied the house of all who did not belong in it except us boysⒶemendation and Meidling. We boys knew the secret, and would have told it if we could, but we couldn't. We were veryⒶalteration in the MS thankful to Satan for furnishing that good help at the needful time.

Marget was pale, and crying, Meidling looked kind of petrified; Ursula the same; but Gottfried was the worst—he couldn't stand, he was so weak and scared. For he was of a witch family, you know, and it would be bad for him to be suspected of witching a priest. Agnes came loafing in, looking pious and unaware, and wanted to rub up against Ursula and be petted, but Ursula was afraid of her and shrankⒶemendation away from her, but pretending she was not meaning any incivility, for she knew very well it wouldn't answer to have strained relations with that kind of a cat. But we boys took Agnes and petted her, for Satan would not have befriended her if he had not had a good opinion of her, and that was endorsement enough for us. He seemed to trust anything that hadn't the Moral Sense.

[ ] Ⓐtextual note

Outside the guests scattered in every direction and fled in a pitiable state of terror, gasping out to all they met, that Father Adolf was possessed of a devil; and such a tumult they made with their running and sobbing and shrieking and shouting that soon all the village came flocking from their houses to see what had happened, and they thronged the street and shouldered and jostled each other in their excitement and fright; and then Father Adolf appeared and they fell apart in two walls like the cloven Red SeaⒶalteration in the MS, and down this lane Father Adolf came striding and mumbling, and where he passed the lanes surged back in packed masses, and fell silent with awe, and their eyes stared and their breasts heaved, and several women fainted; and when he was gone by, the crowd swarmed together and followed him at a distance, talking excitedly and asking questions and finding out the facts. Finding out the [begin page 87] facts and passing them on to others, with improvements; improvements which soon enlarged the bowl of wine to a barrel and made the one bottle hold it all and yet remain empty to the last.

When Father Adolf reached the market square he went straight to a juggler fantastically dressed, who was keeping three brass balls in the air and took them from him and faced around upon the approaching crowd and said—

“This poor clown is ignorant of his art. Come forward and see an expert perform.”

So saying he tossed the balls up one after the other and set them whirling in a slender bright oval in the air, and added another, then another and another and so on—no one seeing whence he got them —adding, adding, adding, the oval lengthening and lengthening all the time, his hands moving so swiftly that they were just a web or a blur and not distinguishable as hands; and such as counted said there were now a hundred balls in the air. The spinning great oval reached up twenty feet in the air and was a shining and glinting and wonderful sight. Then he folded his arms and told the ballsⒶalteration in the MS to go on spinning without his help—and they did it. After a couple of minutes he said, “There, that will do,” and the oval broke and came crashing down and the balls scattered abroad and rolled every whither. And wherever one of them came, the people fell back in dread, and no one would touch it. It made him laugh, and he scoffed at the people and called them cowards and old women. Then he turned and saw the tight-rope, and said foolish people were daily wasting their money to see a clumsy and ignorant varlet degrade that beautiful art—now they should seeⒶalteration in the MS the work of a master. With that he made a springⒶalteration in the MS into the air and lit firm on his feet on the rope. Then he hopped the whole length of it back and forth on one foot, with his hands clasped over his eyes; and next he began to throw summersaults, both backward and forward, and threw twenty-seven.

The people murmured, and were deeply scandalised to see a priest do such worldly things; but he was not disturbed, and went on with his antics just the same. Finally he sprang lightly down and [begin page 88] walked away, and passed up the road and around a corner and disappeared. Then that great pale, silent, solid crowd drew a deep breath, and looked into each others' faces as if they said, “Was it real? Did you see it, or was it only I—and was I dreaming?” Then they broke into a low murmur of talking, and fell apart in couples and moved toward their homes, still talking in that awed way with their faces close together and laying a hand on an arm and making other such gestures as people make when they have been deeply impressed by something.

We boys followed behind our fathers, and listened, catching all we could of what they said; and when they sat down in our house and continued their talk they still had us for company. They were in a sad mood, for it was certain, they said, that disasterⒶalteration in the MS for the village must follow this awful visitation of witches and devils.

“They have not ventured to lay their hands upon an anointed servant of God before,” said my father; “and how they could have dared it this time I cannot make out; for he wore his crucifix—isn't it so?”

“Yes,” said the others, “we saw it.”

“It is serious, friends, it is very serious. Always before, we had a protection. It has failed.”

The others shook, as with a sort of chill, and muttered those words over—

“It has failed.”

“God has forsaken us.”

“It is true,” said Seppi Wohlmeyer's father, “there is nowhere to look for help.”

“The people will realise this,” said Nikolaus's father the judge, “and despair will take away their courage and their energies. We have indeed fallen upon evil times.”

