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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Dean's Watch, by Erckmann-Chatrian
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Dean's Watch
+       1897
+
+Author: Erckmann-Chatrian
+
+Translator: Ralph Browning Fiske
+
+Release Date: October 17, 2007 [EBook #23054]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE DEAN'S WATCH ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Widger
+
+
+
+
+
+THE DEAN'S WATCH
+
+By Erckmann-Chatrian
+
+Translated by Ralph Browning Fiske
+
+Copyright, 1897, by The Current Literature Publishing Company
+
+
+
+
+I
+
+On the day before Christmas of the year 1832, my friend Wilfred, with
+his double-bass slung over his back, and I, with my violin under my arm,
+started to walk from the Black Forest to Heidelberg. It was unusually
+snowy weather; as far as we could see across the great, deserted plain,
+there was no trace of road nor path. The wind kept up its harsh aria
+with monotonous persistency, and Wilfred, with his flattened wallet at
+his belt, and the vizor of his cap drawn over his eyes, moved on before
+me, straddling the drifts with his long, heron legs, and whistling a gay
+tune to keep up his spirits. Now and then, he would turn around with a
+waggish smile, and cry: "Comrade, let's have the waltz from 'Robin,' I
+feel like dancing." A burst of laughter followed these words, and then
+the good fellow would resume his march courageously. I followed on
+as well as I could, up to my knees in snow, and I felt a sense of
+melancholy take possession of me.
+
+The spires of Heidelberg began to appear on the extreme horizon, and we
+hoped to reach there before nightfall. It was then about five o'clock in
+the afternoon, and great flakes of snow were whirling through the gray
+atmosphere. Suddenly we heard the sound of a horse approaching from
+behind us. When the rider was within twenty yards of us, he moderated
+his speed, studying us meanwhile with a sidelong glance. We returned his
+gaze.
+
+Picture to yourself a large man, with reddish hair and beard, in a
+three-cornered hat and loose fox-skin pelisse; his arms buried to the
+elbows in fur gloves. He carried a handsome valise behind him, resting
+on the haunches of his powerful stallion. He was evidently some alderman
+or burgomaster or personage of like importance.
+
+"Ho! Ho! my good fellows!" he cried; "you are on your way to Heidelberg
+to perform, I see." Wilfred surveyed the traveler from the corner of his
+eye, and replied briefly: "Is that of any interest to you, sir?"
+"Yes, for in that case I wish to give you a bit of advice." "Advice?"
+"Precisely; if you wish it." Wilfred started on without replying. I
+noticed that the traveler's appearance was like that of an enormous cat;
+his ears wide apart, his eyelids half closed, with a bristling mustache,
+and a fatherly, almost caressing manner. "My friend," he continued,
+addressing himself to me, "frankly, you will do well to retrace your
+steps." "Why so, sir?" "The great Maestro Pimenti has just now announced
+a concert to take place at Heidelberg on Christmas day. The entire city
+will be there, and you will not earn a kreutzer." At this point, Wilfred
+turned around ill-humoredly: "We care not a sou for your Maestro nor all
+the Pimentis in Christendom," he said; "look at this young fellow here,
+without even the sign of a beard on his chin! He has never yet played
+outside of the ale-houses of the Black Forest, for the woodcutters and
+charcoal-women to dance; and yet this boy, with his long yellow curls
+and big blue eyes, defies all your Italian impostors. His left hand is
+possessed of inimitable melody, grace, and suppleness, and his right of
+a power to draw the bow, that the Almighty rarely accords us mortals."
+
+"Oh! ho! Indeed!" returned the other. "It is just as I tell you,"
+Wilfred replied, and he resumed his pace, blowing on his fingers that
+were red with the cold, I saw that he was ridiculing the horseman, who
+continued to follow us at an easy trot. We continued thus for a full
+half mile in silence. Suddenly the stranger said to us abruptly:
+"Whatever skill you may possess, go back to the Black Forest; we have
+vagabonds enough in Heidelberg without you to increase the number. I
+give you good advice, particularly under the existing circumstances; you
+will do well to profit by it."
+
+Wilfred, now thoroughly out of patience, was about to reply, but the
+traveler, urging his horse into a gallop, had already crossed the broad
+Avenue d'Electeur. An immense flock of crows flew up from the plain and
+seemed to be following him, filling the heavens with their cawing.
+We reached Heidelberg at about seven o'clock, and we did indeed see
+Pimenti's magnificent posters on all the walls of the city, which read:
+"Grand Concert Solo."
+
+That same evening in visiting the various inns, we met many old comrades
+from the Black Forest, who engaged us to play in their troupe. There
+was old Bremer, the 'cellist, his two sons, Ludwig and Karl, both good
+second violins; Heinrich Siebel, the clarionet player, and Bertha with
+her harp; Wilfred with his double-bass and I with my violin made up the
+number. We agreed to travel together after the Christmas concert and
+divide the proceeds among us. Wilfred had already hired a room for
+us both on the sixth floor of the Pied de Mouton Tavern, which stood
+halfway down the Holdergasse, and for it he was to pay four kreutzers
+a day. Properly speaking, it was nothing but a garret, but fortunately
+there was a stove in it, and we lighted a fire to dry ourselves.
+
+As we were comfortably seated, toasting chestnuts over the fire and
+enjoying a jug of wine, little Annette, the housemaid, appeared in a
+black calico dress and velvet turban, with rosy cheeks and lips like a
+cluster of cherries. She came running up the stairs, gave a hasty knock
+and threw herself joyfully into my arms. I had known the pretty little
+girl for a long time; we were of the same village, and if truth must be
+told, her sparkling eyes and frolicsome ways had quite won my heart.
+"I came up to have a little talk with you," she said, dropping into a
+chair. "I saw you come up a moment ago and here I am."
+
+She began to chatter away, asking for this one or that one of the
+village and hardly giving me time to reply. Every now and then she
+would pause and look at me with the greatest tenderness. We might have
+continued thus until the next morning had not Dame Grédel Dick begun
+to call from the foot of the stairs: "Annette! Annette! Are you never
+coming?" "Right away, ma'am!" answered the poor child reluctantly. She
+tapped me lightly on the cheek and ran toward the door; but just as
+she was crossing the threshold, she suddenly stopped. "By the way," she
+cried, "I was forgetting to tell you; but perhaps you have heard about
+it?" "About what?" "The death of our precentor, Zahn." "But how does
+that, affect us?" "To be sure; only see that your passport is all
+right Tomorrow morning at eight o'clock they will come to examine it.
+Everybody is being arrested in the last fortnight. The precentor was
+assassinated last night in the library of Saint Christopher's Chapel,
+and only a week ago, old Ulmet Elias, the sacrificer, was similarly
+murdered in the Rue des Juifs. Some days before that Christina Haas, the
+old midwife, was also killed, as well as the agate dealer Seligmann of
+the Rue Durlach. So look out for yourself, dear Kasper, and see that
+your passport is all right."
+
+While she was speaking, Dame Grédel's voice came again from below:
+"Annette! will you come here? The good-for-nothing child, leaving me to
+do all the work!"
+
+And the sound of men's voices calling for wine, beer, ham, or sausages
+mingled with her own. Further delay was out of the question. Annette
+hastened down the stairs, crying as she went: "Goodness, ma'am! what has
+happened? One would think that the house were afire!" Wilfred crossed
+the room and closed the door behind her; then returning to his chair, we
+looked at each other, not without a feeling of apprehension.
+
+"That is singular news," he said; "your passport is all right, I
+suppose?" "Certainly," And I produced my papers. "Good! Mine is too, for
+I had it made out just before leaving. But nevertheless, these murders
+do not augur us any good. I am afraid we shall not be able to do much
+business here; many of the families will be in mourning; and then, too,
+the bother and pettifogging of the authorities." "Pshaw! you take too
+gloomy a view of it," I replied.
+
+We continued to discuss these singular happenings until after midnight.
+The glow from our little stove lighted up the angle of the roof, the
+square window with its three cracked panes, the straw strewn about the
+floor, the blackened beams propped against each other, and the little
+firwood table that cast its uncertain shadow upon the worm-eaten
+ceiling. From time to time, a mouse, enticed by the warmth, would dart
+like an arrow along the wall. The wind howled in the chimney and whirled
+the snow about the gutters. I was dreaming of Annette; the silence was
+complete. Suddenly Wilfred exclaimed, throwing off his jacket: "It is
+time for sleep. Put another stick on the fire and we will go to bed!"
+"We can't do better than that," I replied. So saying, I drew off
+my boots, and a moment later we stretched out on the straw with the
+coverlid tucked under our chins and a log under our heads for a pillow.
+Wilfred lost no time in getting to sleep. The light from the stove
+flickered and trembled; the wind redoubled its force outside, and as
+I lay thus with a sense of perfect contentment, I, too, dozed off. At
+about two o'clock in the morning I was awakened by a strange noise.
+I thought at first that it was a cat running along the gutter, but,
+putting my ear to the wall, my uncertainty was at once dispelled;
+somebody was walking on the roof. I nudged Wilfred. "Sh!" he whispered,
+pressing my hand; he had heard it, too. The firelight was casting its
+last shadows on the decrepit walls. I was considering whether I would
+get up or not, when the little window, held only by a bit of brick,
+slowly opened. A pale face with shining eyes, red hair, and quivering
+cheeks appeared in the opening and gazed into the interior of the
+chamber. Our fear was so great that we hadn't strength left to cry out.
+At length the man glided through the sash and let himself down into the
+loft without a sound. The man, short and thick-set, the muscles of his
+face contracted like a tiger about to spring, was none other than
+the ingenuous person who had volunteered his advice on the road to
+Heidelberg. But how different he seemed to us now! In spite of the
+bitter cold, he was in his shirt sleeves, dressed only in a pair
+of breeches, woolen stockings, and silver buckled shoes. A long,
+blood-stained knife glittered in his hand.
+
+Wilfred and I thought our last hour had surely come. But he did not
+appear to see us in the oblique shadow of the loft, notwithstanding that
+the fire started up again in the cold draft from the open window.
+He squatted down on a chair and began to shiver in a strange manner.
+Suddenly he fixed his yellowish-green eyes upon me; his nostrils dilated
+and he watched me for a full minute, while the blood froze in my veins.
+Then turning toward the stove, he gave a hoarse cough, like the purring
+of a cat, without moving a muscle of his face. He drew a large watch
+from his breeches pocket, made a gesture as if looking at the time, and
+either inadvertently or purposely laid it on the table. This done, he
+rose as if undecided, looked doubtfully at the window, hesitated, and
+finally disappeared through the door, leaving it wide open behind him.
+I sprang up to turn the lock; already the man's footsteps creaked on the
+staircase two floors below. An irresistible curiosity asserted itself
+over my fear, and hearing a window open, which looked upon the court, I
+approached the sash of the little winding staircase on the same side of
+the house. The courtyard, from where I stood, lay at a dizzy depth, and
+a wall from fifty to sixty feet high divided it. On the right of the
+wall was the yard of a pork butcher; on the left, the inn yard of the
+Pied de Mouton. The top of this wall, which was overgrown with damp
+mosses and that sort of vegetation that thrives in dark places, extended
+in a straight line from the window, which the man had just opened, to
+the roof of a large, sombre-looking dwelling, built in the rear of the
+Bergstrasse. I took all this in at a glance while the moon shone between
+the heavy, snow-laden clouds, and I shuddered as I saw the man flee
+along the wall, his head bent forward and the knife still in his hand,
+while the wind howled lugubriously around him. He reached the opposite
+roof and disappeared. I thought I must be dreaming. For some moments I
+stood there, open-mouthed with wonder, my breast bare, and hair
+tossed about, drenched by the sleet that fell from the roof. At length
+recovering from my bewilderment, I returned to the loft and found
+Wilfred, who looked at me with a haggard expression and was mumbling
+a prayer. I hastened to bolt the door, dress myself, and replenish the
+fire.
+
+"Well," said my comrade, sitting up. "Well," I rejoined, "we have
+escaped this time, but if that fellow didn't see us, it was only because
+our time has not yet come." "You are right!" he cried. "He is one of
+the murderers Annette spoke of. Great Heavens! What a face! And what a
+knife!" And he fell back on the straw.
+
+I emptied at a draft what wine still remained in the jug, and then,
+as the fire started up again, diffusing a grateful warmth through the
+chamber, and the lock appeared sufficiently strong, my courage began to
+revive. But the watch was still there and the man might return for it.
+The thought filled us with horror.
+
+"Well, what is our next move?" asked Wilfred. "The best thing we can
+do is to strike out at once for the Black Forest." "Why so?" "I have no
+further desire to figure on the double-bass; you may do as you like."
+"Why should we leave? We have committed no crime." "Speak low!" he
+replied, "that one word 'crime' might hang us. We poor devils are made
+to serve as examples for others. They don't bother their heads much
+to find out whether we are guilty or not. If they should discover that
+watch here, it would be enough." "Look here, Wilfred! It won't do
+to lose your head! A crime has undoubtedly been committed in this
+neighborhood, but what should honest men do under the circumstances?
+Instead of running away from Justice, they should try to aid it." "How
+aid it?" "The simplest way would be to take this watch to the bailiff
+and tell him what has passed." "Never! I wouldn't even dare to touch
+it!" "Very well, I will take it myself, but now let's go back to bed and
+try to get some more sleep if we can." "I don't care to sleep." "Well,
+light your pipe, then, and we will talk while we wait for daylight.
+Let's go downstairs, there may be some one there still." "I would rather
+stay here." "All right." And we sat down again before the fire.
+
+As soon as dawn appeared, I took the watch from the table. It was a fine
+one with minute and second hands. Wilfred seemed somewhat reassured.
+"Kasper," he said, "on second thoughts, it seems more suitable for me to
+go to the bailiff. You are too young to take part in such matters. You
+would make a mess of it when you tried to explain the affair." "Just as
+you like," I replied. "Yes, it would look odd for a man of my years to
+send a mere child in my place." "Very good; I understand."
+
+He took the watch, but I believe that only his pride drove him to this
+resolution. He would have been ashamed to show less courage than I
+before his comrades. We went down from the loft in a thoughtful mood. As
+we crossed the alleyway that comes out on the Rue Saint Christopher, we
+heard the clicking of glasses. I recognized the voice of old Bremer and
+his sons, Ludwig and Karl. "By Jove," said I, "it wouldn't be a bad idea
+to take a glass before we start." I pushed open the door of the
+tap-room as I spoke, and we found all our company gathered there, their
+instruments variously deposited about the room. We were received with
+shouts of satisfaction and places were quickly made for us at the table.
