I
It was all over.
The visit of the doctor was over; and so was that of the coroner. The
investigations of the various boards, including that of the fire
department, the cross-examination, the taking of evidence, the coming to
a decision--all this was over.
The cause of the fire remained unexplained; a guilty party could not be
found. Philippina Schimmelweis had sworn that the fire had already
started when she reached the attic. It was therefore assumed that the
suicide had knocked over a lighted candle in her last moments.
The crowd of acquaintances and close friends had disappeared; this was
over too. Hardened souls expressed their conventional sympathy to
Kapellmeister Nothafft. That a man who had carried his head so high had
suddenly been obliged to lower it in humility awakened a feeling of
satisfaction. The punished evil-doer again gained public favour. Women
from the better circles of society expatiated at length on the question
whether a relation which in all justice would have to be designated as a
criminal one while the poor woman was living could be transformed into a
legal one after the lapse of a certain amount of time. With pimplike
generosity and match-making indulgence they decided that it could.
The funeral was also over. Gertrude was buried in St. John's Cemetery on
a stormy day.
The preacher had preached a sermon, the mourners had stood with their
hands stuffed in their coat pockets and their furs, for it was cold. As
the coffin was lowered into the grave, Jordan cried out: "Farewell,
Gertrude! Until we meet again, my child!"
There was one man who crowded right up to the edge of the grave: it was
Herr Carovius. He looked over his nose glasses at Jordan and Daniel and
Eleanore. It seemed to him that the latter, with her pale face and her
black dress, was more beautiful than the most beautiful Madonna any
Italian or Spaniard had ever immortalised on imperishable canvas.
He turned his frightened face to one side, and came very nearly falling
over the heaped-up earth by the grave.
With regard to Daniel's conduct, Pflaum, the apothecary, had this to
say: "I should have expected more grief and sorrow from him, and not so
much sullenness."
"A hard-hearted man, an exceedingly hard-hearted man," said Herr
Seelenfromm in his grief.
Daniel was severely criticised for his discourteous treatment of the
people from the City Theatre, every one of whom had come to the funeral.
When several of them shook hands with him, he merely nodded, and blinked
his eyes behind the round glasses which he had been wearing for some
time.
Judge Kleinlein said: "He should be very grateful for the Christian
burial, for despite the evidence that was turned in, it was not
satisfactorily proved that the woman was in her right mind."
Eleanore looked into the open grave. She thought: "Guilt is being heaped
upon guilt, deep, serious guilt."
All this was over now. Daniel and Eleanore and Jordan had come back to
the house.