Evening star., 1932-04-09
INSTALLMENT XXVI.

- ARLY In the morning there was
l. a dog on the beach. It was
Tiger. He was lost apd woebe-
IL gone and dripping wet and he
howled In a high and piercing
wall An empty boat with q stern-oar
drtfted on the lake. It was the Dob
bersberg boat The peasant boy who
came down from the mountains every
morning with a milk can on his back
and then rowed across the lake with It,
took the boat In tow and brought IL IN.
Everybody at the Schloss was dis
traught, and an anxious search was
begun. LenitSchka ran diStractedly
from room to room, and through the
buildings and yards. She was weeping
and talking in Bohemian, but everybody
knew what was the matter. A farm
hand went painting up to the meadows
where the young lady had more than
once been found before, but no one
there knew anything of her. Her
mother was at the telephone. The
baron, yellow and ghostlike, got on
horseback and rode on an atmleSs
search up the Wurntal valley. The
guests staying in the house talked m
diSrnayed whispers.
They were theatrical people from
Vienna. They had been making merry
the night before, and no one had noticed
PuckS disappearance. One of them,
man with broad shoulders and a con-
ceited air. put on leggings and collected
a few farm hands. The Bojan had
nervous collapse and was carried in.
faint to her gondola. Then the rumor
reached Frauensee In the square, in
front of the Big Petermann and on the
promenade people collected in small
groups and talked in low voices. They
had always been told that the girl was
mad. And so now she had jumped into
the lake to join the "a maidens who had
been drowned there in the sixteenth
century.
There was a chill and dri5zling mist,
though the rain of the night was over
Moisture dripped from every tree, and
from every gable, from every blade Of
grass, drops fell to the ground. A
thick white mist was drifting over the
lake. Not a feature of the landscape
was to be seen, not a mountain nor a
house nor a shore. Every sound was
muffled-the chime from the tower the
putting Of the train In the station a
motor horn in the street, the misplaced
gayety of a gramophone in an inn.
After time the mist began to lift. 1t
became transparent and frayed; and
then a tired and chilly sun drank it up.
The motorboat traversed the lake IN
table. 1t looked distracted and aimless,
but it had an aim as 1t went to and fro
like dog on the scent. Every tele-
scope in Frauensee was in requisition.
The last of the visitors sat under the
colonnade Of the market. Herr Eggen-
hofer was telling everybody about it on
the terrace of the big Spitz where the
MayrederS were packing their trunks.
The lake itself that morning had a
S,-~~ - Il. !
choppy waves Silver-gray in the sun
light, were as sportive as lizards, as they
Tapped with a pleasing sound against
the promenade. Small trout rose to
tiny flies on the surface There was
something eerie that morning about the
little-bellied silver fish rising from the
Three boats were dragging the lake
with poles and lines and old-fashioned
nets. There was little hope with such
tackle of reaching the bottom of the
dark brown water, eight meters deep
The actor from Vienna was in command
of one of the boats. He was a gloomy
and imposing figure, and he had pow
erful voice. The baron crouched in
another. He looked as if he was not
quite in his right mind as with lean
hand he pointed first in one direction,
then in another. The rowers rowed
where they were directed, and then
looked down into the water and stirred
their poles about When the poles
touched bottom in the shallower places.
bubbles rose to the surface and burst
without a sound. The third boat was
the heavy, broad-beamed emergency
boat belonging to the bathing establish
ment. Martin was on the second row.
ing seat. He hung over the side looking
as If he might at any moment fall into
the lake
Martin had been the first to be called
out when the word went round to
search the lake He tumbled out of bed
and, putting on his bathing suit and
cl6ak, he got into the boat He had
takI9n it as a matter Of course without
saying word, for he was not in a con-
ditioll to know whether he was awake