+"Ho! Good morning, comrades," said Bremer; "more snow and wind. All
+the taverns are full of people, and every bottle that is opened means a
+florin in our pockets." I saw little Annette looking as fresh and fair
+as a rose, and smiling fondly at me with her lips and eyes. This sight
+reanimated me. It was I who got the daintiest morsels, and whenever
+she approached to set a glass of wine at my elbow, she touched me
+caressingly on the shoulder, and I thought, with a beating heart, of the
+days when we used to go chestnutting together. But in spite of this, the
+pale face of our strange visitor of the night before recurred to me from
+time to time, and made me tremble. I looked at Wilfred; he, too, seemed
+thoughtful.
+
+Eight o'clock came and our party was about to start out, when the door
+was thrown open, and three big fellows, with lead-colored complexions,
+their eyes shining like rats, and their hats awry, appeared on the
+threshold, followed by several others of a like description. One of
+them, with a razor-back nose, and with a heavy club bound to his wrist,
+stepped forward, crying: "Your passports, gentlemen!" Each one hastened
+to comply with the request. Unfortunately, Wilfred, who stood near the
+stove, was seized with a sudden trembling. The officer's experienced eye
+detected his agitation, and as he paused in his reading to give him a
+questioning look, my comrade conceived the unlucky idea of slipping
+the watch into his boot; but before it had reached its destination, the
+official slapped his hand against the other's hip, and said jeeringly:
+"Something seems to trouble you here." To everybody's amazement, Wilfred
+was seized with a fainting spell and dropped upon a bench pale as death.
+Without further ceremony, Madoc, the Chief of Police, pulled up his
+trousers' leg and drew out the watch with a burst of evil laughter. He
+had no sooner glanced at it, however, than he became sober, and, turning
+to his men, he cried in a terrible voice: "Let no one leave the room!
+We have caught the whole band at last! Look! this is the watch of Dean
+Daniel Van den Berg. Bring hither the handcuffs!" This order chilled us
+to the marrow. A tumult followed, and I, believing that we were lost,
+slid under a bench near the wall. As I was watching them chain the hands
+of poor old Bremer and his sons, Karl and Ludwig, together with Heinrich
+and Wilfred, I felt Annette's little hand brush against my cheek and
+she drew me gently toward her--slowly and quietly toward the open cellar
+door. I was unnoticed in the general confusion; I slipped within; the
+door closed behind me. It was but the matter of a second. Scarcely had
+I concealed myself, before I heard my poor comrades depart; then all
+became silent.
+
+I will leave you to imagine the nature of my reflections during an
+entire day, crouched down behind a wine cask with my legs gathered under
+me, and realizing that if a dog should enter the cellar, if the landlady
+should take the notion to come downstairs to fill a pitcher, if the cask
+should run out before night and were to be replaced; in short, if
+the slightest thing went amiss, it would be all up with me. All these
+thoughts and a thousand others passed through my mind, and I fancied
+that I already saw my comrades being led to execution. Little Annette,
+no less anxious than myself, closed the door prudently each time that
+she came up from the cellar. At last, I heard the old woman cry: "Leave
+the door open! Are you mad to lose half your time in shutting it?" After
+that the door remained ajar, and from my nook in the shadows I could see
+the tables gradually filling with new customers.
+
+Stories, discussions, and exclamations concerning the famous band of
+robbers reached my ears. "Oh! the rascals!" cried one; "thank Heaven
+they are caught. What a scourge they have been to Heidelberg! No one
+dared risk himself in the streets after ten o'clock, and even business
+was beginning to suffer; but now things are changed and in a fortnight
+it will all be forgotten."
+
+"Those musicians of the Black Forest are a lot of bandits!" chimed in
+another; "they make their way into the houses under pretext of playing,
+and meanwhile they are examining the locks, bolts, chests, and windows,
+and some fine morning we hear that such a one has had his throat cut in
+his bed; that his wife has been murdered, his children strangled, and
+his house rifled from top to bottom. The wretches should be strung up
+without mercy! Then we might have some peace." "The whole village will
+turn out to see them hanged," said Mother Grédel, "and as for me, it
+will be the happiest day of my life." "Do you know, if it hadn't been
+for Dean Daniel's watch, no trace of them would have been found. Last
+night the watch disappeared, and this morning the Dean notified the
+police. An hour later, Madoc bagged them all! Ha! Ha! Ha!" The entire
+roomful burst out laughing, and I trembled with shame, indignation, and
+fear in turn.
+
+Meanwhile, the night drew on. Only a few loungers remained. The people
+of the inn, who had sat up the night before, were anxious to get to bed.
+I heard the landlady yawn and mutter: "Oh, dear! How long before we can
+get some sleep?" Most of the tipplers comprehended the force of this
+remark and withdrew; only one remained, sitting half asleep before
+his glass. The watchman, going his rounds, woke him up and he went off
+grumbling and staggering.
+
+"At last!" I said to myself; "this is good luck; Mother Grédel has
+gone to bed and Annette will not be slow in getting me out." With this
+agreeable prospect in view, I had already stretched out my stiffened
+limbs, when Dame Grédel's voice reached my ear: "Annette, go and lock
+up, and don't forget to bolt the door! I am going down cellar." It
+appeared that this was a wise custom of hers to assure herself that
+everything was right. "But, madame," stammered the girl, "the cask isn't
+empty. You needn't bother to--" "Mind your own business," interrupted
+the mistress, whose candle was already lighting up the passageway. I
+had barely time to squat down again behind the cask, when the old woman,
+stooping beneath the low, dingy ceiling, passed from one keg to another,
+mumbling as she went: "Oh! the little wretch. How she lets the wine
+leak. I'll teach her to close the spigots tighter; did ever any one
+see the like?" The candle threw great shadows against the damp wall. I
+huddled closer and closer. Suddenly, just as I thought the visit happily
+ended, and was beginning to breathe easier again, I heard the old
+creature give a sigh so long and so full of woe that I knew something
+unusual was happening. I risked just the least glance, and I saw Dame
+Grédel Dick, her under jaw dropped and her eyes sticking out of her
+head, staring at the bottom of the barrel behind which I lay. She had
+caught sight of one of my feet underneath the joist that served as
+a wedge to keep the cask in place. She evidently believed she had
+discovered the chief of the robbers concealed there for the purpose of
+strangling her during the night. I formed a sudden resolution. "Madame,
+for God's sake, have pity on me!" I cried: "I am--" Without looking at
+me, or listening to a word I said, she set up an ear-splitting shriek
+and started up the stairs as quickly as her great weight would permit.
+Seized with inexpressible terror, I clung to her skirt and went down on
+my knees. This only made matters worse. "Help! seize the assassin! Oh,
+my God! release me! Take my money! Oh! Oh!"
+
+It was horrible. In vain did I cry: "Only look at me, my dear madame; I
+am not what you think me!" She was beside herself with fear; she raved
+and screamed in such piercing tones that had we not been underground,
+the whole neighborhood would inevitably have been aroused. In this
+extremity, consulting only my rage, I overturned her, and gaining the
+door before her, I slammed it in her face, taking care to slip the bolt.
+During the struggle the candle had been extinguished and Dame Grédel
+was left in the dark. Her cries grew fainter and fainter. I stared
+at Annette, giddy, and with hardly strength enough left to stand. Her
+agitation equaled mine. We neither of us seemed able to speak, and
+stood listening to the expiring cries of the mistress, which soon ceased
+altogether. The poor woman had fainted.
+
+"Oh! Kasper," cried Annette, wringing her hands, "what is to be done?
+Fly! fly! You may have been heard! Did you kill her?" "Kill her? I?" "I
+am so glad! But fly! I will open the door for you." She unbarred it, and
+I fled into the street, without stopping even to thank her; but I was so
+terrified and there was not a moment to lose. The night was inky black;
+not a star in the sky, and the street lamps unlighted. The weather was
+abominable; it was snowing hard and the wind howled dismally. Not until
+I had run for a good half-hour did I stop to take breath. Imagine my
+horror when I found myself directly opposite the Pied de Mouton Tavern.
+In my terror I had run around the square a dozen times for aught I knew.
+My legs felt like lead and my knees tottered under me.
+
+The inn, but a moment before deserted, swarmed like a bee-hive, and
+lights danced about from window to window. It was evidently filled with
+the police. And now, at my wits' end, desperate, exhausted with cold
+and hunger, and not knowing where to find refuge, I resolved upon the
+strangest possible course. "By Jove," I said to myself, "as well be
+hanged as leave my bones on the road to the Black Forest." And I walked
+into the tavern with the intention of giving myself up to the officials.
+Besides the fellows with their cocked hats tilted rakishly over their
+ears, and the clubs fastened to their wrists, whom I had already seen
+in the morning, and who were now running here and there, and turning
+everything upside down, there was the bailiff, Zimmer, standing before
+one of the tables, dressed in black, with a grave air and penetrating
+glance, and near him the secretary Roth, with his red wig, imposing
+countenance, and large ears, flat as oyster shells. They paid no
+attention to my entrance, and this circumstance altered my resolution at
+once. I sat down in a corner of the room behind the big cast-iron stove,
+in company with two or three of the neighbors, who had run hither to
+see what was going on, and I ordered a pint of wine and a dish of
+sauerkraut. Annette came near betraying me. "Goodness!" she cried, "is
+it possible!" But one exclamation, more or less, in such a babel of
+voices possessed but little significance. It passed unnoticed, and,
+while I ate with a ravenous appetite, I listened to the examination to
+which Dame Grédel was subjected as she lay back in a large armchair, her
+hair falling down and her eyes bulged out with fright. "How old did the
+man appear to be?" asked the bailiff. "Between forty and fifty, sir. He
+was an enormous man with black side whiskers, or maybe brown, I don't
+exactly remember, with a long nose and green eyes." "Did he have any
+birthmark or scars?" "I don't remember any. He only had a big hammer and
+pistols." "Very good! And what did he say to you?" "He seized me by
+the throat, but fortunately I screamed so loud it frightened him, and I
+defended myself with my finger-nails. When any one tries to murder
+you, you fight hard for your life, sir." "Nothing is more natural or
+legitimate, madame. Take this down, Roth! The coolness of this good
+woman is remarkable." The rest of the deposition was in the same strain.
+They questioned Annette afterward, but she testified to having been so
+frightened that she could remember nothing.
+
+"That will do," said the bailiff; "if we need anything further, we will
+return to-morrow morning." Everybody withdrew, and I asked Dame Grédel
+for a room for the night. So great had been her fear that she had not
+the slightest recollection of having seen me before. "Annette," said
+she, "Show the gentleman to the little room on the third floor. I can
+not stand on my legs. Oh! dear! what trials we have to bear in this
+world." She began to weep.
+
+Annette, having lighted a candle, led me up to the little chamber,
+and when we found ourselves alone, she cried innocently: "Oh! Kasper,
+Kasper! Who would have believed that you were one of the band! I can
+never console myself for having loved a robber!" "What! you, too,
+believe us guilty, Annette?" I exclaimed despairingly, dropping into a
+chair; "that is the last straw on the camel's back." "No! no! you can
+not be. You are too much of a gentleman, dear Kasper! And you were so
+brave to come back." I explained to her that I was perishing with cold
+and hunger, and that that was the only consideration which led me to
+return.
+
+We were left to ourselves for some time; then Annette departed, lest she
+should arouse Madame Grédel's suspicions. Left to myself, after having
+ascertained that the windows were not approached by any wall, and that
+the sashes were securely fastened, I thanked God that I had thus far
+been brought safely through the perils which surrounded me, and then
+going to bed, I was soon fast asleep.
+
+
+
+
+II
+
+I got up at about eight o'clock the next morning. It was foggy and dark.
+As I drew aside the hangings of the bed, I noticed that the snow was
+drifted on a level with the windows; the sashes were all white. I began
+to reflect upon the sad condition of my companions; they must have
+suffered with the cold, particularly old Bremer and Bertha, and the idea
+filled me with sorrow. As I was reflecting thus, a strange noise arose
+outside. It drew near the inn, and I sprang anxiously to the window to
+see if some new dangers were threatening. They were bringing the
+famous band of robbers to confront Dame Grédel Dick, who was not yet
+sufficiently recovered from her fright to venture out of doors. My
+poor comrades came down the street between a double file of police,
+and followed by a crowd of street urchins, who screamed and yelled like
+savages. It seems to me that I can still see that terrible scene; poor
+Bremer chained between his sons, Ludwig and Karl, Wilfred behind them,
+and Bertha bringing up the rear and crying piteously: "In the name of
+Heaven, my masters, have pity on a poor, innocent harpist! I kill? I
+steal? O God! can it be?" She wrung her hands distractedly. The others
+proceeded with bowed heads, their hair falling over their faces.
+
+The crowd swarmed into the dark alleyway of the inn. The guards drove
+back the rabble, and the door was closed and barred. The eager crowd
+remained outside, standing ankle-deep in slush, with their noses
+flattened against the panes. A profound silence settled upon the house.
+Having by this time got into my clothes, I opened the door part way to
+listen, and see if it would be possible to escape from my unpleasant
+quarters. I heard the sound of voices and of people moving about on
+the lower floors, which convinced me that the passages were strongly
+guarded. My door opened on the landing, directly opposite the window
+through which the man had fled two nights before. I did not pay any
+attention to this circumstance at first, but as I stood there I suddenly
+noticed that the window was open, and that there was no snow on the
+sill; approaching it, I saw fresh tracks along the wall. I shuddered.
+The man must have returned last night; perhaps visited the inn every
+night. It was a revelation to me, and at once the mystery began to clear
+up.
+
+"Oh! if it were only true," I said to myself, "that fortune had placed
+the murderer's fate in my hands, my unhappy fellows would be saved!"
+And I followed with my eyes the footprints, which led with surprising
+distinctness to the opposite roof. At this moment some words fell on
+my ear. The door of the dining hall had just been opened to let in the
+fresh air, and I heard the following conversation: "Do you recall having
+taken part in the murder of Ulmet Elias on the twentieth of this month?"
+Some unintelligible words followed. "Close the door, Madoc!" said the
+bailiff; "the woman is ill." I heard no more. As I stood with my head
+resting against the balusters, a sudden resolution seized me. "I can
+save my comrades!" I exclaimed; "God has pointed out to me the means,
+and if I fail to do my duty, their blood will be upon my head. My
+self-respect and peace of mind will be forever lost, and I shall
+consider myself the most cowardly of wretches." It took me some time,
+however, to summon up resolution enough. Then I went downstairs and
+entered the dining-room.
+
+"Did you ever see this watch before?" the bailiff was saying to Dame
+Grédel. "Do your best to remember!" Without waiting for her answer, I
+stepped forward and replied firmly: "That watch, bailiff? I have seen it
+before in the hands of the murderer himself. I recognize it perfectly,
+and if you will only listen to me, I will agree to deliver the man
+into your hands this very night." Perfect stillness followed my bold
+declaration.
