When she came to herself she was lying on the sofa in
her husband's smoking room, her dress in disorder, and the maids
busy about her. She first looked round her startled, then her memory
returned with a flash, and she cried with quivering lips: "How is
Willy--and Dr. Eynhardt?"
"Master Willy has quite come round, and they are putting him to
bed," the servants hastened to answer.
"But Dr. Eynhardt?"
To that they had no reply.
Malvine jumped up and would have rushed out.
"Gnadige Frau!" cried the girls, horrified, "you can't go out like
that!"
They held her back; Malvine struggled to free herself, but at that
moment there was a sound of heavy footsteps and a confused murmur of
voices in the hall, some one flung open the door, the man-servant
put in his head, but started back at sight of his mistress and
closed the door abruptly. Then he went on, and the footsteps and
murmuring voices followed him.
"They are bringing him in!" shrieked Malvine, and they could hold
her back no longer. A moment later and she knew that she was right.
On the billiard-table, in the room to the right of the hall, lay
Wilhelm's motionless form, while the people who had carried him in
stood round. Water flowed from his clothes and made little pools on
the green cloth and trickled into the leather pockets of the
billiard-table.
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