Greifenstein

chance had vouchsafed to him in the present instance. For he admitted to himself that fortune had favoured him, even though the arrival of the news within

it occurred. He could not have known that Greif was coming that evening, unless he knew everything, and moreover the despatch was fresh f

nces of Slade, the medium, by means of a mathematical theory of a fourth dimension in space, Greif had believed that the scientist was raving mad. Up to the moment when the telegram had arrived, he had been convinced that Rex was a cheat, who had accidentally learned certain facts connected with the Greifensteins and was attempting to play the magician by making an adroit use

,' said Greif, stari

int,' replied the elder man

uld you

efore I told you. Of course you t

en a coincidence,' said

.' Rex

if, 'I do not see any wa

ut it would need sev

t a perso

is a s

hat k

in which the public does not

and yet incredulous smile. 'I thought that was c

lly nothing better than a superstition

reconcile it with

men who are on the point of quarrelling

here is no reason why you s

t be answered. With better tools, a man might do much more. But one may foretell much,

he prophecy, which might in the end prove utterly false. It would be more prudent, he thought, to wait and lay a trap for the pretended astrologer, by asking him at another time to answer a different question, of which it should be certain that he had no previous knowledge. The conclusion w

t last. 'I will not he

reseen question one of these days to test

for the remark expressed exact

do so. How did you kn

ecisely like the nine-tenths of the next? The difficulties of l

ce must have b

ch me to recognise the point at which

t is tha

test in life, and t

in riddles,

succeeds in guessing its solution he cries out th

are a man-hat

canty imagination. The world is a flower-garden. If you like the flowers, pluck them. Happiness cons

body ought

sequences. That is the stumbling-block-the lack of

ed Greif. 'Life is a

Certainly.'

vely. 'Death is the most serious of all

it. Serious? Why, it is the affair of a mo

e afterwards does

ing made miserable by the concoctions of

nded shallow in the mouth of a Korps student, discussing the immortality of the soul over his twentieth measure of beer, produced a very different impression when they fell from the lips of the sober astronomer with

telegram,' said Re

hy lecture to-morrow?' asked

rha

darkness of the descent. As Greif went down the narrow street, Rex stood on the threshold, shading the light with his hand a

e he did not move, but remained in his place, with half-closed eyes, apparently ruminating upon the past conversation. When he

d sight in their eyes, and they could not be reconciled to it. But Greif explained that he was thinking seriously of his final degree, and that he must be excused for frequenting the society of a much older man, after

short and unsatisfactory, and never evoked in his heart that thrill of pity and love which had so much surprised him in himself during the last weeks at home. He wrote to Hilda, but her letters in reply had a sadness in them that made him almost fear to break the seal. It was at such moments that the anxiety for the future came upon him with redoubled force, until he began to believe that the person most directly threatened by that fata

It was nevertheless a fact that Greif asked his friend's advice almost daily, and profited greatly thereby, as well as by the inexhaustible fund of information which the mathematician placed at his disposal. Nevertheless Greif did not lay the trap by which he ha

cause it was not frequented by the students, and they were more free from interruption than in one of the ordinary beer saloons of the town. They had finished their meal and, the cloth

sight. His name was Bauer, and he had of late gained a considerable reputation as a fighter. Rex glanced curiously at him once, and then, as though one look had been enough to fix his mental photograph, did not turn his eyes towards him again. Bauer ordered a measure of beer, lighted a black cigar and leaned back against the wall, gloomily eyeing the people

f, interrupting himself in the m

' answered Rex. 'Go

ferred my own part of the country, though yo

ers the place where he is born, I suppose, provided his associations with it are a

fall and term-c

eif. 'Look at the Rhine, how f

ce of the other student, who had risen and stoo

s Bauer-from Cologne-I must beg you not to insult

quarrel with him upon such a pretence. Before he could answer, however, Rex ant

since they had become friends Greif recognised the angry accents he

Bauer. 'Who are yo

iends the Swabians wil

with you,' said Greifenstein

Rex offered him, and then, with a scarcely perce

he departing student. His face expressed his annoyance at t

suggested

seat. 'There is to be fighting to-morrow morning, a dozen duel

ed the other, putting his pencil

aimed Greif

I insulted him roundly, b

tudent of Heaven knows how many semesters, want

the head of your Korps to arrange

ry for that brown beard of yours, if a deep-carte necessitated sha

That young man will not fight another round for

a famous schl

cial. But I can s

He came here expressly to pick a quarrel with me, who am supposed to be the bes

. I will stay here till you come ba

and probably a dozen others. At every step the situation seemed more disagreeable, and more wholly unaccountable. He could not imagine why Rex should have cared to mix in the quarrel, and he was annoyed