+
+The officials stared at each other, dumfounded; my comrades seemed to
+cheer up a bit. "I am the companion of these unfortunate people," I
+continued, "and I say it without shame, for every one of them is
+honest, even if he is poor, and there is not one among them capable of
+committing the crimes imputed to him."
+
+Again silence followed. Dame Bertha began to weep quietly. At last the
+bailiff aroused himself. Looking at me sharply, he said: "Where do you
+pretend to deliver the assassin into our hands?" "Right here in this
+very house! And to convince you of it, I only ask for a moment's private
+conversation." "Let us hear what you have to say," he replied, rising.
+He motioned Madoc to follow us; the others remained. We left the room. I
+went hastily up the stairs, with the others at my heels. Pausing at the
+window on the third floor, I showed them the man's footprints in the
+snow. "Those are the murderer's tracks!" I said; "he visits this house
+every night. Yesterday he came at two in the morning; last night he
+returned, and he will undoubtedly be back again this evening."
+
+The bailiff and Madoc examined the footprints without a word. "How
+do you know that these are the murderer's tracks?" asked the chief of
+police, doubtfully. Thereupon I told him of the man's appearance in our
+loft. I pointed out to them the little window above us through which I
+had watched him as he fled in the moonlight, and which Wilfred had not
+seen, as he remained in bed. I admitted that it was mere chance that had
+led me to the discovery of the tracks made the night before.
+
+"It is strange!" muttered the bailiff; "this greatly modifies the
+position of the accused. But how do you explain the presence of the
+robber in the cellar?" "That robber was myself." I now related briefly
+everything that had taken place from the time of my comrades' arrest
+until the moment of my flight from the inn. "That will do," said the
+bailiff; and, turning toward the chief of police, he added: "I must
+admit, Madoc, that the depositions of these musicians never seemed to me
+very conclusive of their guilt; moreover, their passports established an
+alibi difficult to controvert. Nevertheless, young man," turning to me,
+"in spite of the plausibility of the proofs you have given us, you must
+remain in our power until they are verified. Keep him in sight, Madoc,
+and take your measures accordingly." The bailiff descended the stairs
+thoughtfully, and, refolding his papers, he said, without continuing the
+examination: "Let the accused be taken back to the prison!" And with a
+scornful glance at the landlady, he departed, followed by the secretary.
+Madoc alone remained with two officials.
+
+"Madame," he said to Dame Grédel, "maintain the strictest secrecy
+about what has happened, and give this brave young man the same room he
+occupied night before last." Madoc's look and emphasis admitted of no
+reply. Dame Grédel swore she would do whatever was required of her if
+she could only be rid of the robbers! Madoc replied: "We shall stay here
+all day and to-night to protect you. Go about your work in peace, and
+begin by giving us some breakfast. My good fellow, you will give us the
+pleasure of dining with us?" My situation did not permit me to decline.
+I accepted accordingly, and we soon found ourselves seated before a leg
+of ham and a jug of Rhine wine. Other people arrived from time to time,
+and endeavored to elicit the confidence of Dame Grédel and Annette, but
+they maintained a discreet silence, for which they deserve no little
+credit. We spent the afternoon smoking our pipes and emptying our mugs;
+no one paid any attention to us.
+
+The chief of police, in spite of his sallow face, piercing glance, pale
+lips, and sharp nose, was excellent company after a bottle or two; he
+told us some excellent stories, and at every word of his the other two
+burst out laughing. I remained gloomy and silent. "Come, young fellow!"
+he said with a smile, "forget for a little the death of your respectable
+grandmother. Take a drop, and put your troublesome thoughts to flight."
+
+Others joined in the conversation, and the time passed in the midst of
+tobacco smoke, the clinking of glasses, and the ringing of mugs. But
+at nine o'clock, after the watchman's visit, the expression of things
+changed. Madoc rose and said: "Well, my friends, let us proceed to
+business. Fasten the doors and shutters quietly! You, ladies, may go
+to bed!" His two tattered followers looked more like robbers themselves
+than like props of law and order. Each drew a club with a knob of lead
+attached to one end, from his trousers' leg, and Madoc tapped his breast
+pocket to make sure that his pistol was there. This done, he bid me lead
+them to the loft. We climbed the stairs. Having reached the little room,
+where thoughtful little Annette had taken care to light a fire, Madoc,
+cursing between his teeth, hastened to throw water on the coals; then
+motioning to the pile of straw, he said to me: "You may go to sleep if
+you like."
+
+He sat down, together with his two acolytes, at the end of the room
+close to the wall, and they put out the light. I lay down on the straw,
+breathing a prayer to the Almighty to send hither the assassin. After
+midnight the silence became so profound that you would never have
+suspected three men were there with wide-open eyes, on the alert for
+the slightest sound. The hours wore slowly away. I could not sleep.
+A thousand terrible ideas teemed in my brain. One o'clock--two
+o'clock--three o'clock struck, and nothing appeared. At three o'clock
+one of the officials stirred slightly. I thought the man had come at
+last. But again all was still. I began to think that Madoc would take
+me for an impostor, and that in the morning things would fare badly with
+me; thus, instead of helping my companions, I should only be fettered
+with them.
+
+The time seemed to me to pass very rapidly after three o'clock. I wished
+the night might last forever, that the only ray of hope might not be
+gone. I was starting to go over all these thoughts for the fiftieth
+time, when, suddenly, without my having heard a sound, the window opened
+and two eyes glistened in the opening. Nothing stirred in the loft.
+"The others are asleep," I thought. The head remained in the opening,
+listening. The wretch seemed to suspect something. My heart galloped
+and the blood coursed through my veins. I dared not even breathe. A few
+moments passed thus. Then, suddenly, the man seemed to make up his
+mind. He let himself down into the loft with the same caution as on
+the preceding night. On the instant a terrible cry, short, piercing,
+blood-curdling, resounded through the house. "We've got him!"
+
+The whole house shook from cellar to attic; cries, struggles, and hoarse
+shouts, coupled with muttered oaths, filled the loft. The man roared
+like, a wild beast, and his opponents breathed painfully as they
+battled with his terrible strength. Then there was a crash that made the
+flooring creak, and I heard nothing more but a gritting of teeth and a
+rattle of chains. "A light here!" cried the formidable Madoc. And as the
+sulphur burned, illuminating the place with its bluish light, I vaguely
+distinguished the forms of the three officials kneeling above the
+prostrate man. One of them was holding him by the throat, another had
+sunk his knees into his chest, and Madoc encircled his wrists with
+handcuffs hard enough to crush them. The man, in his shirt sleeves as
+before, seemed inert, save that one of his powerful legs, naked from the
+knee to the ankle, raised up from time to time and struck the floor with
+a convulsive movement. His eyes were literally starting from his head,
+and his lips were covered with a bloody foam. Scarcely had I lighted the
+taper when the officials exclaimed, thunderstruck: "Our Dean!" All three
+got up and stood staring at each other, white with astonishment. The
+bloodshot eyes of the murderer turned on Madoc. He tried to speak, and
+after a moment I heard him murmur: "What a terrible dream! My God, what
+a terrible dream!" Then he sighed and became motionless.
+
+I approached to take a look at him. It was indeed the man who had given
+us advice on the road to Heidelberg. Perhaps he had had a presentiment
+that we would be the means of his destruction, for people do sometimes
+have these terrible borebodings. As he did not stir, and a tiny stream
+of blood flowed on the dusty floor, Madoc, rousing himself from his
+stupor, bent over him and tore away his shirt; we then saw that he
+had stabbed himself to the heart with his great knife. "Ho! ho!" cried
+Madoc, with a sinister smile, "our Dean has cheated the gallows. You
+others stay here while I go and notify the bailiff." He picked up his
+hat, that had fallen off during the mêlée, and left without another
+word. I remained opposite the corpse, with the two others.
+
+The news spread like wildfire. It was a sensation for the neighborhood.
+Dean Daniel Van den Berg enjoyed a fortune and a reputation so well
+established that many people refused to believe in the abominable
+instincts which dominated him. The matter was discussed from every
+conceivable point of view. Some held that he was a somnambulist and
+irresponsible for his acts; others that he was a murderer through love
+of blood, having no other possible motive for committing these crimes.
+Perhaps both were right, for it is an undeniable fact that moral being,
+will, soul, whatever name you choose to call it by, is wanting in the
+somnambulist. The animal nature left to itself naturally yields to the
+dictates of its pacific or sanguinary instincts. Be that as it may, my
+comrades were at once restored to liberty. Little Annette was quoted
+for a long time after as a model of devotion. She was even sought in
+marriage by the son of the burgomaster Trungott, a youth, who will one
+day disgrace his family.
+
+As for me, I lost no time in returning to the Black Forest, where, since
+that time I have officiated as leader of the orchestra at the Sabre Vert
+Tavern, on the road to Tubingen. If you should ever happen to pass that
+way, and my story has interested you, come in and see me. We will drink
+a bottle or two together, and I will relate to you certain details that
+will make your hair stand on end.
+
+
+
+
+
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+
+<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en">
+  <head>
+    <title>
+      The Dean's Watch, by Erckmann-Chatrian
+    </title>
+    <style type="text/css" xml:space="preserve">
+    
+    body { margin:5%; background:#faebd0; text-align:justify}
+    P { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: .25em; margin-bottom: .25em; }
+    H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 { text-align: center; margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; }
+    hr  { width: 50%; text-align: center;}
+    .foot { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; text-indent: -3em; font-size: 90%; }
+    blockquote {font-size: 97%; font-style: italic; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;}
+    .mynote    {background-color: #DDE; color: #000; padding: .5em; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 95%;}
+    .toc       { margin-left: 10%; margin-bottom: .75em;}
+    .toc2      { margin-left: 20%;}
+    div.fig    { display:block; margin:0 auto; text-align:center; }
+    div.middle { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; }
+    .figleft   {float: left; margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 1%;}
+    .figright  {float: right; margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 1%;}
+    .pagenum   {display:inline; font-size: 70%; font-style:normal;
+               margin: 0; padding: 0; position: absolute; right: 1%;
+               text-align: right;}
+    pre        { font-style: italic; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 10%;}
+    
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+  <body>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Dean's Watch, by Erckmann-Chatrian
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Dean's Watch
+       1897
+
+Author: Erckmann-Chatrian
+
+Translator: Ralph Browning Fiske
+
+Release Date: October 17, 2007 [EBook #23054]
+Last Updated: January 26, 2013
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE DEAN'S WATCH ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Widger
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+    <div style="height: 8em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h1>
+      THE DEAN'S WATCH
+    </h1>
+    <h2>
+      By Erckmann-Chatrian
+    </h2>
+    <h4>
+      Translated by Ralph Browning Fiske <br /> <br /> Copyright, 1897, by The
+      Current Literature Publishing Company
+    </h4>
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      Contents
+    </h2>
+    <table summary="" style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto">
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <p class="toc">
+            <a href="#link2H_4_0001"> I </a>
+          </p>
+          <p class="toc">
+            <a href="#link2H_4_0002"> II </a>
+          </p>
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+    </table>
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br /> <a name="link2H_4_0001" id="link2H_4_0001">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      I
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      On the day before Christmas of the year 1832, my friend Wilfred, with his
+      double-bass slung over his back, and I, with my violin under my arm,
+      started to walk from the Black Forest to Heidelberg. It was unusually
+      snowy weather; as far as we could see across the great, deserted plain,
+      there was no trace of road nor path. The wind kept up its harsh aria with
+      monotonous persistency, and Wilfred, with his flattened wallet at his
+      belt, and the vizor of his cap drawn over his eyes, moved on before me,
+      straddling the drifts with his long, heron legs, and whistling a gay tune
+      to keep up his spirits. Now and then, he would turn around with a waggish
+      smile, and cry: "Comrade, let's have the waltz from 'Robin,' I feel like
+      dancing." A burst of laughter followed these words, and then the good
+      fellow would resume his march courageously. I followed on as well as I
+      could, up to my knees in snow, and I felt a sense of melancholy take
+      possession of me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The spires of Heidelberg began to appear on the extreme horizon, and we
+      hoped to reach there before nightfall. It was then about five o'clock in
+      the afternoon, and great flakes of snow were whirling through the gray
+      atmosphere. Suddenly we heard the sound of a horse approaching from behind
+      us. When the rider was within twenty yards of us, he moderated his speed,
+      studying us meanwhile with a sidelong glance. We returned his gaze.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Picture to yourself a large man, with reddish hair and beard, in a
+      three-cornered hat and loose fox-skin pelisse; his arms buried to the
+      elbows in fur gloves. He carried a handsome valise behind him, resting on
+      the haunches of his powerful stallion. He was evidently some alderman or
+      burgomaster or personage of like importance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Ho! Ho! my good fellows!" he cried; "you are on your way to Heidelberg to
+      perform, I see." Wilfred surveyed the traveler from the corner of his eye,
+      and replied briefly: "Is that of any interest to you, sir?" "Yes, for in
+      that case I wish to give you a bit of advice." "Advice?" "Precisely; if
+      you wish it." Wilfred started on without replying. I noticed that the
+      traveler's appearance was like that of an enormous cat; his ears wide
+      apart, his eyelids half closed, with a bristling mustache, and a fatherly,
+      almost caressing manner. "My friend," he continued, addressing himself to
+      me, "frankly, you will do well to retrace your steps." "Why so, sir?" "The
+      great Maestro Pimenti has just now announced a concert to take place at
+      Heidelberg on Christmas day. The entire city will be there, and you will
+      not earn a kreutzer." At this point, Wilfred turned around ill-humoredly:
+      "We care not a sou for your Maestro nor all the Pimentis in Christendom,"
+      he said; "look at this young fellow here, without even the sign of a beard
+      on his chin! He has never yet played outside of the ale-houses of the
+      Black Forest, for the woodcutters and charcoal-women to dance; and yet
+      this boy, with his long yellow curls and big blue eyes, defies all your
+      Italian impostors. His left hand is possessed of inimitable melody, grace,
+      and suppleness, and his right of a power to draw the bow, that the
+      Almighty rarely accords us mortals."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh! ho! Indeed!" returned the other. "It is just as I tell you," Wilfred
+      replied, and he resumed his pace, blowing on his fingers that were red
+      with the cold, I saw that he was ridiculing the horseman, who continued to
+      follow us at an easy trot. We continued thus for a full half mile in
+      silence. Suddenly the stranger said to us abruptly: "Whatever skill you
+      may possess, go back to the Black Forest; we have vagabonds enough in
+      Heidelberg without you to increase the number. I give you good advice,
+      particularly under the existing circumstances; you will do well to profit
+      by it."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Wilfred, now thoroughly out of patience, was about to reply, but the
+      traveler, urging his horse into a gallop, had already crossed the broad
+      Avenue d'Electeur. An immense flock of crows flew up from the plain and
+      seemed to be following him, filling the heavens with their cawing. We
+      reached Heidelberg at about seven o'clock, and we did indeed see Pimenti's
+      magnificent posters on all the walls of the city, which read: "Grand
+      Concert Solo."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      That same evening in visiting the various inns, we met many old comrades
+      from the Black Forest, who engaged us to play in their troupe. There was
+      old Bremer, the 'cellist, his two sons, Ludwig and Karl, both good second
+      violins; Heinrich Siebel, the clarionet player, and Bertha with her harp;
+      Wilfred with his double-bass and I with my violin made up the number. We
+      agreed to travel together after the Christmas concert and divide the
+      proceeds among us. Wilfred had already hired a room for us both on the
+      sixth floor of the Pied de Mouton Tavern, which stood halfway down the
+      Holdergasse, and for it he was to pay four kreutzers a day. Properly
+      speaking, it was nothing but a garret, but fortunately there was a stove
+      in it, and we lighted a fire to dry ourselves.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As we were comfortably seated, toasting chestnuts over the fire and
+      enjoying a jug of wine, little Annette, the housemaid, appeared in a black
+      calico dress and velvet turban, with rosy cheeks and lips like a cluster
+      of cherries. She came running up the stairs, gave a hasty knock and threw
+      herself joyfully into my arms. I had known the pretty little girl for a
+      long time; we were of the same village, and if truth must be told, her
+      sparkling eyes and frolicsome ways had quite won my heart. "I came up to
+      have a little talk with you," she said, dropping into a chair. "I saw you
+      come up a moment ago and here I am."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She began to chatter away, asking for this one or that one of the village
+      and hardly giving me time to reply. Every now and then she would pause and
+      look at me with the greatest tenderness. We might have continued thus
+      until the next morning had not Dame Grédel Dick begun to call from the
+      foot of the stairs: "Annette! Annette! Are you never coming?" "Right away,
+      ma'am!" answered the poor child reluctantly. She tapped me lightly on the
+      cheek and ran toward the door; but just as she was crossing the threshold,
+      she suddenly stopped. "By the way," she cried, "I was forgetting to tell
+      you; but perhaps you have heard about it?" "About what?" "The death of our
+      precentor, Zahn." "But how does that, affect us?" "To be sure; only see
+      that your passport is all right Tomorrow morning at eight o'clock they
+      will come to examine it. Everybody is being arrested in the last
+      fortnight. The precentor was assassinated last night in the library of
+      Saint Christopher's Chapel, and only a week ago, old Ulmet Elias, the
+      sacrificer, was similarly murdered in the Rue des Juifs. Some days before
+      that Christina Haas, the old midwife, was also killed, as well as the
+      agate dealer Seligmann of the Rue Durlach. So look out for yourself, dear
+      Kasper, and see that your passport is all right."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While she was speaking, Dame Grédel's voice came again from below:
+      "Annette! will you come here? The good-for-nothing child, leaving me to do
+      all the work!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And the sound of men's voices calling for wine, beer, ham, or sausages
+      mingled with her own. Further delay was out of the question. Annette
+      hastened down the stairs, crying as she went: "Goodness, ma'am! what has
+      happened? One would think that the house were afire!" Wilfred crossed the
+      room and closed the door behind her; then returning to his chair, we
+      looked at each other, not without a feeling of apprehension.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That is singular news," he said; "your passport is all right, I suppose?"
