"You know it," he murmured faintly between his closed teeth.
The Landrath bowed. "Nevertheless I must ask for information on the subject."
The mob sent up a shout of scornful laughter.
"Do for him at once! put him in chains!" roared the same hiccoughing voice that had made use of an abusive epithet earlier in the proceedings.
The Landrath gracefully waved his long white hands.
"A note has been made of that refusal?" he asked without turning round.
A small quavering pipe behind him, which greatly amused the Schrandeners, answered in the affirmative.
Then he continued with imperturbable politeness.
"May I ask you, then, to tell me to which company you were attached?"
Boleslav did so, and also gave the names of his Heide comrades.
The Landrath turned over the leaves of his portfolio with an air of ennui. The concerns of the volunteer Jägers evidently had no interest for him.
"I do not doubt your word, _Herr Baron_, but have you proofs to back _this_ statement?"
"A note must be made of that negative. And then you entered the Landwehr?"
Boleslav indicated, with a motion of his head, the companion of his boyhood.
"Because I did not wish to meet that man."
Felix gave a scoffing laugh, and exclaimed, "Else the swindle would----" A sign from the Landrath silenced him.
The Landrath bowed low over the portfolio till his shock of hair almost concealed his faded shrunken face.
"So far that coincides with my information," he said, and then read: "There was a Lieutenant Baumgart, who at the time of the armistice entered the regiment. Besides him there were four other officers of this name in the army. The one in question, however, met his death between the 1st and 3rd of March on the Marne."
"How did you learn that, _Herr Landrath_?"
"It is in the Gazette, _Herr Baron_. He is said to have been sent on a special mission, and shot by grenadiers in General Marmont's corps."
Boleslav felt his blood mount swiftly to his brow. The proudest and most arduous moments of his life rose vividly before him. "That is a mistake," he cried; "Lieutenant Baumgart fell into the hands of the enemy severely wounded, but escaped with his life."
"And it is your desire to be identified with that fallen emissary?"
"I believe I have clearly shown that it is my desire."