He sighed, and Wohlmeyer said in a troubled voice—

“The report of it will go about the country and our village will be shunned, as being under the displeasure of God. The Golden Stag will know hard times.”

“True, neighbor,” said my father, “all of us will suffer—all in repute, many in estate. And good God!”

[begin page 89]

“What is it!”

“That can come—to finish us!”

“Name it—um Gottes Willen!”

“The Interdict!”

It smote like a thunderclap, and they were like to swoon with the terror of it. Then the dreadⒶalteration in the MS of this calamity roused their energies, and they stopped brooding and began to consider ways to avert it. They discussed this, that and the other way, knowing all the time that there was but one best way, yetⒶalteration in the MS all being afraid to mention it. But it had to come out at last: the witch-commission must summon the priest and put him on his trial, and somebody must go and call the commission's attention to its duty, for otherwise it wouldⒶalteration in the MS shirk its duty, naturally fearing to proceed against a priest, and they, like all the community, being hardly less afraid of this particular priest than of the strangely intrepid devil that was in him. Whoever pushed the commission to its work would be in trouble, for Father Adolf would know of it promptly through betrayal of the informer byⒶalteration in the MS the commission, and would mark that man.

They were in a trying position, now: if they moved in this matter and the priest escaped the stake, he would ruin them; if they kept silence, there was the possible interdict, a calamity of which they would get their share. They talked and talked till the afternoon was far spent,Ⓐalteration in the MS then confessed that at present they could arrive at no decision. So they parted sorrowfully, with oppressed hearts which were filled with bodings.

[ ] Ⓐtextual note

While they were saying their parting words I slipped out and set my course for Marget's house to see what was happening there. I met many people, but none of them greeted me. It ought to have been surprising, but it was not,Ⓐalteration in the MS for they were so distraught with fear and dread that they were not in their right minds, I think; they were white and haggard, and walked like persons in a dream, their eyes open but seeing nothing, their lips moving but uttering nothing, and worriedly clasping and unclasping their hands without knowing it.

At Marget's it was like a funeral. She and Wilhelm sat together [begin page 90] on the sofa, but saying nothing, and not even holding hands. Both were steeped in gloom, and Marget's eyes were red from the crying she had been doing. SheⒶalteration in the MS said—

“I have been begging him to go, and come no more, and so save himself alive. I cannot bear to be his murderer. This house is bewitched, and no inmate of it will escape the fire. But he will not go; and he will be lost with the rest.”

Wilhelm said he would not go; if there was danger for her, his place was by her and there he would remain. She said dear sweet things to him for that, and he said they made him very happy, but he could not change his mind. Then she began to cry again, and it was all so mournful that I wished I had stayed away. There was a knock, now, and Satan came in, fresh and cheery and beautiful, and brought that winy atmosphere of his and changed the whole thing. He never said a word about what had been happening, nor about the awful fears which were freezing the blood in the hearts of the communityⒶalteration in the MS, but began to talk and rattle on about all manner of gay and pleasant things; and next about music—an artful stroke which cleared away the remnant of Marget's depression and brought her spirits and her interest broad awake. She had not heard any one talk so well and so knowingly on that subject before; and she was so uplifted by it and so charmed that what she was feeling lit up her face and came out in her words,Ⓐalteration in the MS and Wilhelm noticed it and did not look as pleased as he ought to have done. And next Satan branched off into poetry, and recited some, and did it well, and Marget was charmed again; and again Wilhelm was not as pleased as he ought to have been, and this time Marget noticed it and was remorseful, and said—

“Wilhelm writes poetry, and I thinkⒶalteration in the MS it is beautiful.”

Then she went on to tell about a poem he had written the day before, and she and Satan persuaded him to read it. He was greatly pleased and mollified, and not hard to persuade. It was a very stirring tale about a girl who was carried off by bandits, and was followed through a thunderous and stormy night by her lover, who rescued her and drove off the captors, killing several of them in a [begin page 91] brave fight, but in his turn receiving wounds of which he died just as the morning sun was brightening the world with hope and happiness. It was moving and fine, and he read it well, and was entitled to praise, and got it in full measure from both Marget and Satan.

Next, Marget proposed that Wilhelm and Philip vary the entertainment with a game of chess, and she would look on. I knew what her idea was. She was proud of Wilhelm's poetical success and of the praise it had won from Philip, and she wanted to show off Wilhelm still further and raise him still higher in the stranger's esteem; for Wilhelm was champion at chess in all that region and accustomed to giving the odds of a castle to the next best man. But it was my opinion that she was making a mistake this time; she would better try to show off Wilhelm in some other way, it seemed to me.

Satan said he was ready to play, and glad. Then he added, in his frank and confident way, that he was a good player, and so, to be fair, he would play against both of them if they were willing. It amused Wilhelm, who said—

“I see you don't know my reputation; but let it be as you say.”

