Under a Charm Volume I Part 18

Frank opened the door of his study. "May I ask you to step in here?"

Waldemar turned to his friend before going. "Pray wait for me here, Doctor. I trust you are in no danger now of being treated as a conspirator, and I shall soon be back." He bowed slightly to the young girl, and left the room with the steward, having apparently lost sight of the fact of the a.s.sessor's existence.

"Herr a.s.sessor," said Gretchen, going up to that unfortunate representative of the L---- police, "I congratulate you on your promotion."

"Oh, Fraulein!" groaned the unlucky man.

"You will have to acquaint his Excellency the President with the result of your researches, you know, to make a personal report."

"Fraulein Margaret!"

"I have not the eye of a detective, have I?" continued the girl, mercilessly. "Who would have thought that the young heir would have 'conspirator' so legibly, so unmistakably stamped on his countenance?"

It had cost the a.s.sessor a great effort to hold his ground so far.

Mockery from those lips was more than he could bear. He rose, stammered an excuse to the Doctor, the princ.i.p.al person concerned being no longer present, and pleaded a feeling of indisposition as a pretext for withdrawing as quickly as possible.

"Fraulein," said Dr. Fabian, rather timidly, but in a compa.s.sionate tone, "that gentleman appears to be somewhat eccentric. Is he perhaps ...?" and he touched his forehead with a significant gesture.

Gretchen laughed. "No, sir; but he is burning to advance in his career, and he fancies that a couple of conspirators would help him forward immensely. He thought he had found them in you and Herr Nordeck."

The Doctor shook his head sorrowfully. "Poor man! There is certainly something morbid about him. I am afraid his career will hardly be so brilliant as he hopes."

"I don't think it will," said Gretchen, very decidedly. "Our Government is a great deal too sensible for that!"

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 1: It is said that the city of Vineta really existed, and that traces of it may yet be seen near Leddin, a village in the island of Usedom, in the Baltic.]

[Footnote 2: Regierungsrath.]

END OF VOL. I.