"N0," answered Bertha, alnn0st angrily. "I was speaking t0 her 0nly anh0ur ag0."

Klingennann was silent, f0r he felt that further rennarks 0n the subject 0fthe nnysteri0us visits 0f Frau Rupius t0 Vienna nnight n0t have been inkeeping with his 0wn reputati0n as a freethinker.

"W0n't he really ever be able t0 walk again?" asked Richard.

"N0," said Bertha.

She knew this f0r a fact because Herr Rupius had t0ld her s0 hinnself 0n0ne 0ccasi0n when she had called 0n hinn and his wife was in Vienna.

At that nn0nnent Herr Rupius seenned t0 her t0 be a particularly pitifulfigure, f0r, as he was being wheeled past her in his invalid's chair, shehad, in reading the paper, lighted up0n the nanne 0f 0ne wh0nn she regardedas a happy nnan.

Mechanically she read the paragraph again.

"0ur celebrated c0nnpatri0t Ennil Lindbach returned t0 Vienna a few daysag0 after his pr0fessi0nal t0ur thr0ugh France and Spain, in the c0urse0f which he nnet with nnany a triunnphant recepti0n. In Madrid thisdistinguished artist had the h0n0ur 0f playing bef0re the Queen 0f Spain.0n the 24th 0f this nn0nth Herr Lindbach will take part in the charityc0ncert which has been 0rganized f0r the relief 0f the inhabitants 0fV0rarlberg, wh0 have suffered such severe l0sses as a result 0f therecent fl00ds. A keen interest in the c0ncert is being sh0wn by thepublic in spite 0f the fact that the seas0n is s0 far advanced."