"And you are ready, of course, to give me a helping hand? You are a
contemptible scoundrel, Thomas Magnus."
"If that's what you call me--yes. Something on that order."
"And a liar!"
"Perhaps. In general, dear Wondergood, it is very necessary for you to
change your outlook on life and man. You are too much of an idealist."
"And you"--I rose from my chair--"for you it is necessary to change
your fellow conversationalist. Permit me to bid you good-by and to
send a police commissary in my place."
Magnus laughed.
"Nonsense, Wondergood! Everything has been done within the law. You,
yourself, have handed over everything to me. This will surprise no
one...with your love for humanity. Of course, you can proclaim
yourself insane. You understand?--and then, perhaps, I may get to the
penitentiary. But you--you will land in an insane asylum. You would
hardly like that, dear friend. Police! Well, go on talking. It will
relieve the first effects of the blow."
I think it was really difficult for me to conceal my excitement. I
hurled my cigar angrily into the fireplace, while my eye carefully
measured both the window and Magnus...no, this carcass was too big
to play ball with.
At that moment the loss of my wealth had not yet fully impressed
itself upon my mind and it was that which maddened me as much as the
brazen tone of Magnus and the patronizing manner of the old scoundrel.
In addition, I dimly sensed something portentous of evil and sorrow,
like a threat: as if some real danger were lurking not in front of me
but behind my back.
"What is this all about?" I shouted, stamping my foot.
"What is this all about?" replied Magnus, like an echo. "Yes, I
really cannot understand why you are so excited, Wondergood. You
have so frequently offered me this money and even forced it upon me
and now, when the money is in my hands, you want to call the police!
Of course," Magnus smiled--"there is a slight distinction here: in
placing your money so magnanimously at my _disposal_, you still
remained its master and the master of the situation, while now...you
understand, old friend: now I can simply drive you out of this house!"
I looked at Magnus significantly. He replied with no less a
significant shrug of the shoulders and cried angrily:
"Stop your nonsense. I am stronger than you are. Do not try to be more
of a fool than is absolutely necessitated by the situation."
"You are an unusually brazen scoundrel, Signor Magnus!"
"Again! How these sentimental souls do seek consolation in words! Take
a cigar and listen to me. I have long needed money, a great deal of
money. In my past, which I need not disclose to you, I have suffered
certain...failures. They irritated me considerably. Fools and
sentimental souls, you understand? My energy was imprisoned under lock
and key, like a bird in a cage. For three years I sat in this cursed
cage, awaiting my chance...."
"And all that--in the beautiful Campagna?"
"Yes, in the beautiful Campagna...and I had already begun to lose
hope, when you appeared. I find it difficult to express myself at this
point...."
"Be as direct as you can. Have no compunctions."
"You seemed very strange with all this love of yours for men and your
_play_, as you finally termed it, and, my friend, for a long time I
had grave doubts as to what you really were: an extraordinary fool
or just a scoundrel, like myself. You see, such extraordinary asses
appear so seldom that even I had my doubts. You are not angry?"
"Oh, not at all."
"You forced money upon me and I thought: a trap! However you made your
moves quickly and certain precautions on my part...."
"Pardon me for interrupting. So, those books of yours, your solitary
contemplation of life, that little white house and everything was all
a lie? And murder--do you remember all that drivel about hands steeped
in blood?"
"Yes, I did kill. That is true. And I have pondered much upon life,
while awaiting you, but the rest, of course, was falsehood. Very base
falsehood, but you were so credulous...."
"And.. Maria?"
I confess that I had hardly uttered this name when I felt something
clutching at my throat. Magnus looked at me sharply and said gloomily:
"We will discuss Maria, too. But how excited you are! Even your nails
have turned blue. Perhaps you'll have some wine? Well, never mind. Have
patience. I shall continue. When you began your affair with Maria...of
course with my slight assistance...I finally concluded that you
were...."
"An extraordinary ass?"
Magnus raised his hand in a consoling gesture:
"Oh, no! You seemed to me to be that at the beginning. I will tell you
quite truthfully, as I do everything I am telling you now: you are not
a fool at all, Wondergood. I have grown to know you more intimately. It
doesn't matter that you have so naïvely surrendered your billions to
me...many wise men have been fooled before by clever...scoundrels! Your
misfortune is quite another thing."