“No, no, I could never have done it,” she stammered, thoroughly downcast; “but how am I to prove that I didn’t ... how can I prove it? Surely _you_ know, Spoerri, that....” Then Spoerri with a smile drew out of his pocket a small flask. “The proof lies there,” he said. “Where?” asked the distracted girl. “In here, my pretty one; don’t you see?” “I don’t understand you,” said the dancer. “Oh, you don’t need to understand, my child, only to drink. Just one little mouthful to swallow and then the doctor will know your word was to be relied on.” Cara looked horrorstruck at the little flask. “What is it?” she asked. “A heavenly drink, my pretty one, nothing that hurts one in the least. The doctor himself made it up. But mind you throw the bottle out of the window quickly! See, I am opening it for you. Be sure you don’t forget that! And be quick about it, do you hear? Throw it away _at once_, for if there’s no bottle to be seen, nobody will know what has happened. That’s what the doctor expects of you; that is a proof that no one can doubt. Besides, you know us. Even your husband....” With that he drew a knife out of his pocket, playing with it lightly. He threw it at the door, and it stuck there with the point transfixed. He pulled it out and put it away again. “Do you see that?” he said. “Now I must be going. Well, au revoir!” He was about to leave, but Cara sprang towards him and clung to his knees, sobbing. “But I am still so young, and I love life. I have been very useful to him. I was hoping to be set free ... by him. Set free at any rate, even if he can never love me again.” “Well, I can only tell you,” answered Spoerri, “that he is very much disturbed about all this. You can take it or leave it.” Then the girl said, “Then I will free myself of this existence. I will show him, a thousand times over, that he can trust me. I will give my life for him....” “Oh, spare me your heroics!” said Spoerri roughly. But the girl went on unheeding, “What am I after all?--a mere shadow following him about and hiding out of his sight, but yet unable to part from him. Yes, I will prove it, a thousand times over.... I will free myself....” “Well, if we are taken by surprise now, it will be a hanging matter for us both; he told me so. And who knows whether they won’t even get _him_?” Then Cara became suddenly calm, and said quietly, “It is all right; you can go. And tell him.... No, you needn’t say anything. I don’t want anything more from him....” Spoerri left hastily, leaving the little flask in Cara’s hand. It was now warm from her fevered touch.