No, sir, he has a bullet through his head. They found him lying in the bracken. OTTO Have they arrested the murderer? THE SOLDIER They’re hunting in the wood. They’ve seen nobody. OTTO (_To the_ SERGEANT.) Have sentries posted at all the gates. Quick! quick! Shoot any one at sight who attempts to leave the grounds. He can’t escape. Where’s the Major? THE SERGEANT I don’t know, sir. THE BURGOMASTER He’s probably in his room, on the other side of the house. He won’t have heard. OTTO Send and tell him. THE BURGOMASTER This forebodes no good. OTTO Don’t be afraid. The criminal can’t escape; and, when we’ve caught him, he shall serve as an example that will make them think twice before they do it again. Stay here, all of you. Let no one leave the room, or I won’t answer for the consequences. It’s a serious matter, a very serious matter. (_Exit_) CURTAIN ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ACT II _Scene: The same._ _The curtain rises on the the_ MAJOR, _the_ BURGOMASTER, OTTO, _the_ SECRETARY _and_ ISABELLE. THE MAJOR Mr. Burgomaster, Lieutenant Karl von Schaunberg has been murdered on your premises, in your grounds. One of your gardeners has been arrested near the spot where the crime was committed. We may therefore presume him to be the culprit. In any case, I shall consider him such, until I have proof to the contrary; and that is enough. We must make an example; our safety demands it; and our safety outweighs all other considerations. In war-time, the best form of justice is the promptest. Your gardener, therefore, will be shot at seven o’clock precisely, unless between now and then you hand over the person who, in your opinion, is the criminal. You know the character and disposition of your servants better than I do; and you are therefore better able to discover the malefactor. I have it in my power to command the most terrible reprisals. Any one else, in my place, would have ordered the town to be pillaged and set on fire and sentenced a third or a half of the inhabitants to death. It would have been more regular. Yielding to the wishes of Lieutenant Otto Hilmer, I will be satisfied with a single victim. Let me have no cause to regret my clemency and my moderation. THE BURGOMASTER