"Yes, he must confess! he shall confess!" cried the overjoyous girl, clapping her hands; "he shall give an account of that treacherous redness on his cheeks. Accused! I ask you, upon your conscience, do you know a lady with brown hair and brown eyes?" "But how can you ask me that, Miss Sophie?" replied Mr. Bemperlein, blushing deeper than before. "Let your words be Yea, yea! or Nay, nay! accused, and nothing else!" "Well then, I have!" said Bemperlein, laughing. "And when you spoke of brown hair and brown eyes, did you think of this lady?" "Yes!" replied Bemperlein, after some hesitation. "Now we have him! He has thought of her! He has thought of her!" cried Miss Sophie, and laughed with delight. "But who is _she_?" asked Franz. "We shall learn that presently. Accused! does she live in this city?" "Yes." "Franz, take that down: she lives in the city. Accused! do you see her frequently?" "No." "Then, have you seen her to-day?" "But, Miss So----" "No subterfuges! Have you seen her to-day?" "Well, I see I shall fare better by confessing everything at once," said Mr. Bemperlein, who in spite of all his efforts to appear unconcerned had become more and more embarrassed. "Hear, then, oh severe judge, and you, grave assistant judge, with your diabolic smile, the strange story which has happened to me to-day, and which seems to be specially intended to lead me from one trouble to another." "Tell us, Bemperlein; tell us!" cried Sophie. "The affair begins to look romantic." "Well, then, you know, Miss Sophie, that the Grenwitz family has come to town to-day." "We are aware of that. Go on, accused!" "But you do not know that the baroness wrote to me immediately after her arrival, and asked me to call on her in the course of the day. She said she had to confer with me on a matter of the utmost importance." "The affairs of the baroness are always of the utmost importance," said Franz. "That I knew; and therefore I did not exactly hasten to pay my visit. Towards evening, however, just before I came here, I went to the house." "Well, and what was the great trifle?" "I never found it out, for I was not fortunate enough to be admitted. In the house-door I met Mr. Timm, who was in such a hurry that he nearly ran over me, and he had barely time to say to me 'What on earth are you doing here, Bemperlein?' In the ante-chamber to which the servant had shown me I found Mademoiselle Marguerite." "Has she brown eyes, Bemperlein?" "She has brown eyes. Miss Sophie; very fine brown eyes; which appeared to me at that moment all the brighter as they were filled with tears." "Oh," said Miss Sophie, unconsciously dropping her gay tone; "why so?"