But the widow kept straight on, till she had got out the fact that I was a stranger and an American.

The man's face changed at once; brightened, became even eager--and the next moment he and I were alone together.
I opened up in cast-iron German; he responded in quite flexible English; thereafter we gave the German language a permanent rest.
This consumptive and I became good friends.

I visited him every day, and we talked about everything.

At least, about everything but wives and children.

Let anybody's wife or anybody's child be mentioned, and three things always followed: the most gracious and loving and tender light glimmered in the man's eyes for a moment; faded out the next, and in its place came that deadly look which had flamed there the first time I ever saw his lids unclose; thirdly, he ceased from speech, there and then for that day; lay silent, abstracted, and absorbed; apparently heard nothing that I said; took no notice of my good-byes, and plainly did not know, by either sight or hearing, when I left the room.
When I had been this Karl Ritter's daily and sole intimate during two months, he one day said, abruptly-- 'I will tell you my story.' A DYING MAN S CONFESSION Then he went on as follows:-- I have never given up, until now.