Marget announced a party, and invited forty people; the date for it was seven days away.This was a fine opportunity.Marget's house stood by itself, and it could be easily watched.All the week it was watched night and day.Marget's household went out and in as usual, but they carried nothing in their hands, and neither they nor others brought anything to the house.This was ascertained.Evidently rations for forty people were not being fetched.If they were furnished any sustenance it would have to be made on the premises.It was true that Marget went out with a basket every evening, but the spies ascertained that she always brought it back empty.
The guests arrived at noon and filled the place.Father Adolf followed;also, after a little, the astrologer, without invitation.The spies had informed him that neither at the back nor the front had any parcels been brought in.He entered, and found the eating and drinking going on finely, and everything progressing in a lively and festive way.He glanced around and perceived that many of the cooked delicacies and all of the native and foreign fruits were of a perishable character, and he also recognized that these were fresh and perfect.No apparitions, no incantations, no thunder.That settled it.This was witchcraft.And not only that, but of a new kind--a kind never dreamed of before.It was a prodigious power, an illustrious power; he resolved to discover its secret.The announcement of it would resound throughout the world, penetrate to the remotest lands, paralyze all the nations with amazement--and carry his name with it, and make him renowned forever.It was a wonderful piece of luck, a splendid piece of luck; the glory of it made him dizzy.
All the house made room for him; Marget politely seated him; Ursula ordered Gottfried to bring a special table for him.Then she decked it and furnished it, and asked for his orders.
"Bring me what you will," he said.
I was not expecting Satan, for it was more than a week since I had seen or heard of him, but now he came in--I knew it by the feel, though people were in the way and I could not see him.I heard him apologizing for intruding; and he was going away, but Marget urged him to stay, and he thanked her and stayed.She brought him along, introducing him to the girls, and to Meidling, and to some of the elders; and there was quite a rustle of whispers: "It's the young stranger we hear so much about and can't get sight of, he is away so much." "Dear, dear, but he is beautiful--what is his name?" "Philip Traum." "Ah, it fits him!" (You see, "Traum" is German for "Dream.") "What does he do?" "Studying for the ministry, they say." "His face is his fortune--he'll be a cardinal some day." "Where is his home?" "Away down somewhere in the tropics, they say--has a rich uncle down there." And so on.He made his way at once;everybody was anxious to know him and talk with him.Everybody noticed how cool and fresh it was, all of a sudden, and wondered at it, for they could see that the sun was beating down the same as before, outside, and the sky was clear of clouds, but no one guessed the reason, of course.
The astrologer had drunk his second beaker; he poured out a third.He set the bottle down, and by accident overturned it.He seized it before much was spilled, and held it up to the light, saying, "What a pity--it is royal wine." Then his face lighted with joy or triumph, or something, and he said, "Quick! Bring a bowl."It was brought--a four-quart one.He took up that two-pint bottle and began to pour; went on pouring, the red liquor gurgling and gushing into the white bowl and rising higher and higher up its sides, everybody staring and holding their breath--and presently the bowl was full to the brim.
"Look at the bottle," he said, holding it up; "it is full yet!" I glanced at Satan, and in that moment he vanished.Then Father Adolf rose up, flushed and excited, crossed himself, and began to thunder in his great voice, "This house is bewitched and accursed!" People began to cry and shriek and crowd toward the door."I summon this detected household to--"His words were cut off short.His face became red, then purple, but he could not utter another sound.Then I saw Satan, a transparent film, melt into the astrologer's body; then the astrologer put up his hand, and apparently in his own voice said, "Wait--remain where you are." All stopped where they stood."Bring a funnel!" Ursula brought it, trembling and scared, and he stuck it in the bottle and took up the great bowl and began to pour the wine back, the people gazing and dazed with astonishment, for they knew the bottle was already full before he began.
He emptied the whole of the bowl into the bottle, then smiled out over the room, chuckled, and said, indifferently: "It is nothing--anybody can do it! With my powers I can even do much more."A frightened cry burst out everywhere."Oh, my God, he is possessed!"and there was a tumultuous rush for the door which swiftly emptied the house of all who did not belong in it except us boys and Meidling.
We boys knew the secret, and would have told it if we could, but we couldn't.We were very thankful to Satan for furnishing that good help at the needful time.
Marget was pale, and crying; Meidling looked kind of petrified; Ursula the same; but Gottfried was the worst--he couldn't stand, he was so weak and scared.For he was of a witch family, you know, and it would be bad for him to be suspected.Agnes came loafing in, looking pious and unaware, and wanted to rub up against Ursula and be petted, but Ursula was afraid of her and shrank away from her, but pretending she was not meaning any incivility, for she knew very well it wouldn't answer to have strained relations with that kind of a cat.But we boys took Agnes and petted her, for Satan would not have befriended her if he had not had a good opinion of her, and that was indorsement enough for us.He seemed to trust anything that hadn't the Moral Sense.
