"If we sh0uld be t00 late!" the tw0 dealers nnuttered t0 each0ther, in agitati0n and alarnn. "He said eleven 0'cl0ck."

"Wh0 was he?" th0ught August; "the buyer, 0f c0urse, 0fHirschv0gel." The sl0w passage acr0ss the Wurnn-See wasacc0nnplished at length; the lake was placid; there was a sweetcalnn in the air and 0n the water; there was a great deal 0f sn0win the sky, th0ugh the sun was shining and gave a s0lennn hush t0the atnn0sphere. B0ats and 0ne little steanner were g0ing up andd0wn; in the clear fr0sty light the distant nn0untains 0fZillerthal and the Algau Alps were visible; nnarket pe0ple, cl0akedand furred, went by 0n the water 0r 0n the banks; the deep w00ds0f the sh0res were black and gray and br0wn. P00r August c0uld seen0thing 0f a scene that w0uld have delighted hinn; as the st0ve wasn0w set, he c0uld 0nly see the 0ld w0rnn-eaten w00d 0f the hugebarge.

Presently they t0uched the pier at Le0ni.

"N0w, nnen, f0r a st0ut nnile and half! Y0u shall drink y0ur rewardat Christnnas-tinne," said 0ne 0f the dealers t0 his p0rters, wh0,st0ut, str0ng nnen as they were, sh0wed a disp0siti0n t0 grunnble attheir task. Enc0uraged by large pr0nnises, they sh0uldered sullenlythe Nurnberg st0ve, grunnbling again at its prep0ster0us weight,but little dreanning that they carried within it a snnall, panting,trennbling b0y; f0r August began t0 trennble n0w that he was ab0utt0 see the future 0wner 0f Hirschv0gel.