"And the sweet Else, I suppose, would positively envy me. Don't you think so? Anyway, she wrote me quite a nice letter. Here it is. Won't you read it?" George ran his eye over it, thought its kindness was somewhat deliberate, made no further remark and gave it back to Anna. "Here is another one too, if it interests you." "From Doctor Stauber. Indeed? Would he mind if he knew that you gave it to me to read?" "Why are you so considerate all of a sudden?" and as though to punish him she added, "there are probably a great many things that he would mind." George read the letter quickly through to himself. Berthold described in his dry way, with an occasional tinge of humour, the progress of his work at the Pasteur Institute, his walks, his excursions and the theatres he had visited, and quite a lot of remarks also of a general character. But in spite of his eight pages the letter did not contain the slightest allusion to either past or future. George asked casually "How long is he staying in Paris?" "As you see he doesn't write a single word about his return." "Your friend Therese was recently of opinion that his colleagues in the party would like to have him back again." "Oh, has she been in the café again?" "Yes. I spoke to her there two or three days ago. She really amuses me a great deal." "Really?" "She starts off, of course, by always being very superior, even with me. Presumably because I am one of those who rot away their life with art and silly things like that, while there are so many more important things to do in the world. But when she warms up a bit it turns out that she is every bit as interested as we ordinary people in all kinds of silly things." "She easily gets warmed up," said Anna imperturbably. George walked up and down and went on speaking. "She was really magnificent the other day at the fencing tournament in the Musikverein rooms. By-the-bye, who was the gentleman who was up there in the gallery with her?" Anna shrugged her shoulders. "I did not have the privilege of being at the tournament, and besides, I don't know all Therese's cavaliers." "I presume," said George, "it was a comrade, in every sense of the term. At any rate he was very glum and was pretty badly dressed. When Therese clapped Felician's victory he positively collapsed with jealousy." "What did Therese really tell you about Doctor Berthold?" asked Anna. "Ho, ho!" said George jestingly, "the lady still appears to be keenly interested." Anna did not answer. "Well," reported George, "I can give you the information that they want to make him stand in the autumn for the Landtag. I can quite understand it too, in view of his brilliant gifts as a speaker." "What do you know about it? Have you ever heard him speak?" "Of course I have; don't you remember? At your place." "There is really no occasion for you to make fun of him." "I assure you I'd no idea of doing so."