Free The Master of the Day of Judgment by Leo Perutz Page A

his word of honour? No."
    "It wouldn't be his first?" said the engineer. "What do you mean by that?"
    "Good gracious, he's a cavalry officer, isn't he? Am I to give you my views on duelling standing here in this draught? He's capable of ruthlessness to the point of brutality, I could tell you a tale about that — your overcoat's hanging on the rack over there — he can be in love with a horse or a dog, but I assure you that the life of a human being who stands in his way doesn't mean very much to him."
    "I think you're quite wrong about him. My impression ..."
    "Listen just a minute, I know him — wait a moment — I've known him for fifteen years ..."
    "But I know a little about human nature, too. He has never given me the impression of ruthlessness or brutality. On the contrary, he strikes me as a very sensitive individual, living only for his music, basically shy and retiring ..."
    "My dear engineer, which of us can be summed up in a few simple characteristics? You can't sum up the whole character of a human being in a few catch-phrases. Human character is not such a simple thing as one of your green bobbins, charged with either positive or negative electricity. It may be perfectly true that he's sensitive or over-sensitive, and he may be shy and retiring, but there's room for plenty of other things too, believe me."
    I was standing bent over a sheet of music and I dared not move, as the door was ajar and the slightest movement might betray my presence. I wasn't interested in their discussion, all I wanted was that they should go away as quickly as possible, for having to play the eavesdropper was painful to me. But they went on talking, and I had to listen, whether I wanted to or not.
    "But telling a lie on his word of honour, no," the doctor said. "There are inner moral imperatives that even the greatest cynic does not infringe. Social status, family tradition, sense of honour — no, a Baron von Yosch does not tell a lie on his word of honour. Felix is wrong."
    "Felix is wrong," the engineer repeated. "That was obvious to me from the first moment. We find an old trail, and instead of following it right back to its source, instead of taking the most obvious course, the course that lies nearest to hand ..."
    "What on earth has the baron to do with the suicide of that Academy student? That's a question Felix ought to have asked . . . Eugen Bischoff is dead, I still can't grasp the fact."
    "We'll get to the bottom of it, doctor, it's our duty. Are you willing to help me?"
    "Help you? What can we do except to let things take their course?"
    "Oh? Let things take their course?" the engineer exclaimed loudly and excitedly. "No, doctor, that's something I've never done in my life. To me letting things take their course has always been the most loathsome of the disguises assumed by sloth. Letting things take their course means saying: I'm too stupid, too lazy or too heartless ..."
    "Thank you," said Dr Gorski. "You really are a good judge of human nature. "
    "Perhaps, doctor. You see, the baron whom you call a ruthless man of action, a man without conscience or inhibitions — believe me, doctor, he strikes me as being like one of our Russian borzois. Do you know the breed? Slender, proud, not very active mentally, but thoroughly aristocratic, they look as if you ought to be wary of them, though actually if their life is threatened in any way they are utterly helpless. We must think for him, doctor. Do you really propose to leave him in the lurch? If things are left to take their course, they'll inevitably turn against him, and at the end of that road there's the revolver, bear that in mind. Haven't there been enough sacrifices, doctor?"
    Dr Gorski did not answer. For a whole minute I heard him rummaging about, and then something crashed to the floor. This was followed by some angry muttering, which gave way to a series of very expressive curses.
    "What are you looking for?" asked the engineer.
    "My stick, where on earth did I