+      "Certainly," And I produced my papers. "Good! Mine is too, for I had it
+      made out just before leaving. But nevertheless, these murders do not augur
+      us any good. I am afraid we shall not be able to do much business here;
+      many of the families will be in mourning; and then, too, the bother and
+      pettifogging of the authorities." "Pshaw! you take too gloomy a view of
+      it," I replied.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We continued to discuss these singular happenings until after midnight.
+      The glow from our little stove lighted up the angle of the roof, the
+      square window with its three cracked panes, the straw strewn about the
+      floor, the blackened beams propped against each other, and the little
+      firwood table that cast its uncertain shadow upon the worm-eaten ceiling.
+      From time to time, a mouse, enticed by the warmth, would dart like an
+      arrow along the wall. The wind howled in the chimney and whirled the snow
+      about the gutters. I was dreaming of Annette; the silence was complete.
+      Suddenly Wilfred exclaimed, throwing off his jacket: "It is time for
+      sleep. Put another stick on the fire and we will go to bed!" "We can't do
+      better than that," I replied. So saying, I drew off my boots, and a moment
+      later we stretched out on the straw with the coverlid tucked under our
+      chins and a log under our heads for a pillow. Wilfred lost no time in
+      getting to sleep. The light from the stove flickered and trembled; the
+      wind redoubled its force outside, and as I lay thus with a sense of
+      perfect contentment, I, too, dozed off. At about two o'clock in the
+      morning I was awakened by a strange noise. I thought at first that it was
+      a cat running along the gutter, but, putting my ear to the wall, my
+      uncertainty was at once dispelled; somebody was walking on the roof. I
+      nudged Wilfred. "Sh!" he whispered, pressing my hand; he had heard it,
+      too. The firelight was casting its last shadows on the decrepit walls. I
+      was considering whether I would get up or not, when the little window,
+      held only by a bit of brick, slowly opened. A pale face with shining eyes,
+      red hair, and quivering cheeks appeared in the opening and gazed into the
+      interior of the chamber. Our fear was so great that we hadn't strength
+      left to cry out. At length the man glided through the sash and let himself
+      down into the loft without a sound. The man, short and thick-set, the
+      muscles of his face contracted like a tiger about to spring, was none
+      other than the ingenuous person who had volunteered his advice on the road
+      to Heidelberg. But how different he seemed to us now! In spite of the
+      bitter cold, he was in his shirt sleeves, dressed only in a pair of
+      breeches, woolen stockings, and silver buckled shoes. A long,
+      blood-stained knife glittered in his hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Wilfred and I thought our last hour had surely come. But he did not appear
+      to see us in the oblique shadow of the loft, notwithstanding that the fire
+      started up again in the cold draft from the open window. He squatted down
+      on a chair and began to shiver in a strange manner. Suddenly he fixed his
+      yellowish-green eyes upon me; his nostrils dilated and he watched me for a
+      full minute, while the blood froze in my veins. Then turning toward the
+      stove, he gave a hoarse cough, like the purring of a cat, without moving a
+      muscle of his face. He drew a large watch from his breeches pocket, made a
+      gesture as if looking at the time, and either inadvertently or purposely
+      laid it on the table. This done, he rose as if undecided, looked
+      doubtfully at the window, hesitated, and finally disappeared through the
+      door, leaving it wide open behind him. I sprang up to turn the lock;
+      already the man's footsteps creaked on the staircase two floors below. An
+      irresistible curiosity asserted itself over my fear, and hearing a window
+      open, which looked upon the court, I approached the sash of the little
+      winding staircase on the same side of the house. The courtyard, from where
+      I stood, lay at a dizzy depth, and a wall from fifty to sixty feet high
+      divided it. On the right of the wall was the yard of a pork butcher; on
+      the left, the inn yard of the Pied de Mouton. The top of this wall, which
+      was overgrown with damp mosses and that sort of vegetation that thrives in
+      dark places, extended in a straight line from the window, which the man
+      had just opened, to the roof of a large, sombre-looking dwelling, built in
+      the rear of the Bergstrasse. I took all this in at a glance while the moon
+      shone between the heavy, snow-laden clouds, and I shuddered as I saw the
+      man flee along the wall, his head bent forward and the knife still in his
+      hand, while the wind howled lugubriously around him. He reached the
+      opposite roof and disappeared. I thought I must be dreaming. For some
+      moments I stood there, open-mouthed with wonder, my breast bare, and hair
+      tossed about, drenched by the sleet that fell from the roof. At length
+      recovering from my bewilderment, I returned to the loft and found Wilfred,
+      who looked at me with a haggard expression and was mumbling a prayer. I
+      hastened to bolt the door, dress myself, and replenish the fire.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well," said my comrade, sitting up. "Well," I rejoined, "we have escaped
+      this time, but if that fellow didn't see us, it was only because our time
+      has not yet come." "You are right!" he cried. "He is one of the murderers
+      Annette spoke of. Great Heavens! What a face! And what a knife!" And he
+      fell back on the straw.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I emptied at a draft what wine still remained in the jug, and then, as the
+      fire started up again, diffusing a grateful warmth through the chamber,
+      and the lock appeared sufficiently strong, my courage began to revive. But
+      the watch was still there and the man might return for it. The thought
+      filled us with horror.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Well, what is our next move?" asked Wilfred. "The best thing we can do is
+      to strike out at once for the Black Forest." "Why so?" "I have no further
+      desire to figure on the double-bass; you may do as you like." "Why should
+      we leave? We have committed no crime." "Speak low!" he replied, "that one
+      word 'crime' might hang us. We poor devils are made to serve as examples
+      for others. They don't bother their heads much to find out whether we are
+      guilty or not. If they should discover that watch here, it would be
+      enough." "Look here, Wilfred! It won't do to lose your head! A crime has
+      undoubtedly been committed in this neighborhood, but what should honest
+      men do under the circumstances? Instead of running away from Justice, they
+      should try to aid it." "How aid it?" "The simplest way would be to take
+      this watch to the bailiff and tell him what has passed." "Never! I
+      wouldn't even dare to touch it!" "Very well, I will take it myself, but
+      now let's go back to bed and try to get some more sleep if we can." "I
+      don't care to sleep." "Well, light your pipe, then, and we will talk while
+      we wait for daylight. Let's go downstairs, there may be some one there
+      still." "I would rather stay here." "All right." And we sat down again
+      before the fire.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As soon as dawn appeared, I took the watch from the table. It was a fine
+      one with minute and second hands. Wilfred seemed somewhat reassured.
+      "Kasper," he said, "on second thoughts, it seems more suitable for me to
+      go to the bailiff. You are too young to take part in such matters. You
+      would make a mess of it when you tried to explain the affair." "Just as
+      you like," I replied. "Yes, it would look odd for a man of my years to
+      send a mere child in my place." "Very good; I understand."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He took the watch, but I believe that only his pride drove him to this
+      resolution. He would have been ashamed to show less courage than I before
+      his comrades. We went down from the loft in a thoughtful mood. As we
+      crossed the alleyway that comes out on the Rue Saint Christopher, we heard
+      the clicking of glasses. I recognized the voice of old Bremer and his
+      sons, Ludwig and Karl. "By Jove," said I, "it wouldn't be a bad idea to
+      take a glass before we start." I pushed open the door of the tap-room as I
+      spoke, and we found all our company gathered there, their instruments
+      variously deposited about the room. We were received with shouts of
+      satisfaction and places were quickly made for us at the table. "Ho! Good
+      morning, comrades," said Bremer; "more snow and wind. All the taverns are
+      full of people, and every bottle that is opened means a florin in our
+      pockets." I saw little Annette looking as fresh and fair as a rose, and
+      smiling fondly at me with her lips and eyes. This sight reanimated me. It
+      was I who got the daintiest morsels, and whenever she approached to set a
+      glass of wine at my elbow, she touched me caressingly on the shoulder, and
+      I thought, with a beating heart, of the days when we used to go
+      chestnutting together. But in spite of this, the pale face of our strange
+      visitor of the night before recurred to me from time to time, and made me
+      tremble. I looked at Wilfred; he, too, seemed thoughtful.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Eight o'clock came and our party was about to start out, when the door was
+      thrown open, and three big fellows, with lead-colored complexions, their
+      eyes shining like rats, and their hats awry, appeared on the threshold,
+      followed by several others of a like description. One of them, with a
+      razor-back nose, and with a heavy club bound to his wrist, stepped
+      forward, crying: "Your passports, gentlemen!" Each one hastened to comply
+      with the request. Unfortunately, Wilfred, who stood near the stove, was
+      seized with a sudden trembling. The officer's experienced eye detected his
+      agitation, and as he paused in his reading to give him a questioning look,
+      my comrade conceived the unlucky idea of slipping the watch into his boot;
+      but before it had reached its destination, the official slapped his hand
+      against the other's hip, and said jeeringly: "Something seems to trouble
+      you here." To everybody's amazement, Wilfred was seized with a fainting
+      spell and dropped upon a bench pale as death. Without further ceremony,
+      Madoc, the Chief of Police, pulled up his trousers' leg and drew out the
+      watch with a burst of evil laughter. He had no sooner glanced at it,
+      however, than he became sober, and, turning to his men, he cried in a
+      terrible voice: "Let no one leave the room! We have caught the whole band
+      at last! Look! this is the watch of Dean Daniel Van den Berg. Bring hither
+      the handcuffs!" This order chilled us to the marrow. A tumult followed,
+      and I, believing that we were lost, slid under a bench near the wall. As I
+      was watching them chain the hands of poor old Bremer and his sons, Karl
+      and Ludwig, together with Heinrich and Wilfred, I felt Annette's little
+      hand brush against my cheek and she drew me gently toward her&mdash;slowly
+      and quietly toward the open cellar door. I was unnoticed in the general
+      confusion; I slipped within; the door closed behind me. It was but the
+      matter of a second. Scarcely had I concealed myself, before I heard my
+      poor comrades depart; then all became silent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I will leave you to imagine the nature of my reflections during an entire
+      day, crouched down behind a wine cask with my legs gathered under me, and
+      realizing that if a dog should enter the cellar, if the landlady should
+      take the notion to come downstairs to fill a pitcher, if the cask should
+      run out before night and were to be replaced; in short, if the slightest
+      thing went amiss, it would be all up with me. All these thoughts and a
+      thousand others passed through my mind, and I fancied that I already saw
+      my comrades being led to execution. Little Annette, no less anxious than
+      myself, closed the door prudently each time that she came up from the
+      cellar. At last, I heard the old woman cry: "Leave the door open! Are you
+      mad to lose half your time in shutting it?" After that the door remained
+      ajar, and from my nook in the shadows I could see the tables gradually
+      filling with new customers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Stories, discussions, and exclamations concerning the famous band of
+      robbers reached my ears. "Oh! the rascals!" cried one; "thank Heaven they
+      are caught. What a scourge they have been to Heidelberg! No one dared risk
+      himself in the streets after ten o'clock, and even business was beginning
+      to suffer; but now things are changed and in a fortnight it will all be
+      forgotten."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Those musicians of the Black Forest are a lot of bandits!" chimed in
+      another; "they make their way into the houses under pretext of playing,
+      and meanwhile they are examining the locks, bolts, chests, and windows,
+      and some fine morning we hear that such a one has had his throat cut in
+      his bed; that his wife has been murdered, his children strangled, and his
+      house rifled from top to bottom. The wretches should be strung up without
+      mercy! Then we might have some peace." "The whole village will turn out to
+      see them hanged," said Mother Grédel, "and as for me, it will be the
+      happiest day of my life." "Do you know, if it hadn't been for Dean
+      Daniel's watch, no trace of them would have been found. Last night the
+      watch disappeared, and this morning the Dean notified the police. An hour
+      later, Madoc bagged them all! Ha! Ha! Ha!" The entire roomful burst out
+      laughing, and I trembled with shame, indignation, and fear in turn.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Meanwhile, the night drew on. Only a few loungers remained. The people of
+      the inn, who had sat up the night before, were anxious to get to bed. I
+      heard the landlady yawn and mutter: "Oh, dear! How long before we can get
+      some sleep?" Most of the tipplers comprehended the force of this remark
+      and withdrew; only one remained, sitting half asleep before his glass. The
+      watchman, going his rounds, woke him up and he went off grumbling and
+      staggering.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "At last!" I said to myself; "this is good luck; Mother Grédel has gone to
+      bed and Annette will not be slow in getting me out." With this agreeable
+      prospect in view, I had already stretched out my stiffened limbs, when
+      Dame Grédel's voice reached my ear: "Annette, go and lock up, and don't
+      forget to bolt the door! I am going down cellar." It appeared that this
+      was a wise custom of hers to assure herself that everything was right.
