“I am surprised,” he once said to him, by no means amiably, “that after so solemn an event, you are capable of such superficial trifling.”

“A strong character!” said Fleischmann, laconically.

“Don’t you think,” Frederick continued, “that Miss Hahlstroem may be annoyed by your constantly looking at her?”

“No,” said Fleischmann, “I don’t think so.”

Ingigerd took Fleischmann’s part, thereby heightening Frederick’s ill humour.

LV

Shortly after, just as Wendler, who was off duty, passed by with a chess-board under his arm, Frederick was summoned to Mrs. Liebling.  Of the two physicians, he was the one that had inspired her special confidence, why, he did not know.

“Doctor von Kammacher,” said Doctor Wilhelm, with a swift side glance at Ingigerd, “you’ve cut me out again.”

At least once every twenty minutes Mrs. Liebling called for Flitte and at least once every hour Frederick von Kammacher had to sit beside her on the edge of her bed.  Strangely enough, it did not occur to the young scientist to take amiss the jokes that Doctor Wilhelm and the others aimed at him on that account.  He was really sorry for the poor woman and was unaffectedly ready to be of service to her.

They had not yet informed her of Siegfried’s death, but, now that only Ella kept coming to her, a suspicion had arisen in her mind.  Flitte and Rosa, when she begged them to go fetch Siegfried, always returned without him, and when pressed, gave as the reason that the boy was sick.

“What is the matter with my dear, sweet Siegfried?” she cried, wringing her hands, when Frederick entered her cabin.  The next moment she fell back on her pillow and lay rigid, pressing her hands to her eyes.

“O my God!  O my God!” she exclaimed in impotent denial of the truth.  Without waiting for what Frederick had to say, she began to cry quietly, in genuine grief.

On returning to the deck half an hour later, Frederick found the fat little engineer and Ingigerd playing chess together.

“The painter and I have made Miss Hahlstroem laugh three times already,” cried the engineer.

“I know where you were, Doctor von Kammacher,” Ingigerd said.  “Does she know the truth now?”

“Yes,” Frederick replied.  “I hope she will be quieter now.”

Ingigerd wanted to go down to Mrs. Liebling.  Tears came to her eyes, and revealed, as with a ray of light shining inward, what she refrained from saying, that she who had lost her father was most fitted to share the grief of a mother who through the same misfortune had lost her son.  Frederick was indignant that Ingigerd had been told, and used all his authority to prevail upon her not to visit Mrs. Liebling for the present.

LVI