“I’ll tell you all about it in a minute,” replied Herr Lebermann, having given a chivalrous greeting to the ladies and proved himself thoroughly well-informed by looking at Annchen with the words, “Ah, this, I suppose, is your visitor that came the other night!” He drew a chair up to the table and ordered a beef-steak. The judge looked about him wildly, and was apparently so greatly in danger of indulging in unwary remarks, that Helen, to avert the storm, imprudently reminded the apothecary of his promised narrative. “Well, you see,” began the interesting arrival, “I noticed some time ago that there was something wrong with my molar tooth--the third in the upper row,” he added, to expel every doubt. “I believe I mentioned it to you once, Herr Judge?” “It’s quite possible!” sighed Karl brokenly. “Yes, yes, I remember it quite well! We were sitting at König’s in the restaurant--it is not very long ago! Well, never mind! So, then, the day before yesterday, in the afternoon, that tooth began to hurt me.” “Too bad!” said Helen pitifully, feeling it incumbent upon her to say something polite. “It wasn’t very bad,” said Herr Lebermann consolingly, “but still I felt it, you know! Yesterday, in the morning, the head-man had left open the back-door to the shop, and then there is always a draught; you have no idea how it blows. Time and time again I have said to him: ‘Herr Semmler,’ says I, ‘don’t leave that back-door unlatched,’ but he can’t get over the habit! You will say, you wouldn’t be put upon!” He looked at his victims expectantly. “I don’t say any such thing!” growled Karl, his soul burning within him. “Hurry up, children--we must be going!” “I shall be through in a minute,” said Herr Lebermann. “Where did I stop? Ah yes, I know! That miserable Semmler. When I tell him courteously it has no effect, and I don’t like to be curt to him, for he is a decent enough fellow, and it’s hard to find such another nowadays. He is quite to be depended upon. He has a little property too----” “Yes, but Herr Lebermann,” interrupted Helen, who already saw her husband in spirit rush at him with a knife, “you were going to tell us what brought you to Berlin!” Herr Lebermann cut up his beef-steak with much deliberation. “I was just about to tell you,” he said with a courteous bow to Helen. “Well, you see, last night the door was left open again. I was somewhat heated. I had on a heavy over-coat,--perhaps I had walked faster than usual,--I shouldn’t at all wonder if I had!--I entered the shop--and there was a tremendous draught! You really have no idea how bad it was--and at that very moment my tooth was at it again! I was quite beside myself, went upstairs to talk to my wife. It is really very convenient to have our lodgings in the same house now. ‘Clara!’ says I, ‘my tooth!’ ‘The one that was stopped?’ says she. ‘Yes,’ says I. Do you know my Clara, Frau Schwarz?”