+      "But, madame," stammered the girl, "the cask isn't empty. You needn't
+      bother to&mdash;" "Mind your own business," interrupted the mistress,
+      whose candle was already lighting up the passageway. I had barely time to
+      squat down again behind the cask, when the old woman, stooping beneath the
+      low, dingy ceiling, passed from one keg to another, mumbling as she went:
+      "Oh! the little wretch. How she lets the wine leak. I'll teach her to
+      close the spigots tighter; did ever any one see the like?" The candle
+      threw great shadows against the damp wall. I huddled closer and closer.
+      Suddenly, just as I thought the visit happily ended, and was beginning to
+      breathe easier again, I heard the old creature give a sigh so long and so
+      full of woe that I knew something unusual was happening. I risked just the
+      least glance, and I saw Dame Grédel Dick, her under jaw dropped and her
+      eyes sticking out of her head, staring at the bottom of the barrel behind
+      which I lay. She had caught sight of one of my feet underneath the joist
+      that served as a wedge to keep the cask in place. She evidently believed
+      she had discovered the chief of the robbers concealed there for the
+      purpose of strangling her during the night. I formed a sudden resolution.
+      "Madame, for God's sake, have pity on me!" I cried: "I am&mdash;" Without
+      looking at me, or listening to a word I said, she set up an ear-splitting
+      shriek and started up the stairs as quickly as her great weight would
+      permit. Seized with inexpressible terror, I clung to her skirt and went
+      down on my knees. This only made matters worse. "Help! seize the assassin!
+      Oh, my God! release me! Take my money! Oh! Oh!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was horrible. In vain did I cry: "Only look at me, my dear madame; I am
+      not what you think me!" She was beside herself with fear; she raved and
+      screamed in such piercing tones that had we not been underground, the
+      whole neighborhood would inevitably have been aroused. In this extremity,
+      consulting only my rage, I overturned her, and gaining the door before
+      her, I slammed it in her face, taking care to slip the bolt. During the
+      struggle the candle had been extinguished and Dame Grédel was left in the
+      dark. Her cries grew fainter and fainter. I stared at Annette, giddy, and
+      with hardly strength enough left to stand. Her agitation equaled mine. We
+      neither of us seemed able to speak, and stood listening to the expiring
+      cries of the mistress, which soon ceased altogether. The poor woman had
+      fainted.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh! Kasper," cried Annette, wringing her hands, "what is to be done? Fly!
+      fly! You may have been heard! Did you kill her?" "Kill her? I?" "I am so
+      glad! But fly! I will open the door for you." She unbarred it, and I fled
+      into the street, without stopping even to thank her; but I was so
+      terrified and there was not a moment to lose. The night was inky black;
+      not a star in the sky, and the street lamps unlighted. The weather was
+      abominable; it was snowing hard and the wind howled dismally. Not until I
+      had run for a good half-hour did I stop to take breath. Imagine my horror
+      when I found myself directly opposite the Pied de Mouton Tavern. In my
+      terror I had run around the square a dozen times for aught I knew. My legs
+      felt like lead and my knees tottered under me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The inn, but a moment before deserted, swarmed like a bee-hive, and lights
+      danced about from window to window. It was evidently filled with the
+      police. And now, at my wits' end, desperate, exhausted with cold and
+      hunger, and not knowing where to find refuge, I resolved upon the
+      strangest possible course. "By Jove," I said to myself, "as well be hanged
+      as leave my bones on the road to the Black Forest." And I walked into the
+      tavern with the intention of giving myself up to the officials. Besides
+      the fellows with their cocked hats tilted rakishly over their ears, and
+      the clubs fastened to their wrists, whom I had already seen in the
+      morning, and who were now running here and there, and turning everything
+      upside down, there was the bailiff, Zimmer, standing before one of the
+      tables, dressed in black, with a grave air and penetrating glance, and
+      near him the secretary Roth, with his red wig, imposing countenance, and
+      large ears, flat as oyster shells. They paid no attention to my entrance,
+      and this circumstance altered my resolution at once. I sat down in a
+      corner of the room behind the big cast-iron stove, in company with two or
+      three of the neighbors, who had run hither to see what was going on, and I
+      ordered a pint of wine and a dish of sauerkraut. Annette came near
+      betraying me. "Goodness!" she cried, "is it possible!" But one
+      exclamation, more or less, in such a babel of voices possessed but little
+      significance. It passed unnoticed, and, while I ate with a ravenous
+      appetite, I listened to the examination to which Dame Grédel was subjected
+      as she lay back in a large armchair, her hair falling down and her eyes
+      bulged out with fright. "How old did the man appear to be?" asked the
+      bailiff. "Between forty and fifty, sir. He was an enormous man with black
+      side whiskers, or maybe brown, I don't exactly remember, with a long nose
+      and green eyes." "Did he have any birthmark or scars?" "I don't remember
+      any. He only had a big hammer and pistols." "Very good! And what did he
+      say to you?" "He seized me by the throat, but fortunately I screamed so
+      loud it frightened him, and I defended myself with my finger-nails. When
+      any one tries to murder you, you fight hard for your life, sir." "Nothing
+      is more natural or legitimate, madame. Take this down, Roth! The coolness
+      of this good woman is remarkable." The rest of the deposition was in the
+      same strain. They questioned Annette afterward, but she testified to
+      having been so frightened that she could remember nothing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "That will do," said the bailiff; "if we need anything further, we will
+      return to-morrow morning." Everybody withdrew, and I asked Dame Grédel for
+      a room for the night. So great had been her fear that she had not the
+      slightest recollection of having seen me before. "Annette," said she,
+      "Show the gentleman to the little room on the third floor. I can not stand
+      on my legs. Oh! dear! what trials we have to bear in this world." She
+      began to weep.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Annette, having lighted a candle, led me up to the little chamber, and
+      when we found ourselves alone, she cried innocently: "Oh! Kasper, Kasper!
+      Who would have believed that you were one of the band! I can never console
+      myself for having loved a robber!" "What! you, too, believe us guilty,
+      Annette?" I exclaimed despairingly, dropping into a chair; "that is the
+      last straw on the camel's back." "No! no! you can not be. You are too much
+      of a gentleman, dear Kasper! And you were so brave to come back." I
+      explained to her that I was perishing with cold and hunger, and that that
+      was the only consideration which led me to return.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We were left to ourselves for some time; then Annette departed, lest she
+      should arouse Madame Grédel's suspicions. Left to myself, after having
+      ascertained that the windows were not approached by any wall, and that the
+      sashes were securely fastened, I thanked God that I had thus far been
+      brought safely through the perils which surrounded me, and then going to
+      bed, I was soon fast asleep.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0002" id="link2H_4_0002">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      II
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      I got up at about eight o'clock the next morning. It was foggy and dark.
+      As I drew aside the hangings of the bed, I noticed that the snow was
+      drifted on a level with the windows; the sashes were all white. I began to
+      reflect upon the sad condition of my companions; they must have suffered
+      with the cold, particularly old Bremer and Bertha, and the idea filled me
+      with sorrow. As I was reflecting thus, a strange noise arose outside. It
+      drew near the inn, and I sprang anxiously to the window to see if some new
+      dangers were threatening. They were bringing the famous band of robbers to
+      confront Dame Grédel Dick, who was not yet sufficiently recovered from her
+      fright to venture out of doors. My poor comrades came down the street
+      between a double file of police, and followed by a crowd of street
+      urchins, who screamed and yelled like savages. It seems to me that I can
+      still see that terrible scene; poor Bremer chained between his sons,
+      Ludwig and Karl, Wilfred behind them, and Bertha bringing up the rear and
+      crying piteously: "In the name of Heaven, my masters, have pity on a poor,
+      innocent harpist! I kill? I steal? O God! can it be?" She wrung her hands
+      distractedly. The others proceeded with bowed heads, their hair falling
+      over their faces.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The crowd swarmed into the dark alleyway of the inn. The guards drove back
+      the rabble, and the door was closed and barred. The eager crowd remained
+      outside, standing ankle-deep in slush, with their noses flattened against
+      the panes. A profound silence settled upon the house. Having by this time
+      got into my clothes, I opened the door part way to listen, and see if it
+      would be possible to escape from my unpleasant quarters. I heard the sound
+      of voices and of people moving about on the lower floors, which convinced
+      me that the passages were strongly guarded. My door opened on the landing,
+      directly opposite the window through which the man had fled two nights
+      before. I did not pay any attention to this circumstance at first, but as
+      I stood there I suddenly noticed that the window was open, and that there
+      was no snow on the sill; approaching it, I saw fresh tracks along the
+      wall. I shuddered. The man must have returned last night; perhaps visited
+      the inn every night. It was a revelation to me, and at once the mystery
+      began to clear up.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Oh! if it were only true," I said to myself, "that fortune had placed the
+      murderer's fate in my hands, my unhappy fellows would be saved!" And I
+      followed with my eyes the footprints, which led with surprising
+      distinctness to the opposite roof. At this moment some words fell on my
+      ear. The door of the dining hall had just been opened to let in the fresh
+      air, and I heard the following conversation: "Do you recall having taken
+      part in the murder of Ulmet Elias on the twentieth of this month?" Some
+      unintelligible words followed. "Close the door, Madoc!" said the bailiff;
+      "the woman is ill." I heard no more. As I stood with my head resting
+      against the balusters, a sudden resolution seized me. "I can save my
+      comrades!" I exclaimed; "God has pointed out to me the means, and if I
+      fail to do my duty, their blood will be upon my head. My self-respect and
+      peace of mind will be forever lost, and I shall consider myself the most
+      cowardly of wretches." It took me some time, however, to summon up
+      resolution enough. Then I went downstairs and entered the dining-room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Did you ever see this watch before?" the bailiff was saying to Dame
+      Grédel. "Do your best to remember!" Without waiting for her answer, I
+      stepped forward and replied firmly: "That watch, bailiff? I have seen it
+      before in the hands of the murderer himself. I recognize it perfectly, and
+      if you will only listen to me, I will agree to deliver the man into your
+      hands this very night." Perfect stillness followed my bold declaration.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The officials stared at each other, dumfounded; my comrades seemed to
+      cheer up a bit. "I am the companion of these unfortunate people," I
+      continued, "and I say it without shame, for every one of them is honest,
+      even if he is poor, and there is not one among them capable of committing
+      the crimes imputed to him."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Again silence followed. Dame Bertha began to weep quietly. At last the
+      bailiff aroused himself. Looking at me sharply, he said: "Where do you
+      pretend to deliver the assassin into our hands?" "Right here in this very
+      house! And to convince you of it, I only ask for a moment's private
+      conversation." "Let us hear what you have to say," he replied, rising. He
+      motioned Madoc to follow us; the others remained. We left the room. I went
+      hastily up the stairs, with the others at my heels. Pausing at the window
+      on the third floor, I showed them the man's footprints in the snow. "Those
+      are the murderer's tracks!" I said; "he visits this house every night.
+      Yesterday he came at two in the morning; last night he returned, and he
+      will undoubtedly be back again this evening."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The bailiff and Madoc examined the footprints without a word. "How do you
+      know that these are the murderer's tracks?" asked the chief of police,
+      doubtfully. Thereupon I told him of the man's appearance in our loft. I
+      pointed out to them the little window above us through which I had watched
+      him as he fled in the moonlight, and which Wilfred had not seen, as he
+      remained in bed. I admitted that it was mere chance that had led me to the
+      discovery of the tracks made the night before.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "It is strange!" muttered the bailiff; "this greatly modifies the position
+      of the accused. But how do you explain the presence of the robber in the
+      cellar?" "That robber was myself." I now related briefly everything that
+      had taken place from the time of my comrades' arrest until the moment of
+      my flight from the inn. "That will do," said the bailiff; and, turning
+      toward the chief of police, he added: "I must admit, Madoc, that the
+      depositions of these musicians never seemed to me very conclusive of their
+      guilt; moreover, their passports established an alibi difficult to
+      controvert. Nevertheless, young man," turning to me, "in spite of the
+      plausibility of the proofs you have given us, you must remain in our power
+      until they are verified. Keep him in sight, Madoc, and take your measures
+      accordingly." The bailiff descended the stairs thoughtfully, and,
+      refolding his papers, he said, without continuing the examination: "Let
+      the accused be taken back to the prison!" And with a scornful glance at
+      the landlady, he departed, followed by the secretary. Madoc alone remained
+      with two officials.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      "Madame," he said to Dame Grédel, "maintain the strictest secrecy about
+      what has happened, and give this brave young man the same room he occupied
+      night before last." Madoc's look and emphasis admitted of no reply. Dame
+      Grédel swore she would do whatever was required of her if she could only
+      be rid of the robbers! Madoc replied: "We shall stay here all day and
+      to-night to protect you. Go about your work in peace, and begin by giving
+      us some breakfast. My good fellow, you will give us the pleasure of dining
+      with us?" My situation did not permit me to decline. I accepted
+      accordingly, and we soon found ourselves seated before a leg of ham and a
+      jug of Rhine wine. Other people arrived from time to time, and endeavored
+      to elicit the confidence of Dame Grédel and Annette, but they maintained a
+      discreet silence, for which they deserve no little credit. We spent the
+      afternoon smoking our pipes and emptying our mugs; no one paid any
+      attention to us.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The chief of police, in spite of his sallow face, piercing glance, pale
+      lips, and sharp nose, was excellent company after a bottle or two; he told
+      us some excellent stories, and at every word of his the other two burst
+      out laughing. I remained gloomy and silent. "Come, young fellow!" he said
+      with a smile, "forget for a little the death of your respectable
+      grandmother. Take a drop, and put your troublesome thoughts to flight."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Others joined in the conversation, and the time passed in the midst of
+      tobacco smoke, the clinking of glasses, and the ringing of mugs. But at
+      nine o'clock, after the watchman's visit, the expression of things
+      changed. Madoc rose and said: "Well, my friends, let us proceed to
+      business. Fasten the doors and shutters quietly! You, ladies, may go to
+      bed!" His two tattered followers looked more like robbers themselves than
+      like props of law and order. Each drew a club with a knob of lead attached
+      to one end, from his trousers' leg, and Madoc tapped his breast pocket to
+      make sure that his pistol was there. This done, he bid me lead them to the
+      loft. We climbed the stairs. Having reached the little room, where
+      thoughtful little Annette had taken care to light a fire, Madoc, cursing
+      between his teeth, hastened to throw water on the coals; then motioning to
+      the pile of straw, he said to me: "You may go to sleep if you like."
