Paul, on the other hand, did not seem to mind the cold; he was still too hot with the excitement of the evening.

The waltz rang so clearly in his ears that he could have danced over the snow-covered pavement, and the lights and mirrors of the ballroom shone so clearly before his eyes, and enveloped the dancers with such reality that the desert of the silent, faintly-lit Koniggratzer Strasse was alive as if by ghosts.

He recalled to his mind the whole evening, and in the fullness of his heart exclaimed, "Wilhelm, I hope never to forget this New Year's Eve." Wilhelm looked at him astonished.

"I do not share in your feelings.

How can a glance at such vanity in thinking men give one any feeling except that of pity ?" "I am not hurt at the hardness of your judgment, because you don't understand what I am saying.