get his favourite drinking-cup filled with beer. The second in charge, a burly fellow with many

when he was seated at the board an

what remained in his huge measure and handed the mug to a fox to be filled. The

the Palmengarten,' s

he man because he took Greif away from them. There was a gleam of hope for the chief if he h

with both of us. He says his name is Bauer. Rex called him a s

ed all the stu

ond, blowing the foam from his ale. 'Provid

iend,' said G

magic, and the burly second set

ted and appealed to me as the head of a Korps to get the matter se

as a Philistine! He must be forty years old! W

we must oblige hi

more solemnly than before. He rarely said much else, a

d see the second of the Rhine Korps at once. Rex is waiting for the an

' answered the second, with an unusual flight of rh

students as Greif showed signs

Rex waiting,'

means to fight, he is not such a Philis

rdless youth of vast proportions who sat silent at the end of the table. 'Go to the Palmengarten and s

ed and left the room. Greif was his idol, the type whi

e of the young men, who sat opposite

' answered

ely, but he did not proceed further than the first line of the old song. So

tercourse with the Korps. I have my own ideas about what he will do, though Bauer is a devil at deep-carte and has a long arm. Until the question is settled you have no right to laugh at an honourable man who is to be our guest-at-arms, because he is not a Korps student. He is our guest as much as the chief of the Heidelberg Saxo-Prussians was when he came over last spring to fight

!' roared twenty

's speeches usually did, and every student d

a schlager since the days of the flood. It is not likely that he can get the better of such a fellow

e you will feel better; or else Bauer will set a deep-carte into Rex's jaw, exactly where he hit you, and if

d the student. 'Here he comes,' he added as the

and smiled serenely. He had often been a guest of the Swabians and knew all present.

mes not as usual to share the drinking-horn and the yellow-black song-book. H

student, holding his cup out towards R

The phrases are consecrated by immemorial usage. He drank, bowed and resumed his seat. He knew well enough that th

ith Bauer. You could not have picked out a man whom I detest more cordially. Observe this slash i

ng the scar. 'A regular renommir schmiss, a

else. He has the most surprising limberness of wrist, and he never hits the bandage by mistake-never! You strike high tierce like lightning and

ion was evident. He wanted to frighten Rex by an account of his adversa

put a silver thaler in my cheek and save m

ghter greeted

ted the student, laughing with the rest.

'But I once saw a man fight

?' was asked

fter the other, like the days of the week in a calendar. But when the third semester began, and the cartes began to fall too near together, and sometimes two in the same place, the doctors said that the nose was worn-out, though it had once been good. And the man told the second in charge, and the second told the first, and the first laid the matter before the assembled Korps. Thereupon the whole Seniorum Conventus sat in solemn committee upon this war-worn nose, and decided that its owner need fight no more. But he was not only brave; he possessed the invention of Prometheus, combined with the diabolical sense of humour which so much distinguished the late Mephistopheles. He offered to go on fighting if he might

when he had finished, the students roared with delight. Rex had never before given

omething about it,' said

r out the nose,' answered

,' cried Rex, draini

e with the proboscis,' he added

voice of the burly second as he entered

ed to hear the deliberations of their elders upon such grave matters, rose together and filed ou

Greif. 'Is i

st. I said the Philistine insisted-excus

d his nose in a

rrow morning?' a

back entrance

f. 'Are we to fight in the Pal

dded, and lig

playing-palm trees in background.' 'Then we mu

el, and is going out by the early train t

the morning like a sp

er pairs?' asked

gone to bed and I am going to send the foxes aft

,' said Rex, who seem

, Rex was teaching them all a new song, which was not in the book, his clear strong voice ringing out steadily and tunefully through the smoky chamber, hi

ight of a huge silver-mounted h

ow night, with your permission

uted the exc

ed the student whom Bauer had w

down the floor,' answered the

and turning to Rex. 'If you do, I will empty it after

eing how probable it was that by the next evening Rex would be in bed, with a bag of

then!' said Rex. 'L

eet, silently and quietly, in fear of