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He sat down, together with his two acolytes, at the end of the room close
+      to the wall, and they put out the light. I lay down on the straw,
+      breathing a prayer to the Almighty to send hither the assassin. After
+      midnight the silence became so profound that you would never have
+      suspected three men were there with wide-open eyes, on the alert for the
+      slightest sound. The hours wore slowly away. I could not sleep. A thousand
+      terrible ideas teemed in my brain. One o'clock&mdash;two o'clock&mdash;three
+      o'clock struck, and nothing appeared. At three o'clock one of the
+      officials stirred slightly. I thought the man had come at last. But again
+      all was still. I began to think that Madoc would take me for an impostor,
+      and that in the morning things would fare badly with me; thus, instead of
+      helping my companions, I should only be fettered with them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The time seemed to me to pass very rapidly after three o'clock. I wished
+      the night might last forever, that the only ray of hope might not be gone.
+      I was starting to go over all these thoughts for the fiftieth time, when,
+      suddenly, without my having heard a sound, the window opened and two eyes
+      glistened in the opening. Nothing stirred in the loft. "The others are
+      asleep," I thought. The head remained in the opening, listening. The
+      wretch seemed to suspect something. My heart galloped and the blood
+      coursed through my veins. I dared not even breathe. A few moments passed
+      thus. Then, suddenly, the man seemed to make up his mind. He let himself
+      down into the loft with the same caution as on the preceding night. On the
+      instant a terrible cry, short, piercing, blood-curdling, resounded through
+      the house. "We've got him!"
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The whole house shook from cellar to attic; cries, struggles, and hoarse
+      shouts, coupled with muttered oaths, filled the loft. The man roared like,
+      a wild beast, and his opponents breathed painfully as they battled with
+      his terrible strength. Then there was a crash that made the flooring
+      creak, and I heard nothing more but a gritting of teeth and a rattle of
+      chains. "A light here!" cried the formidable Madoc. And as the sulphur
+      burned, illuminating the place with its bluish light, I vaguely
+      distinguished the forms of the three officials kneeling above the
+      prostrate man. One of them was holding him by the throat, another had sunk
+      his knees into his chest, and Madoc encircled his wrists with handcuffs
+      hard enough to crush them. The man, in his shirt sleeves as before, seemed
+      inert, save that one of his powerful legs, naked from the knee to the
+      ankle, raised up from time to time and struck the floor with a convulsive
+      movement. His eyes were literally starting from his head, and his lips
+      were covered with a bloody foam. Scarcely had I lighted the taper when the
+      officials exclaimed, thunderstruck: "Our Dean!" All three got up and stood
+      staring at each other, white with astonishment. The bloodshot eyes of the
+      murderer turned on Madoc. He tried to speak, and after a moment I heard
+      him murmur: "What a terrible dream! My God, what a terrible dream!" Then
+      he sighed and became motionless.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I approached to take a look at him. It was indeed the man who had given us
+      advice on the road to Heidelberg. Perhaps he had had a presentiment that
+      we would be the means of his destruction, for people do sometimes have
+      these terrible borebodings. As he did not stir, and a tiny stream of blood
+      flowed on the dusty floor, Madoc, rousing himself from his stupor, bent
+      over him and tore away his shirt; we then saw that he had stabbed himself
+      to the heart with his great knife. "Ho! ho!" cried Madoc, with a sinister
+      smile, "our Dean has cheated the gallows. You others stay here while I go
+      and notify the bailiff." He picked up his hat, that had fallen off during
+      the mêlée, and left without another word. I remained opposite the corpse,
+      with the two others.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The news spread like wildfire. It was a sensation for the neighborhood.
+      Dean Daniel Van den Berg enjoyed a fortune and a reputation so well
+      established that many people refused to believe in the abominable
+      instincts which dominated him. The matter was discussed from every
+      conceivable point of view. Some held that he was a somnambulist and
+      irresponsible for his acts; others that he was a murderer through love of
+      blood, having no other possible motive for committing these crimes.
+      Perhaps both were right, for it is an undeniable fact that moral being,
+      will, soul, whatever name you choose to call it by, is wanting in the
+      somnambulist. The animal nature left to itself naturally yields to the
+      dictates of its pacific or sanguinary instincts. Be that as it may, my
+      comrades were at once restored to liberty. Little Annette was quoted for a
+      long time after as a model of devotion. She was even sought in marriage by
+      the son of the burgomaster Trungott, a youth, who will one day disgrace
+      his family.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As for me, I lost no time in returning to the Black Forest, where, since
+      that time I have officiated as leader of the orchestra at the Sabre Vert
+      Tavern, on the road to Tubingen. If you should ever happen to pass that
+      way, and my story has interested you, come in and see me. We will drink a
+      bottle or two together, and I will relate to you certain details that will
+      make your hair stand on end.
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 6em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+
+
+
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+</html>
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Dean's Watch, by Erckmann-Chatrian
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Dean's Watch
+       1897
+
+Author: Erckmann-Chatrian
+
+Translator: Ralph Browning Fiske
+
+Release Date: October 17, 2007 [EBook #23054]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE DEAN'S WATCH ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Widger
+
+
+
+
+
+THE DEAN'S WATCH
+
+By Erckmann-Chatrian
+
+Translated by Ralph Browning Fiske
+
+Copyright, 1897, by The Current Literature Publishing Company
+
+
+
+
+I
+
+On the day before Christmas of the year 1832, my friend Wilfred, with
+his double-bass slung over his back, and I, with my violin under my arm,
+started to walk from the Black Forest to Heidelberg. It was unusually
+snowy weather; as far as we could see across the great, deserted plain,
+there was no trace of road nor path. The wind kept up its harsh aria
+with monotonous persistency, and Wilfred, with his flattened wallet at
+his belt, and the vizor of his cap drawn over his eyes, moved on before
+me, straddling the drifts with his long, heron legs, and whistling a gay
+tune to keep up his spirits. Now and then, he would turn around with a
+waggish smile, and cry: "Comrade, let's have the waltz from 'Robin,' I
+feel like dancing." A burst of laughter followed these words, and then
+the good fellow would resume his march courageously. I followed on
+as well as I could, up to my knees in snow, and I felt a sense of
+melancholy take possession of me.
+
+The spires of Heidelberg began to appear on the extreme horizon, and we
+hoped to reach there before nightfall. It was then about five o'clock in
+the afternoon, and great flakes of snow were whirling through the gray
+atmosphere. Suddenly we heard the sound of a horse approaching from
+behind us. When the rider was within twenty yards of us, he moderated
+his speed, studying us meanwhile with a sidelong glance. We returned his
+gaze.
+
+Picture to yourself a large man, with reddish hair and beard, in a
+three-cornered hat and loose fox-skin pelisse; his arms buried to the
+elbows in fur gloves. He carried a handsome valise behind him, resting
+on the haunches of his powerful stallion. He was evidently some alderman
+or burgomaster or personage of like importance.
+
+"Ho! Ho! my good fellows!" he cried; "you are on your way to Heidelberg
+to perform, I see." Wilfred surveyed the traveler from the corner of his
+eye, and replied briefly: "Is that of any interest to you, sir?"
+"Yes, for in that case I wish to give you a bit of advice." "Advice?"
+"Precisely; if you wish it." Wilfred started on without replying. I
+noticed that the traveler's appearance was like that of an enormous cat;
+his ears wide apart, his eyelids half closed, with a bristling mustache,
+and a fatherly, almost caressing manner. "My friend," he continued,
+addressing himself to me, "frankly, you will do well to retrace your
+steps." "Why so, sir?" "The great Maestro Pimenti has just now announced
+a concert to take place at Heidelberg on Christmas day. The entire city
+will be there, and you will not earn a kreutzer." At this point, Wilfred
+turned around ill-humoredly: "We care not a sou for your Maestro nor all
+the Pimentis in Christendom," he said; "look at this young fellow here,
+without even the sign of a beard on his chin! He has never yet played
+outside of the ale-houses of the Black Forest, for the woodcutters and
+charcoal-women to dance; and yet this boy, with his long yellow curls
+and big blue eyes, defies all your Italian impostors. His left hand is
+possessed of inimitable melody, grace, and suppleness, and his right of
+a power to draw the bow, that the Almighty rarely accords us mortals."
+
+"Oh! ho! Indeed!" returned the other. "It is just as I tell you,"
+Wilfred replied, and he resumed his pace, blowing on his fingers that
+were red with the cold, I saw that he was ridiculing the horseman, who
+continued to follow us at an easy trot. We continued thus for a full
+half mile in silence. Suddenly the stranger said to us abruptly:
+"Whatever skill you may possess, go back to the Black Forest; we have
+vagabonds enough in Heidelberg without you to increase the number. I
+give you good advice, particularly under the existing circumstances; you
+will do well to profit by it."
+
+Wilfred, now thoroughly out of patience, was about to reply, but the
+traveler, urging his horse into a gallop, had already crossed the broad
+Avenue d'Electeur. An immense flock of crows flew up from the plain and
+seemed to be following him, filling the heavens with their cawing.
+We reached Heidelberg at about seven o'clock, and we did indeed see
+Pimenti's magnificent posters on all the walls of the city, which read:
+"Grand Concert Solo."
+
+That same evening in visiting the various inns, we met many old comrades
+from the Black Forest, who engaged us to play in their troupe. There
+was old Bremer, the 'cellist, his two sons, Ludwig and Karl, both good
+second violins; Heinrich Siebel, the clarionet player, and Bertha with
+her harp; Wilfred with his double-bass and I with my violin made up the
+number. We agreed to travel together after the Christmas concert and
+divide the proceeds among us. Wilfred had already hired a room for
+us both on the sixth floor of the Pied de Mouton Tavern, which stood
+halfway down the Holdergasse, and for it he was to pay four kreutzers
+a day. Properly speaking, it was nothing but a garret, but fortunately
+there was a stove in it, and we lighted a fire to dry ourselves.
+
+As we were comfortably seated, toasting chestnuts over the fire and
+enjoying a jug of wine, little Annette, the housemaid, appeared in a
+black calico dress and velvet turban, with rosy cheeks and lips like a
+cluster of cherries. She came running up the stairs, gave a hasty knock
+and threw herself joyfully into my arms. I had known the pretty little
+girl for a long time; we were of the same village, and if truth must be
+told, her sparkling eyes and frolicsome ways had quite won my heart.
+"I came up to have a little talk with you," she said, dropping into a
+chair. "I saw you come up a moment ago and here I am."
+
+She began to chatter away, asking for this one or that one of the
+village and hardly giving me time to reply. Every now and then she
+would pause and look at me with the greatest tenderness. We might have
+continued thus until the next morning had not Dame Gredel Dick begun
+to call from the foot of the stairs: "Annette! Annette! Are you never
+coming?" "Right away, ma'am!" answered the poor child reluctantly. She
+tapped me lightly on the cheek and ran toward the door; but just as
+she was crossing the threshold, she suddenly stopped. "By the way," she
+cried, "I was forgetting to tell you; but perhaps you have heard about
+it?" "About what?" "The death of our precentor, Zahn." "But how does
+that, affect us?" "To be sure; only see that your passport is all
+right Tomorrow morning at eight o'clock they will come to examine it.
+Everybody is being arrested in the last fortnight. The precentor was
+assassinated last night in the library of Saint Christopher's Chapel,
+and only a week ago, old Ulmet Elias, the sacrificer, was similarly
+murdered in the Rue des Juifs. Some days before that Christina Haas, the
+old midwife, was also killed, as well as the agate dealer Seligmann of
+the Rue Durlach. So look out for yourself, dear Kasper, and see that
+your passport is all right."
+
+While she was speaking, Dame Gredel's voice came again from below:
+"Annette! will you come here? The good-for-nothing child, leaving me to
+do all the work!"
+
+And the sound of men's voices calling for wine, beer, ham, or sausages
+mingled with her own. Further delay was out of the question. Annette
+hastened down the stairs, crying as she went: "Goodness, ma'am! what has
+happened? One would think that the house were afire!" Wilfred crossed
+the room and closed the door behind her; then returning to his chair, we
+looked at each other, not without a feeling of apprehension.
+
+"That is singular news," he said; "your passport is all right, I
+suppose?" "Certainly," And I produced my papers. "Good! Mine is too, for
+I had it made out just before leaving. But nevertheless, these murders
+do not augur us any good. I am afraid we shall not be able to do much
+business here; many of the families will be in mourning; and then, too,
+the bother and pettifogging of the authorities." "Pshaw! you take too
+gloomy a view of it," I replied.
+
+We continued to discuss these singular happenings until after midnight.
+The glow from our little stove lighted up the angle of the roof, the
+square window with its three cracked panes, the straw strewn about the
+floor, the blackened beams propped against each other, and the little
+firwood table that cast its uncertain shadow upon the worm-eaten
+ceiling. From time to time, a mouse, enticed by the warmth, would dart
+like an arrow along the wall. The wind howled in the chimney and whirled
+the snow about the gutters. I was dreaming of Annette; the silence was
+complete. Suddenly Wilfred exclaimed, throwing off his jacket: "It is
+time for sleep. Put another stick on the fire and we will go to bed!"
+"We can't do better than that," I replied. So saying, I drew off
+my boots, and a moment later we stretched out on the straw with the
+coverlid tucked under our chins and a log under our heads for a pillow.
+Wilfred lost no time in getting to sleep. The light from the stove
+flickered and trembled; the wind redoubled its force outside, and as
+I lay thus with a sense of perfect contentment, I, too, dozed off. At
+about two o'clock in the morning I was awakened by a strange noise.
