The latter was at a loss for words at first. "Well, well, why in evening dress?" he said, then with hesitation: "were you by any chance at our house?"
"No," replied Diederich, starting again in fear. "I have only been passing my doctor examination."
"My congratulations," said Göppel. Then Diederich managed to say: "How did you find out my address?" And the other replied, "certainly not from your former landlady, but there are other sources of information." Then they looked at one another. Göppel's voice had not been raised, but Diederich felt terrible threats in it. He had always refused to think about this catastrophe, and now it had happened. He would have to brace himself up.
"As a matter of fact," began Göppel, "I have come because Agnes is not at all well."
"Oh, really," said Diederich with an effort of frantic hypocrisy. "What's wrong with her?" Mr. Göppel wagged his head sorrowfully. "Her heart is bad, but, of course, it is only her nerves … of course," he repeated, after he had waited in vain, for Diederich to say something. "Now worry has driven her to melancholia and I would like to cheer her up. She is not allowed to go out. But won't you come and see us, tomorrow will be Sunday?"
"Saved!" thought Diederich. "He knows nothing." He was so pleased that he became quite diplomatic and scratched his head. "I had fully determined to do so, but now I am urgently required at home, our old manager is ill. I cannot even pay farewell calls on my professors, for I am leaving first thing in the morning."
Göppel laid his hand upon his knee. "You should think it over, Herr Hessling. Often one has duties to one's friends." He spoke slowly and his glance was so searching that Diederich's eyes could not meet it. "I only wish I could come," he stammered. Göppel replied: "You can. In fact, you can do everything that the present situation requires."
"What do you mean?" Diederich shivered inwardly. "You know very well, what I mean," said the father, and, pushing back his chair a little: "I hope you do not think that Agnes has sent me here. On the contrary, I had to promise her I would do nothing and leave her in peace. But then I began to think that it would be really too silly for us two to go on playing hide and seek with one another, seeing that we are friends, and that I knew your late lamented father, and that we have business connections and so forth."
Diederich thought: "These business connections are a thing of the past, my dear man." He steeled himself.
"I am not playing hide and seek with you, Herr Göppel."
"Oh, well, then everything is all right. I can easily understand, no young man, especially nowadays, wants to take the plunge into matrimony without going through a period of hesitation. But then the matter is not always so simple as in this case, is it? Our lines of business fit into one another, and if you wanted to extend your father's business Agnes's dowry would be very useful." In the next breath, he added while his glance faltered: "At this moment, it is true I can only put my hands on twelve thousand marks in cash, but you can have as much cellulose as you want."
"So, you see," thought Diederich, "and even the twelve thousand would have to be borrowed—that is, if you could raise a loan." … "You misunderstand me, Herr Göppel," he explained. "I am not thinking of marriage, that would require too much money." Herr Göppel laughed, but his eyes were full of anxiety as he said: "I can do more than that. …"
"It doesn't matter," said Diederich in a tone of dignified refusal.
Göppel became more and more bewildered.
"Well, then, what do you really want?"
"I? Nothing. I thought you wanted something, since you have called on me."
Göppel pulled himself together. "That won't do, my dear Hessling, after what has happened, especially as it has gone on for so long."
Diederich looked at the father up and down, and the corner of his mouth curled. "So, you knew about it, did you?"
"I was not certain," murmured Göppel. With great condescension Diederich retorted: "That would have been rather remarkable."
"I had every confidence in my daughter."
"That's where you were mistaken," said Diederich, determined to use every weapon in self-defence. Göppel's forehead flushed. "I also had confidence in you."
"In other words, you thought I was naive." Diederich stuck his hands in his trousers' pocket and leant back.
"No!" Göppel jumped up. "But I did not take you for the dirty cad that you are!"
Diederich stood up with an air of formal restraint. "Do you challenge me to a duel?" he asked. Göppel shouted, "No doubt that is what you'd like! To seduce the daughter and shoot the father. Then your honour would be satisfied."
"You understand nothing about honour." Diederich, in his turn became excited, "I did not seduce your daughter. I did what she wanted, and then I could not get rid of her. In this she takes after you." With great indignation: "How do I know that you were not in league with her from the beginning? This is a trap!"
Göppel's face looked as if he were going to shout still louder. He gave a sudden start, and in his ordinary tone, but with a voice that shook, he said: "We are becoming too heated, the subject is too important for that. I promised Agnes that I would remain quiet."
Diederich laughed derisively. "You see what a swindler you are, you said before that Agnes did not know you were here."
The father smiled apologetically. "In the end people can always agree in a good cause, isn't that so, my dear Hessling?"
But Diederich felt that it was dangerous to become amiable again.
"What the hell do you. mean by your 'dear Hessling'!" he yelled. "To you I am Doctor Hessling!"
"Of course," retorted Göppel stiff with rage. "I suppose this is the first time that you have been able to get yourself called Doctor. You may be proud of so auspicious an occasion." "Do you wish to make any insinuations against my honour as a gentleman?" Göppel made a gesture of dissent.
"I make no insinuations. I am simply wondering what we have done to you, my daughter and I. Must you really have so much money with your wife?"
Diederich felt that he was blushing, and he proceeded with all the more assurance.
"Since you insist upon my telling you: my moral sense forbids me to marry a girl who does not bring her maidenly purity as her marriage portion."
Göppel was obviously on the point of breaking out again, but his strength failed him, he could only just stifle a sob.
"If you had seen her misery this afternoon. She confessed to me because she could not stand it any longer. I believe she does not even love me any more, only you. I suppose it is natural, you are the first."
"How do I know that? Before me a gentleman named Mahlmann frequented your house." Göppel shrank as if he had received a blow on the chest. "Yes, how can you tell? A person who tells lies cannot be believed."
He continued: "Nobody can expect me to make such a woman the mother of my children. My sense of duty to society is too strong." With this, he turned round and, stooping over the trunk that stood open, he began to fill it with his things.
Behind him he could hear the father who was now really sobbing—and Diederich could not help feeling moved himself by the manly noble sentiments which he had expressed, by the unhappiness of Agnes and her father which his duty forbade him to alleviate, by the painful memory of his love and this tragic fate. … His heart almost stopped beating as he listened to Herr Göppel opening and closing the door, creeping along the passage, and as he heard the noise of the street door closing behind him. Now it was all over—then Diederich fell on his knees and wept passionately into his half-packed trunk. That