“You yourself would be committing a crime, against me and against this house,” he said menacingly.  “Beware!  Can self-delusion go so far that you dare to appeal to me to testify to the fable you have trumped up....”

“No.  Oh, no!  That would be counting on some honesty in you yet,” she loudly broke in.  “I have other witnesses:  “Mary, the granddaughter of the Mukaukas,” and she tried to catch his eye.

“The child whose little heart you have won, and who follows you about like a pet dog!” he cried.

“And besides Mary, Katharina, the widow Susannah’s daughter,” she added, sure of her triumph, and the color mounted to her cheeks.  “She is no longer a child, but a maiden grown, as you know.  I therefore demand of you—­” and she again turned to the assembly—­“that you will fulfil your functions worthily and promote justice in my behalf by calling in both these witnesses and hearing their evidence.”

On this Orion interposed with forced composure:  “As to whether a soft-hearted child ought to be exposed to the temptation to save the friend she absolutely worships by giving evidence before the judges, be it what it may, only her grandparents can decide.  Her tender years would at any rate detract from the validity of her evidence, and I am averse to involving a child of this house in this dubious affair.  With regard to Katharina, it is, on the contrary, the duty of this court to request her presence, and I offer myself to go and fetch her.”

He resolutely resisted Paula’s attempts to interrupt him again:  she should have a patient hearing presently in the presence of her witness.  The gem no doubt had come to her from her father.  But at this her righteous indignation was again too much for her; she cried out quite beside herself: 

“No, and again no.  Some reprobate scoundrel, an accomplice of yours—­ yes, I repeat it—­made his way into my room while I was in the sick-room, and either forced the lock of my trunk or opened it with a false key.”

“That can easily be proved,” said Orion.  In a confident tone he desired that the box should be placed on the table, and requested one of the council, who understood such matters, to give his opinion.  Paula knew the man well.  He was one of the most respected members of the household, the chief mechanician whose duty it was to test and repair the water-clocks, balances, measures and other instruments.  He at once proceeded to examine the lock and found it in perfect order, though the key, which was of peculiar form, could certainly not have found a substitute in any false key; and Paula was forced to admit that she had left the trunk locked at noon and had worn the key round her neck ever since.  Orion listened to his opinion with a shrug, and before going to seek Katharina gave orders that Paula and the nurse should be conducted to separate rooms.  To arrive at any clear decision in this matter, it was necessary that any communication between these two should be rendered impossible.  As soon as the door was shut on them he hastened into the garden, where he hoped to find Katharina.