The carriage wheels rumbled over the paved roads of
Frankfort, and stopped at last before the hotel where
Sanin was living.
Escorted by his two companions, he went up the stairs,
when suddenly a woman came with hurried steps out
of the dark corridor; her face was hidden by a veil,
she stood still, facing Sanin, wavered a little, gave
a trembling sigh, at once ran down into the street
and vanished, to the great astonishment of the waiter,
who explained that ’that lady had been for over
an hour waiting for the return of the foreign gentleman.’
Momentary as was the apparition, Sanin recognised Gemma.
He recognised her eyes under the thick silk of her
brown veil.
’Did Fraeulein Gemma know, then?’... he
said slowly in a displeased voice in German, addressing
Emil and Pantaleone, who were following close on his
heels.
Emil blushed and was confused.
‘I was obliged to tell her all,’ he faltered;
’she guessed, and I could not help it....
But now that’s of no consequence,’ he hurried
to add eagerly, ’everything has ended so splendidly,
and she has seen you well and uninjured!’
Sanin turned away.
‘What a couple of chatterboxes you are!’
he observed in a tone of annoyance, as he went into
his room and sat down on a chair.
‘Don’t be angry, please,’ Emil implored.
’Very well, I won’t be angry’—(Sanin
was not, in fact, angry—and, after all,
he could hardly have desired that Gemma should know
nothing about it). ’Very well ... that’s
enough embracing. You get along now. I want
to be alone. I’m going to sleep. I’m
tired.’
‘An excellent idea!’ cried Pantaleone.
’You need repose! You have fully earned
it, noble signor! Come along, Emilio! On
tip-toe! On tip-toe! Sh—sh—sh!’
When he said he wanted to go to sleep, Sanin had simply
wished to get rid of his companions; but when he was
left alone, he was really aware of considerable weariness
in all his limbs; he had hardly closed his eyes all
the preceding night, and throwing himself on his bed
he fell immediately into a sound sleep.
He slept for some hours without waking. Then
he began to dream that he was once more fighting a
duel, that the antagonist standing facing him was
Herr Klueber, and on a fir-tree was sitting a parrot,
and this parrot was Pantaleone, and he kept tapping
with his beak: one, one, one!
‘One ... one ... one!’ he heard the tapping
too distinctly; he opened his eyes, raised his head
... some one was knocking at his door.
‘Come in!’ called Sanin.
The waiter came in and answered that a lady very particularly
wished to see him.
‘Gemma!’ flashed into his head ... but
the lady turned out to be her mother, Frau Lenore.
Directly she came in, she dropped at once into a chair
and began to cry.
‘What is the matter, my dear, good Madame Roselli?’
began Sanin, sitting beside her and softly touching
her hand. ’What has happened? calm yourself,
I entreat you.’