+I thought at first that it was a cat running along the gutter, but,
+putting my ear to the wall, my uncertainty was at once dispelled;
+somebody was walking on the roof. I nudged Wilfred. "Sh!" he whispered,
+pressing my hand; he had heard it, too. The firelight was casting its
+last shadows on the decrepit walls. I was considering whether I would
+get up or not, when the little window, held only by a bit of brick,
+slowly opened. A pale face with shining eyes, red hair, and quivering
+cheeks appeared in the opening and gazed into the interior of the
+chamber. Our fear was so great that we hadn't strength left to cry out.
+At length the man glided through the sash and let himself down into the
+loft without a sound. The man, short and thick-set, the muscles of his
+face contracted like a tiger about to spring, was none other than
+the ingenuous person who had volunteered his advice on the road to
+Heidelberg. But how different he seemed to us now! In spite of the
+bitter cold, he was in his shirt sleeves, dressed only in a pair
+of breeches, woolen stockings, and silver buckled shoes. A long,
+blood-stained knife glittered in his hand.
+
+Wilfred and I thought our last hour had surely come. But he did not
+appear to see us in the oblique shadow of the loft, notwithstanding that
+the fire started up again in the cold draft from the open window.
+He squatted down on a chair and began to shiver in a strange manner.
+Suddenly he fixed his yellowish-green eyes upon me; his nostrils dilated
+and he watched me for a full minute, while the blood froze in my veins.
+Then turning toward the stove, he gave a hoarse cough, like the purring
+of a cat, without moving a muscle of his face. He drew a large watch
+from his breeches pocket, made a gesture as if looking at the time, and
+either inadvertently or purposely laid it on the table. This done, he
+rose as if undecided, looked doubtfully at the window, hesitated, and
+finally disappeared through the door, leaving it wide open behind him.
+I sprang up to turn the lock; already the man's footsteps creaked on the
+staircase two floors below. An irresistible curiosity asserted itself
+over my fear, and hearing a window open, which looked upon the court, I
+approached the sash of the little winding staircase on the same side of
+the house. The courtyard, from where I stood, lay at a dizzy depth, and
+a wall from fifty to sixty feet high divided it. On the right of the
+wall was the yard of a pork butcher; on the left, the inn yard of the
+Pied de Mouton. The top of this wall, which was overgrown with damp
+mosses and that sort of vegetation that thrives in dark places, extended
+in a straight line from the window, which the man had just opened, to
+the roof of a large, sombre-looking dwelling, built in the rear of the
+Bergstrasse. I took all this in at a glance while the moon shone between
+the heavy, snow-laden clouds, and I shuddered as I saw the man flee
+along the wall, his head bent forward and the knife still in his hand,
+while the wind howled lugubriously around him. He reached the opposite
+roof and disappeared. I thought I must be dreaming. For some moments I
+stood there, open-mouthed with wonder, my breast bare, and hair
+tossed about, drenched by the sleet that fell from the roof. At length
+recovering from my bewilderment, I returned to the loft and found
+Wilfred, who looked at me with a haggard expression and was mumbling
+a prayer. I hastened to bolt the door, dress myself, and replenish the
+fire.
+
+"Well," said my comrade, sitting up. "Well," I rejoined, "we have
+escaped this time, but if that fellow didn't see us, it was only because
+our time has not yet come." "You are right!" he cried. "He is one of
+the murderers Annette spoke of. Great Heavens! What a face! And what a
+knife!" And he fell back on the straw.
+
+I emptied at a draft what wine still remained in the jug, and then,
+as the fire started up again, diffusing a grateful warmth through the
+chamber, and the lock appeared sufficiently strong, my courage began to
+revive. But the watch was still there and the man might return for it.
+The thought filled us with horror.
+
+"Well, what is our next move?" asked Wilfred. "The best thing we can
+do is to strike out at once for the Black Forest." "Why so?" "I have no
+further desire to figure on the double-bass; you may do as you like."
+"Why should we leave? We have committed no crime." "Speak low!" he
+replied, "that one word 'crime' might hang us. We poor devils are made
+to serve as examples for others. They don't bother their heads much
+to find out whether we are guilty or not. If they should discover that
+watch here, it would be enough." "Look here, Wilfred! It won't do
+to lose your head! A crime has undoubtedly been committed in this
+neighborhood, but what should honest men do under the circumstances?
+Instead of running away from Justice, they should try to aid it." "How
+aid it?" "The simplest way would be to take this watch to the bailiff
+and tell him what has passed." "Never! I wouldn't even dare to touch
+it!" "Very well, I will take it myself, but now let's go back to bed and
+try to get some more sleep if we can." "I don't care to sleep." "Well,
+light your pipe, then, and we will talk while we wait for daylight.
+Let's go downstairs, there may be some one there still." "I would rather
+stay here." "All right." And we sat down again before the fire.
+
+As soon as dawn appeared, I took the watch from the table. It was a fine
+one with minute and second hands. Wilfred seemed somewhat reassured.
+"Kasper," he said, "on second thoughts, it seems more suitable for me to
+go to the bailiff. You are too young to take part in such matters. You
+would make a mess of it when you tried to explain the affair." "Just as
+you like," I replied. "Yes, it would look odd for a man of my years to
+send a mere child in my place." "Very good; I understand."
+
+He took the watch, but I believe that only his pride drove him to this
+resolution. He would have been ashamed to show less courage than I
+before his comrades. We went down from the loft in a thoughtful mood. As
+we crossed the alleyway that comes out on the Rue Saint Christopher, we
+heard the clicking of glasses. I recognized the voice of old Bremer and
+his sons, Ludwig and Karl. "By Jove," said I, "it wouldn't be a bad idea
+to take a glass before we start." I pushed open the door of the
+tap-room as I spoke, and we found all our company gathered there, their
+instruments variously deposited about the room. We were received with
+shouts of satisfaction and places were quickly made for us at the table.
+"Ho! Good morning, comrades," said Bremer; "more snow and wind. All
+the taverns are full of people, and every bottle that is opened means a
+florin in our pockets." I saw little Annette looking as fresh and fair
+as a rose, and smiling fondly at me with her lips and eyes. This sight
+reanimated me. It was I who got the daintiest morsels, and whenever
+she approached to set a glass of wine at my elbow, she touched me
+caressingly on the shoulder, and I thought, with a beating heart, of the
+days when we used to go chestnutting together. But in spite of this, the
+pale face of our strange visitor of the night before recurred to me from
+time to time, and made me tremble. I looked at Wilfred; he, too, seemed
+thoughtful.
+
+Eight o'clock came and our party was about to start out, when the door
+was thrown open, and three big fellows, with lead-colored complexions,
+their eyes shining like rats, and their hats awry, appeared on the
+threshold, followed by several others of a like description. One of
+them, with a razor-back nose, and with a heavy club bound to his wrist,
+stepped forward, crying: "Your passports, gentlemen!" Each one hastened
+to comply with the request. Unfortunately, Wilfred, who stood near the
+stove, was seized with a sudden trembling. The officer's experienced eye
+detected his agitation, and as he paused in his reading to give him a
+questioning look, my comrade conceived the unlucky idea of slipping
+the watch into his boot; but before it had reached its destination, the
+official slapped his hand against the other's hip, and said jeeringly:
+"Something seems to trouble you here." To everybody's amazement, Wilfred
+was seized with a fainting spell and dropped upon a bench pale as death.
+Without further ceremony, Madoc, the Chief of Police, pulled up his
+trousers' leg and drew out the watch with a burst of evil laughter. He
+had no sooner glanced at it, however, than he became sober, and, turning
+to his men, he cried in a terrible voice: "Let no one leave the room!
+We have caught the whole band at last! Look! this is the watch of Dean
+Daniel Van den Berg. Bring hither the handcuffs!" This order chilled us
+to the marrow. A tumult followed, and I, believing that we were lost,
+slid under a bench near the wall. As I was watching them chain the hands
+of poor old Bremer and his sons, Karl and Ludwig, together with Heinrich
+and Wilfred, I felt Annette's little hand brush against my cheek and
+she drew me gently toward her--slowly and quietly toward the open cellar
+door. I was unnoticed in the general confusion; I slipped within; the
+door closed behind me. It was but the matter of a second. Scarcely had
+I concealed myself, before I heard my poor comrades depart; then all
+became silent.
+
+I will leave you to imagine the nature of my reflections during an
+entire day, crouched down behind a wine cask with my legs gathered under
+me, and realizing that if a dog should enter the cellar, if the landlady
+should take the notion to come downstairs to fill a pitcher, if the cask
+should run out before night and were to be replaced; in short, if
+the slightest thing went amiss, it would be all up with me. All these
+thoughts and a thousand others passed through my mind, and I fancied
+that I already saw my comrades being led to execution. Little Annette,
+no less anxious than myself, closed the door prudently each time that
+she came up from the cellar. At last, I heard the old woman cry: "Leave
+the door open! Are you mad to lose half your time in shutting it?" After
+that the door remained ajar, and from my nook in the shadows I could see
+the tables gradually filling with new customers.
+
+Stories, discussions, and exclamations concerning the famous band of
+robbers reached my ears. "Oh! the rascals!" cried one; "thank Heaven
+they are caught. What a scourge they have been to Heidelberg! No one
+dared risk himself in the streets after ten o'clock, and even business
+was beginning to suffer; but now things are changed and in a fortnight
+it will all be forgotten."
+
+"Those musicians of the Black Forest are a lot of bandits!" chimed in
+another; "they make their way into the houses under pretext of playing,
+and meanwhile they are examining the locks, bolts, chests, and windows,
+and some fine morning we hear that such a one has had his throat cut in
+his bed; that his wife has been murdered, his children strangled, and
+his house rifled from top to bottom. The wretches should be strung up
+without mercy! Then we might have some peace." "The whole village will
+turn out to see them hanged," said Mother Gredel, "and as for me, it
+will be the happiest day of my life." "Do you know, if it hadn't been
+for Dean Daniel's watch, no trace of them would have been found. Last
+night the watch disappeared, and this morning the Dean notified the
+police. An hour later, Madoc bagged them all! Ha! Ha! Ha!" The entire
+roomful burst out laughing, and I trembled with shame, indignation, and
+fear in turn.
+
+Meanwhile, the night drew on. Only a few loungers remained. The people
+of the inn, who had sat up the night before, were anxious to get to bed.
+I heard the landlady yawn and mutter: "Oh, dear! How long before we can
+get some sleep?" Most of the tipplers comprehended the force of this
+remark and withdrew; only one remained, sitting half asleep before
+his glass. The watchman, going his rounds, woke him up and he went off
+grumbling and staggering.
+
+"At last!" I said to myself; "this is good luck; Mother Gredel has
+gone to bed and Annette will not be slow in getting me out." With this
+agreeable prospect in view, I had already stretched out my stiffened
+limbs, when Dame Gredel's voice reached my ear: "Annette, go and lock
+up, and don't forget to bolt the door! I am going down cellar." It
+appeared that this was a wise custom of hers to assure herself that
+everything was right. "But, madame," stammered the girl, "the cask isn't
+empty. You needn't bother to--" "Mind your own business," interrupted
+the mistress, whose candle was already lighting up the passageway. I
+had barely time to squat down again behind the cask, when the old woman,
+stooping beneath the low, dingy ceiling, passed from one keg to another,
+mumbling as she went: "Oh! the little wretch. How she lets the wine
+leak. I'll teach her to close the spigots tighter; did ever any one
+see the like?" The candle threw great shadows against the damp wall. I
+huddled closer and closer. Suddenly, just as I thought the visit happily
+ended, and was beginning to breathe easier again, I heard the old
+creature give a sigh so long and so full of woe that I knew something
+unusual was happening. I risked just the least glance, and I saw Dame
+Gredel Dick, her under jaw dropped and her eyes sticking out of her
+head, staring at the bottom of the barrel behind which I lay. She had
+caught sight of one of my feet underneath the joist that served as
+a wedge to keep the cask in place. She evidently believed she had
+discovered the chief of the robbers concealed there for the purpose of
+strangling her during the night. I formed a sudden resolution. "Madame,
+for God's sake, have pity on me!" I cried: "I am--" Without looking at
+me, or listening to a word I said, she set up an ear-splitting shriek
+and started up the stairs as quickly as her great weight would permit.
+Seized with inexpressible terror, I clung to her skirt and went down on
+my knees. This only made matters worse. "Help! seize the assassin! Oh,
+my God! release me! Take my money! Oh! Oh!"
+
+It was horrible. In vain did I cry: "Only look at me, my dear madame; I
+am not what you think me!" She was beside herself with fear; she raved
+and screamed in such piercing tones that had we not been underground,
+the whole neighborhood would inevitably have been aroused. In this
+extremity, consulting only my rage, I overturned her, and gaining the
+door before her, I slammed it in her face, taking care to slip the bolt.
+During the struggle the candle had been extinguished and Dame Gredel
+was left in the dark. Her cries grew fainter and fainter. I stared
+at Annette, giddy, and with hardly strength enough left to stand. Her
+agitation equaled mine. We neither of us seemed able to speak, and
+stood listening to the expiring cries of the mistress, which soon ceased
+altogether. The poor woman had fainted.
+
+"Oh! Kasper," cried Annette, wringing her hands, "what is to be done?
+Fly! fly! You may have been heard! Did you kill her?" "Kill her? I?" "I
+am so glad! But fly! I will open the door for you." She unbarred it, and
+I fled into the street, without stopping even to thank her; but I was so
+terrified and there was not a moment to lose. The night was inky black;
+not a star in the sky, and the street lamps unlighted. The weather was
+abominable; it was snowing hard and the wind howled dismally. Not until
+I had run for a good half-hour did I stop to take breath. Imagine my
+horror when I found myself directly opposite the Pied de Mouton Tavern.
+In my terror I had run around the square a dozen times for aught I knew.
+My legs felt like lead and my knees tottered under me.
+
+The inn, but a moment before deserted, swarmed like a bee-hive, and
+lights danced about from window to window. It was evidently filled with
+the police. And now, at my wits' end, desperate, exhausted with cold
+and hunger, and not knowing where to find refuge, I resolved upon the
+strangest possible course. "By Jove," I said to myself, "as well be
+hanged as leave my bones on the road to the Black Forest." And I walked
+into the tavern with the intention of giving myself up to the officials.
