"Good, good,--harden him," he replied smiling. He looked for an instant into Angelika's blue eyes, and the fire of his glance must have penetrated her heart, for her fair brow flushed and her eyelids drooped like those of a girl upon the day of her betrothal. "Come, Moritz, you can make love to your wife another time," cried Johannes; "it is late,--we must come to business. What detained you?" "My dear friend, I couldn't help it. I had a girl at the clinic that gave me no end of trouble. Old trouble with the heart,--acute inflammation,--stoppage in the arteries of the left foot,--mortification,--the leg must come off to-day." "A splendid case!" said Helm approvingly. "Heavens! what savages you are, to call that a splendid case!" said Angelika horrified. "My angel, if you choose to assist at a council of rude men, you must not start at such innocent technical terminology," said her husband, enjoying Angelika's pretty dismay. "Yes, I too have been scolding her for sympathizing with the victims of my experiments," said Möllner. "You were wrong to blame her. I like to have her compassionate. Continue to weep for the poor dogs, my child, and the yet more unfortunate frogs. What have you to do with the reasons for torturing them? I do not want you to imbibe any flavour of science from your husband or brother. I like you just as you are; you suit me precisely. I will not have you otherwise." "For heaven's sake, mamma, carry Angelika away!" cried Johannes laughing. "As long as this fellow has his wife by his side, there is nothing to be done with him!" "She shall stay!" said Moritz decidedly. "There is nothing of importance to be done. The Hartwich woman asks to attend our lectures; why waste any thought upon such a fool? Don't answer her request at all, and be done with it!" "Softly, softly, my young friend," cried old Heim very gravely, while Moritz, with Angelika's hand in his, swallowed a glass of wine. "First read this paper, which the girl sent to me, and which so enchained Möllner's attention when I gave it to him to-day after lecture that--I must betray him--it was the cause of his tardiness. The experiments were over long before he made his appearance!" A slight flush overspread Johannes' face as he handed Moritz the paper. The latter read the title aloud--"_Reflex Motion in its Relation to Free Agency_." "By Jove! a good idea, if it is her own!" "It is her own--that I'll vouch for!" cried Heim with warmth. "That must be both philosophically and physiologically interesting," said the philosopher Taun to Herbert, who coldly shrugged his shoulders. "Let us see whether the article corresponds to the title," muttered Moritz, turning over the leaves.