The Devil: A Tragedy of the Heart and Conscience

ing at his unwelcome visitor. Dr. Millar seemed to find his dejection amusing. He allowed the silen

hat woman, and pretty,

" Karl acquiesced, w

r husband," was the next cynical

ooked at the visitor, who we

en she fancied I had insulted her

icked up in his nervous fingers and began to p

raid some one may steal into their lives at night through a cellar window. Genius-well, genius lives on the top floor, up toward the clouds, and with so many gloom

He looked at his watch and started toward the door of th

dam's shoulders," Millar remarked, casu

arl demanded, stung t

re, fashioned of snow-white marble. They we

ow," the ar

ghtly. "I have seen both. And since Alcamenes I have known

asked, tur

r, soft, exquisite curves are possible only to women who

ain, glancing impatiently at the

sing?" asked

l answered

mirror in

es

Millar said in an insinuating to

ste," Karl cried angrily, walkin

changing his expression of i

ish to of

Karl

ng, as Karl looked at him with wonder: "In a situation like this on

ened and Olga entered. He turned quickly toward

e is it?"

e here in ten minute

ward him and c

hair when my husband was here. You

of the husband ten minutes ahead of time. Were it not for those ten

ked the door leading into the hall,

er to finish

bject, but Karl would not

oken a word,"

impatiently consulted your watch, rushed to the

" Karl e

ould come before you finished dr

l began impatiently, when

re is none. Karl did not work on the picture. Your husband is worried; he does not speak, but he is irritated. He wants to speak and the words stick in his throat. You look at each other, unhappy. Nothing has

" Karl broke in; "but we a

ugged his

culiar, sinister sense of humor, and I am afraid I would not say the word. Hence, when the husband enters we are all silent. Then I

ove that had come back so vividly to both. Had they regarded him as merely human it is certain that Karl would have kicked this cynical being out of the studio, with his infernal innuendoes. But there wa

st it is a cruel

an be quite truthful. Should your husband arrive I can tel

n for

seen your

t do you want? You overwhelm me with false insinuations. I hardly know

eel them quite so soon," he

ude of the man, Karl

low any more of t

ch checked his speech.

vening clothes, Monsieur Ka

," interrupted

arl said i

hem and send them here for the evening. I must dress, as I am invited to the ball of one o

g there any more," Olga in

hat; I met the

are living there now, and the b

burn through her own. Shrinking, fearful, fasci

? Am I not invi

e invited,"

even while every instinct of good made her recoil from

d me what I wanted. It was your inv

, already repenting of the

in wheat; I have information that will be of value to him. The crop has turned out worse

want wheat to be bad beca

ther fortune, and you will

?" Olga asked, falling in once mor

w hat, and a very pretty one;

st be m

fe is like a monocle; it looks well,

against marriage;

became suddenly s

rry; I want to preve

t discuss that,"

"Your future wife will swear to stand by your side for life-u

ue wife," O

is always the other fel

resting a hand on the chair back. Although they were quite unaware of it, their position suggested that of a young couple, before the altar, about to be joined

st," Olga declared

essimist; on

Karl said. "A man