He was up with the sun; but he had long to wait before it pleased his brother to rise from his couch.  He made use of the time to take a walk to St. George’s; he wanted to see for himself what was to be done there.  When he came back again he met his brother and a gentleman with him who were just about to leave the living room.  Apollonius knew the gentleman as the inspector of buildings from the town council.  They greeted each other.  They had already spoken to each other the day before at the ball, where the gentleman had not proved himself to be a prominent man and citizen, but, on the contrary, had joined the Philistines, everyday fellows, and insignificant people.  Apparently he was not displeased to meet Apollonius just now.  After the customary exchange of courtesies he explained the purpose of his presence.  A final conference of experts was to take place that morning to consider what was to be done to the roof of the church and the tower, so that the result could be reported at a meeting of the council in the afternoon and a decision reached.  Fritz Nettenmair and the inspector were on the way to St. George’s, where they knew that the rest of the experts were already assembled.

Fritz, as he said, did not want to trouble his visitor by making him participate in business in which he was not concerned; just as little—­but he did not say this—­did he want to leave him alone at home.  He asked him to be at the house in the woods, from which he would fetch him to go for a walk.  Apollonius assured him quite easily that he would rather be present at the meeting; and when the inspector went so far as to ask him to go with him as another expert, no pretext could be found on which this could be prevented.  Perhaps Fritz Nettenmair had a suspicion that he would soon have a great deal more to forgive the newcomer.

They found the rest of the meeting, two strange master-slaters and the official builders of the council, carpenter, masons, and tinsmiths, waiting for them at the tower-door.  Several scaffoldings had already been fastened to the roof so that it could be examined; the conference took place in the church-loft nearest the largest of them.  Apollonius stood modestly a few steps away in order to hear and, if he were asked, to speak.  He had carefully examined the roof beforehand and formed his own opinion of the matter.

The two strange slaters stated that they thought extensive repairs were necessary.  Fritz Nettenmair, on the contrary, was convinced that with a few patches which he enumerated, nothing more need be done for years.  The builders, carpenter, masons and tinsmith eagerly agreed with him; all of them jovial and prominent men at yesterday’s ball who conscientiously believed that if you drank a man’s champagne, his was the opinion you must hold.  The strange slaters knew very well that the Council feared the expense of more extensive repairs and had postponed those that had long been highly necessary from year