At Wilhelm's entrance with a friendly "Good-evening," the woman rose
from her seat and gazed at the intruder with hostile eyes, the
children ceased swinging their legs, and the workman shrank away
from the window into the deeper shadow of the corner.
"The landlord," Stubbe announced solemnly.
Frau Wander threw up her head. "Now then, what do you want now?" she
said hurriedly, her bitter tone beginning on the ordinary pitch, but
rising rapidly to a shrewish scream. "It's the rent, I suppose; and
I suppose we're to have notice to quit? It's all one to me. I've got
no money and so I tell you; but what's here you can keep, and you
can have the skin off my back too, and I'll throw in the children
beside. They can drag a milk-cart as well as dogs. Why don't you cut
my throat at once and have done with it?"
"But, my good woman," cried Stubbe, horror-stricken, "what are you
thinking of? The Herr Doctor only means well by you."
Wilhelm had come quite close to the poor thing, who had worked
herself up into such a state of excitement that she was trembling
from head to foot, and said in that gentle voice of his that always
found its way to the heart:
"You are worrying yourself unnecessarily, Frau Wander. I have not
come about the rent, and nobody is going to turn you out of your
home.
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