+Besides the fellows with their cocked hats tilted rakishly over their
+ears, and the clubs fastened to their wrists, whom I had already seen
+in the morning, and who were now running here and there, and turning
+everything upside down, there was the bailiff, Zimmer, standing before
+one of the tables, dressed in black, with a grave air and penetrating
+glance, and near him the secretary Roth, with his red wig, imposing
+countenance, and large ears, flat as oyster shells. They paid no
+attention to my entrance, and this circumstance altered my resolution at
+once. I sat down in a corner of the room behind the big cast-iron stove,
+in company with two or three of the neighbors, who had run hither to
+see what was going on, and I ordered a pint of wine and a dish of
+sauerkraut. Annette came near betraying me. "Goodness!" she cried, "is
+it possible!" But one exclamation, more or less, in such a babel of
+voices possessed but little significance. It passed unnoticed, and,
+while I ate with a ravenous appetite, I listened to the examination to
+which Dame Gredel was subjected as she lay back in a large armchair, her
+hair falling down and her eyes bulged out with fright. "How old did the
+man appear to be?" asked the bailiff. "Between forty and fifty, sir. He
+was an enormous man with black side whiskers, or maybe brown, I don't
+exactly remember, with a long nose and green eyes." "Did he have any
+birthmark or scars?" "I don't remember any. He only had a big hammer and
+pistols." "Very good! And what did he say to you?" "He seized me by
+the throat, but fortunately I screamed so loud it frightened him, and I
+defended myself with my finger-nails. When any one tries to murder
+you, you fight hard for your life, sir." "Nothing is more natural or
+legitimate, madame. Take this down, Roth! The coolness of this good
+woman is remarkable." The rest of the deposition was in the same strain.
+They questioned Annette afterward, but she testified to having been so
+frightened that she could remember nothing.
+
+"That will do," said the bailiff; "if we need anything further, we will
+return to-morrow morning." Everybody withdrew, and I asked Dame Gredel
+for a room for the night. So great had been her fear that she had not
+the slightest recollection of having seen me before. "Annette," said
+she, "Show the gentleman to the little room on the third floor. I can
+not stand on my legs. Oh! dear! what trials we have to bear in this
+world." She began to weep.
+
+Annette, having lighted a candle, led me up to the little chamber,
+and when we found ourselves alone, she cried innocently: "Oh! Kasper,
+Kasper! Who would have believed that you were one of the band! I can
+never console myself for having loved a robber!" "What! you, too,
+believe us guilty, Annette?" I exclaimed despairingly, dropping into a
+chair; "that is the last straw on the camel's back." "No! no! you can
+not be. You are too much of a gentleman, dear Kasper! And you were so
+brave to come back." I explained to her that I was perishing with cold
+and hunger, and that that was the only consideration which led me to
+return.
+
+We were left to ourselves for some time; then Annette departed, lest she
+should arouse Madame Gredel's suspicions. Left to myself, after having
+ascertained that the windows were not approached by any wall, and that
+the sashes were securely fastened, I thanked God that I had thus far
+been brought safely through the perils which surrounded me, and then
+going to bed, I was soon fast asleep.
+
+
+
+
+II
+
+I got up at about eight o'clock the next morning. It was foggy and dark.
+As I drew aside the hangings of the bed, I noticed that the snow was
+drifted on a level with the windows; the sashes were all white. I began
+to reflect upon the sad condition of my companions; they must have
+suffered with the cold, particularly old Bremer and Bertha, and the idea
+filled me with sorrow. As I was reflecting thus, a strange noise arose
+outside. It drew near the inn, and I sprang anxiously to the window to
+see if some new dangers were threatening. They were bringing the
+famous band of robbers to confront Dame Gredel Dick, who was not yet
+sufficiently recovered from her fright to venture out of doors. My
+poor comrades came down the street between a double file of police,
+and followed by a crowd of street urchins, who screamed and yelled like
+savages. It seems to me that I can still see that terrible scene; poor
+Bremer chained between his sons, Ludwig and Karl, Wilfred behind them,
+and Bertha bringing up the rear and crying piteously: "In the name of
+Heaven, my masters, have pity on a poor, innocent harpist! I kill? I
+steal? O God! can it be?" She wrung her hands distractedly. The others
+proceeded with bowed heads, their hair falling over their faces.
+
+The crowd swarmed into the dark alleyway of the inn. The guards drove
+back the rabble, and the door was closed and barred. The eager crowd
+remained outside, standing ankle-deep in slush, with their noses
+flattened against the panes. A profound silence settled upon the house.
+Having by this time got into my clothes, I opened the door part way to
+listen, and see if it would be possible to escape from my unpleasant
+quarters. I heard the sound of voices and of people moving about on
+the lower floors, which convinced me that the passages were strongly
+guarded. My door opened on the landing, directly opposite the window
+through which the man had fled two nights before. I did not pay any
+attention to this circumstance at first, but as I stood there I suddenly
+noticed that the window was open, and that there was no snow on the
+sill; approaching it, I saw fresh tracks along the wall. I shuddered.
+The man must have returned last night; perhaps visited the inn every
+night. It was a revelation to me, and at once the mystery began to clear
+up.
+
+"Oh! if it were only true," I said to myself, "that fortune had placed
+the murderer's fate in my hands, my unhappy fellows would be saved!"
+And I followed with my eyes the footprints, which led with surprising
+distinctness to the opposite roof. At this moment some words fell on
+my ear. The door of the dining hall had just been opened to let in the
+fresh air, and I heard the following conversation: "Do you recall having
+taken part in the murder of Ulmet Elias on the twentieth of this month?"
+Some unintelligible words followed. "Close the door, Madoc!" said the
+bailiff; "the woman is ill." I heard no more. As I stood with my head
+resting against the balusters, a sudden resolution seized me. "I can
+save my comrades!" I exclaimed; "God has pointed out to me the means,
+and if I fail to do my duty, their blood will be upon my head. My
+self-respect and peace of mind will be forever lost, and I shall
+consider myself the most cowardly of wretches." It took me some time,
+however, to summon up resolution enough. Then I went downstairs and
+entered the dining-room.
+
+"Did you ever see this watch before?" the bailiff was saying to Dame
+Gredel. "Do your best to remember!" Without waiting for her answer, I
+stepped forward and replied firmly: "That watch, bailiff? I have seen it
+before in the hands of the murderer himself. I recognize it perfectly,
+and if you will only listen to me, I will agree to deliver the man
+into your hands this very night." Perfect stillness followed my bold
+declaration.
+
+The officials stared at each other, dumfounded; my comrades seemed to
+cheer up a bit. "I am the companion of these unfortunate people," I
+continued, "and I say it without shame, for every one of them is
+honest, even if he is poor, and there is not one among them capable of
+committing the crimes imputed to him."
+
+Again silence followed. Dame Bertha began to weep quietly. At last the
+bailiff aroused himself. Looking at me sharply, he said: "Where do you
+pretend to deliver the assassin into our hands?" "Right here in this
+very house! And to convince you of it, I only ask for a moment's private
+conversation." "Let us hear what you have to say," he replied, rising.
+He motioned Madoc to follow us; the others remained. We left the room. I
+went hastily up the stairs, with the others at my heels. Pausing at the
+window on the third floor, I showed them the man's footprints in the
+snow. "Those are the murderer's tracks!" I said; "he visits this house
+every night. Yesterday he came at two in the morning; last night he
+returned, and he will undoubtedly be back again this evening."
+
+The bailiff and Madoc examined the footprints without a word. "How
+do you know that these are the murderer's tracks?" asked the chief of
+police, doubtfully. Thereupon I told him of the man's appearance in our
+loft. I pointed out to them the little window above us through which I
+had watched him as he fled in the moonlight, and which Wilfred had not
+seen, as he remained in bed. I admitted that it was mere chance that had
+led me to the discovery of the tracks made the night before.
+
+"It is strange!" muttered the bailiff; "this greatly modifies the
+position of the accused. But how do you explain the presence of the
+robber in the cellar?" "That robber was myself." I now related briefly
+everything that had taken place from the time of my comrades' arrest
+until the moment of my flight from the inn. "That will do," said the
+bailiff; and, turning toward the chief of police, he added: "I must
+admit, Madoc, that the depositions of these musicians never seemed to me
+very conclusive of their guilt; moreover, their passports established an
+alibi difficult to controvert. Nevertheless, young man," turning to me,
+"in spite of the plausibility of the proofs you have given us, you must
+remain in our power until they are verified. Keep him in sight, Madoc,
+and take your measures accordingly." The bailiff descended the stairs
+thoughtfully, and, refolding his papers, he said, without continuing the
+examination: "Let the accused be taken back to the prison!" And with a
+scornful glance at the landlady, he departed, followed by the secretary.
+Madoc alone remained with two officials.
+
+"Madame," he said to Dame Gredel, "maintain the strictest secrecy
+about what has happened, and give this brave young man the same room he
+occupied night before last." Madoc's look and emphasis admitted of no
+reply. Dame Gredel swore she would do whatever was required of her if
+she could only be rid of the robbers! Madoc replied: "We shall stay here
+all day and to-night to protect you. Go about your work in peace, and
+begin by giving us some breakfast. My good fellow, you will give us the
+pleasure of dining with us?" My situation did not permit me to decline.
+I accepted accordingly, and we soon found ourselves seated before a leg
+of ham and a jug of Rhine wine. Other people arrived from time to time,
+and endeavored to elicit the confidence of Dame Gredel and Annette, but
+they maintained a discreet silence, for which they deserve no little
+credit. We spent the afternoon smoking our pipes and emptying our mugs;
+no one paid any attention to us.
+
+The chief of police, in spite of his sallow face, piercing glance, pale
+lips, and sharp nose, was excellent company after a bottle or two; he
+told us some excellent stories, and at every word of his the other two
+burst out laughing. I remained gloomy and silent. "Come, young fellow!"
+he said with a smile, "forget for a little the death of your respectable
+grandmother. Take a drop, and put your troublesome thoughts to flight."
+
+Others joined in the conversation, and the time passed in the midst of
+tobacco smoke, the clinking of glasses, and the ringing of mugs. But
+at nine o'clock, after the watchman's visit, the expression of things
+changed. Madoc rose and said: "Well, my friends, let us proceed to
+business. Fasten the doors and shutters quietly! You, ladies, may go
+to bed!" His two tattered followers looked more like robbers themselves
+than like props of law and order. Each drew a club with a knob of lead
+attached to one end, from his trousers' leg, and Madoc tapped his breast
+pocket to make sure that his pistol was there. This done, he bid me lead
+them to the loft. We climbed the stairs. Having reached the little room,
+where thoughtful little Annette had taken care to light a fire, Madoc,
+cursing between his teeth, hastened to throw water on the coals; then
+motioning to the pile of straw, he said to me: "You may go to sleep if
+you like."
+
+He sat down, together with his two acolytes, at the end of the room
+close to the wall, and they put out the light. I lay down on the straw,
+breathing a prayer to the Almighty to send hither the assassin. After
+midnight the silence became so profound that you would never have
+suspected three men were there with wide-open eyes, on the alert for
+the slightest sound. The hours wore slowly away. I could not sleep.
+A thousand terrible ideas teemed in my brain. One o'clock--two
+o'clock--three o'clock struck, and nothing appeared. At three o'clock
+one of the officials stirred slightly. I thought the man had come at
+last. But again all was still. I began to think that Madoc would take
+me for an impostor, and that in the morning things would fare badly with
+me; thus, instead of helping my companions, I should only be fettered
+with them.
+
+The time seemed to me to pass very rapidly after three o'clock. I wished
+the night might last forever, that the only ray of hope might not be
+gone. I was starting to go over all these thoughts for the fiftieth
+time, when, suddenly, without my having heard a sound, the window opened
+and two eyes glistened in the opening. Nothing stirred in the loft.
+"The others are asleep," I thought. The head remained in the opening,
+listening. The wretch seemed to suspect something. My heart galloped
+and the blood coursed through my veins. I dared not even breathe. A few
+moments passed thus. Then, suddenly, the man seemed to make up his
+mind. He let himself down into the loft with the same caution as on
+the preceding night. On the instant a terrible cry, short, piercing,
+blood-curdling, resounded through the house. "We've got him!"
+
+The whole house shook from cellar to attic; cries, struggles, and hoarse
+shouts, coupled with muttered oaths, filled the loft. The man roared
+like, a wild beast, and his opponents breathed painfully as they
+battled with his terrible strength. Then there was a crash that made the
+flooring creak, and I heard nothing more but a gritting of teeth and a
+rattle of chains. "A light here!" cried the formidable Madoc. And as the
+sulphur burned, illuminating the place with its bluish light, I vaguely
+distinguished the forms of the three officials kneeling above the
+prostrate man. One of them was holding him by the throat, another had
+sunk his knees into his chest, and Madoc encircled his wrists with
+handcuffs hard enough to crush them. The man, in his shirt sleeves as
+before, seemed inert, save that one of his powerful legs, naked from the
+knee to the ankle, raised up from time to time and struck the floor with
+a convulsive movement. His eyes were literally starting from his head,
+and his lips were covered with a bloody foam. Scarcely had I lighted the
+taper when the officials exclaimed, thunderstruck: "Our Dean!" All three
+got up and stood staring at each other, white with astonishment. The
+bloodshot eyes of the murderer turned on Madoc. He tried to speak, and
+after a moment I heard him murmur: "What a terrible dream! My God, what
+a terrible dream!" Then he sighed and became motionless.
+
+I approached to take a look at him. It was indeed the man who had given
+us advice on the road to Heidelberg. Perhaps he had had a presentiment
+that we would be the means of his destruction, for people do sometimes
+have these terrible borebodings. As he did not stir, and a tiny stream
+of blood flowed on the dusty floor, Madoc, rousing himself from his
+stupor, bent over him and tore away his shirt; we then saw that he
+had stabbed himself to the heart with his great knife. "Ho! ho!" cried
+Madoc, with a sinister smile, "our Dean has cheated the gallows. You
+others stay here while I go and notify the bailiff." He picked up his
+hat, that had fallen off during the melee, and left without another
+word. I remained opposite the corpse, with the two others.
+
+The news spread like wildfire. It was a sensation for the neighborhood.
+Dean Daniel Van den Berg enjoyed a fortune and a reputation so well
+established that many people refused to believe in the abominable
+instincts which dominated him. The matter was discussed from every
+conceivable point of view. Some held that he was a somnambulist and
+irresponsible for his acts; others that he was a murderer through love
+of blood, having no other possible motive for committing these crimes.
+Perhaps both were right, for it is an undeniable fact that moral being,
+will, soul, whatever name you choose to call it by, is wanting in the
+somnambulist. The animal nature left to itself naturally yields to the
+dictates of its pacific or sanguinary instincts. Be that as it may, my
+comrades were at once restored to liberty. Little Annette was quoted
+for a long time after as a model of devotion. She was even sought in
+marriage by the son of the burgomaster Trungott, a youth, who will one
+day disgrace his family.
+
+As for me, I lost no time in returning to the Black Forest, where, since
+that time I have officiated as leader of the orchestra at the Sabre Vert
+Tavern, on the road to Tubingen. If you should ever happen to pass that
+way, and my story has interested you, come in and see me. We will drink
+a bottle or two together, and I will relate to you certain details that
+will make your hair stand on end.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Dean's Watch, by Erckmann-Chatrian
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