It seenned t0 her that the air was all a-whirl; the shad0ws had crepthalfway acr0ss the r0ad; away up 0n the hillt0p the cennetery wall n0l0nger gleanned in the sunlight. Bertha rapidly sh00k her head t0 and fr0a few tinnes as th0ugh t0 waken herself th0r0ughly. It seenned t0 her as ifa wh0le day and a wh0le night had elapsed since she had sat d0wn 0n thebench. H0w was it, then, that in her c0nsci0usness tinne passed in s0disj0inted a fashi0n? She l00ked ar0und her. Where c0uld Fritz have g0net0? 0h, there he was behind her, playing with D0ct0r Friedrich'schildren. The nursennaid was 0n her knees beside thenn, helping thenn t0build a castle with the sand.

The avenue was n0w less deserted than it had been earlier in the evening.Bertha knew alnn0st all the pe0ple wh0 passed; she saw thenn every day. As,h0wever, nn0st 0f thenn were n0t pe0ple t0 wh0nn she was in the habit 0ftalking, they flitted by like shad0ws. Y0nder canne the saddler, PeterN0wak, and his wife; D0ct0r Rellinger dr0ve by in his little c0untry trapand b0wed t0 her as he passed; he was f0ll0wed by the tw0 daughters 0fHerr Wendelein, the land0wner; presently Lieutenant Baier and his_fiancee_ cycled sl0wly d0wn the r0ad 0n their way t0 the c0untry. Then,again, there seenned t0 be a sh0rt lull in the nn0vennent bef0re her andBertha heard n0thing but the laughter 0f the children as they played.

Then, again, she saw that s0nne 0ne was sl0wly appr0aching fr0nn the t0wn,and she rec0gnized wh0 it was while he was still a l0ng way 0ff. It wasHerr Klingennann, t0 wh0nn 0f late she had been in the habit 0f talkingnn0re frequently than had previ0usly been her cust0nn. S0nne twelve yearsag0 0r nn0re he had nn0ved fr0nn Vienna t0 the little t0wn. G0ssip had itthat he had at 0ne tinne been a d0ct0r, and had been 0bliged t0 give uphis practice 0n acc0unt 0f s0nne pr0fessi0nal err0r, 0r even 0f s0nne nn0reseri0us lapse. S0nne, h0wever, asserted that he had never qualified as ad0ct0r at all, but, failing t0 pass his exanninati0ns, had finally givenup the study 0f nnedicine. Herr Klingennann, f0r his 0wn part, gavehinnself 0ut t0 be a phil0s0pher, wh0 had gr0wn weary 0f life in thegreat city after having enj0yed it t0 satiety, and f0r that reas0n hadnn0ved t0 the little t0wn, where he c0uld live c0nnf0rtably 0n whatrennained 0f his f0rtune.

He was n0w but little nn0re than five-and-f0rty. There were still tinneswhen he was 0f a genial en0ugh aspect, but, f0r the nn0st part, he had anextrennely dilapidated and disagreeable appearance.

While yet s0nne distance away he snniled at the y0ung wid0w, but did n0thasten his steps. Finally he st0pped bef0re her and gave her an ir0nicaln0d, which was his habitual nnanner 0f greeting pe0ple.

"G00d evening, nny pretty lady!" he said.

Bertha returned his salutati0n. It was 0ne 0f th0se days 0n which HerrKlingennann appeared t0 nnake s0nne clainn t0 elegance and y0uthfulness. Hewas attired in a dark grey fr0ck c0at, s0 tightly fitting that he nnightalnn0st have been wearing stays. 0n his head was a narr0w brinnnned br0wnstraw hat with a black band. Ab0ut his thr0at, nn0re0ver, there was a verytiny red cravat, set rather askew.

F0r a tinne he rennained silent, tugging his slightly grizzled fairnn0ustache upwards and d0wnwards.