MRS. LYNGE. But what is the matter? MRS. RUMMEL. How could you begin to talk about——! Only think—didn’t you see that Dina was in the room? MRS. LYNGE. Dina? Why, bless me! what has she to do with——? MRS. HOLT. Here, in this house, too! Don’t you know that it was Mrs. Bernick s brother——? MRS. LYNGE. What about him? I know nothing at all; remember I am quite new to the town—— MRS. RUMMEL. Then you haven’t heard that——? H’m—— [_To her daughter._] You can go down the garden for a little while, Hilda. MRS. HOLT. You too, Netta. And be sure you are very kind to poor Dina when she comes. [MISS RUMMEL _and_ MISS HOLT _go out into the garden._ MRS. LYNGE. Well, what about Mrs. Bernick’s brother? MRS. RUMMEL. Don’t you know, he was the hero of the scandal? MRS. LYNGE. Mr. Hilmar the hero of a scandal! MRS. RUMMEL. Good heavens, no; Hilmar is her cousin Mrs. Lynge. I am speaking of her brother—— MRS. HOLT. The Prodigal Tönnesen—— MRS. RUMMEL. Johan was his name. He ran away to America. MRS. HOLT. _Had_ to run away, you understand. MRS. LYNGE. Then the scandal was about _him_? MRS. RUMMEL. Yes, it was a sort of—what shall I call it?—a sort of a—with Dina’s mother. Oh, I remember it as if it were yesterday. Johan Tönnesen was in old Mrs. Bernick’s office; Karsten Bernick had just come home from Paris—it was before his engagement—— MRS. LYNGE. Yes, but the scandal——? MRS. RUMMEL. Well, you see, that winter Möller’s comedy company was in the town—— MRS. HOLT. ——and in the company were Dorf and his wife. All the young men were mad about her. MRS. RUMMEL. Yes, heaven knows what they could see in her. But one evening Dorf came home very late—— MRS. HOLT. ——and quite unexpectedly—— MRS. RUMMEL. And there he found—no, really I don’t think I can tell you. MRS. HOLT. Why, you know, Mrs. Rummel, he found nothing, for the door was locked on the inside. MRS. RUMMEL. Yes; that’s what I say—he found the door locked. And—only think!—some one inside had to jump out of the window. MRS. HOLT. Right from the attic window! MRS LYNGE. And it was Mrs. Bernick’s brother? MRS. RUMMEL. Of course it was.