At the associatedⒶalteration in the MS pair's ninth move, Satan said—

“There, the game is mine: checkmate in nineteen moves. Let us play another.”

He was going to re-set the pieces; but Wilhelm stopped him, and said—

“Ah, wait. We will see about that. You will probably change your opinion before many minutes. I'm not in the habit of surrendering to remote possibilities.”

“But this isn't a remote possibility, it is a certainty.”

“I don't see how you can know that. And I don't begin to believe it. Let us continue.”

“Very well. It is your privilege—but it wastes time.”

He moved. The couple made an answering move, and Satan said—

“You are worse off, now: checkmate in fourteen moves.”

[begin page 92]

Wilhelm was annoyed, but he said nothing: only bit his lip. Satan moved; the couple studied a painful while; considered and discussed various moves, then made one. Satan said—

“CheckmateⒶalteration in the MS in eleven moves”—and moved queen'sⒶemendation castle.

Wilhelm flushed, but held his peace. After cautious deliberation the couple decided upon a move and made it.

“Checkmate in seven moves,” said Satan, advancing his queen.

Wilhelm was sorely tried, but he kept his temper. Kept it, but continued the game, and was finally checkmated,Ⓐalteration in the MS of course.

“It is a defeat,” he said, “and I confess it. I believe you are stronger than I am.” Then he added, “particularly in guessing.”

Guessing those checkmates so far ahead was what he meant; but Satan made no comment. Wilhelm asked the odds of a knight, and they played again. Wilhelm lost. ThenⒶalteration in the MS he took the odds of both knights and was again defeated. His temper almost got the better of him, now. He said, ironically, that perhaps Philip could even give his queen away and beat him. But Satan said—

“Yes. Let us begin.”

Of course he beat him. I think he could have beaten him with a pawn. Wilhelm was so vexed, by this time, that Marget cast about for a change of subject, to save the situation. She chose music, and it was a good selection. The talk flowed pleasantly along, and things were soon in a satisfactory condition again. By and by Marget said—

“Surely, with your knowledge of music, you must be able to play. You do play, don't you?”

“Oh, certainly,” said Satan, “I am a good player.”

It was strange, the way he could say such things as that, and not exasperate people. It didn't seem conceited, in him,Ⓐalteration in the MS any more than it would seem conceited in a fish to say “Yes, I am a good swimmer.”

“Then do play something. The spinet is old and jingly-jangly and a little out of tune, but you won't mind that, will you.”

“Oh, no, I can make it musical. Let me see—what shall I play? I will play the poem—we will chase the bandits and rescue the captive girl.”

[begin page 93]

“Oh, that will be lovely! But can you make it up as you go along?”

“Yes, that is easy.”

I was in raptures to see him show off so. It was a great long poem, and just the thing. He sat down, and his fingers began to glide up and down the keys. It was a wonder to look at those two people sitting there, their lips parted and their breath hardly coming, the picture of astonishment. For this was no music such as they had ever heard before. It was not one instrument talking, it was a whole vague, dreamy, far-off orchestra—flutes, and violins, and silver horns, and drums, and cymbals, and all manner of other instruments, blending their soft tones in one rich stream of harmony. And it was mournful and touching; for this was the lover realising his loss. Then Satan began to chant the words of that poor fellow's lament—gentle and low; and the water rose in those two people's eyes, for they had heard no voice like that before, nor had any one heard the like of it except in heaven, where it came from. Little by little the music and the singing rose louderⒶalteration in the MS out of the distance—the lover was coming, he was on his way. And ever the singing and the music grew; and the storm began to gather and move toward us, with the wind sighing, the thunder muttering and the lightning playing; and on it came, just as if you could see it, and see the lover's horse racing and straining down in the pursuing front of it; and so, with a boom and a roar and a crash it burst upon us in one final grand explosion of noble sounds, and then the battle began, the victory was won, the storm passed, the morning came, and the lover lay dying in the maiden's arms, with her tears falling upon his face and the precious music of her endearments fading upon his ear.

It was finished, and we sat drowned in that ecstasy, and numb and dumb and only half conscious. When we came out of it Satan was gone. All sat thinking—going over the details of that marvelous picture painted in music, and trying to fix them in the memory for a perpetual possession. Finally Marget rose up, half dazed, and went to the spinet and stood looking at it. She struck a chord. Of course [begin page 94] she got only the old effeminate tinkle-tankle the thing was born with. She turned away with a sigh.

“Ah, how did he do it?” she said.

“And how did he remember that long poem and never miss a word?” said Wilhelm. “I think he is the Devil.”

“Or an angel,” said Marget. “Tell me about him, Theodor; tell me all you know.”

But I got away; saying I should be punished if I was not home to supper.