claimed the baron, quite tickled; 'Ha! ha! that's a good one.' (This was the first time the baron had laughed for many a long day.)
"'I say,' expostulated the figure, looking very much scared; 'don't do that again.'
"'Why not?' demanded the baron.
"'Because it gives me a pain all over,' replied the figure. 'Sigh as much as you please; that does me good.'
"The baron sighed mechanically at the mention of the word, and the figure brightening up again, handed him the hunting-knife with most winning politeness.
"'It's not a bad idea though,' said the baron, feeling the edge of the weapon; 'a man killing himself because he has too much money.'
"'Pooh!' said the apparition, petulantly, 'no better than a man's killing himself because he has got none or little.'
"Whether the genius unintentionally committed himself in saying this, or whether he thought the baron's mind was so thoroughly made up that it didn't matter what he said, I have no means of knowing. I only know that the baron stopped his hand all of a sudden, opened his eyes wide, and looked as if quite a new light had come upon him for the first time.
"'Why, certainly,' said Von Koëldwethout, 'nothing is too bad to be retrieved.'
"'Except empty coffers,' cried the genius.
"'Well; but they may be one day filled again,' said the baron.
"'Scolding wives,' snarled the genius.
"'Oh! They may be made quiet,' said the baron.
"'Thirteen children,' shouted the genius.
"'Can't all go wrong, surely,' said the baron.
"The genius was evidently growing very savage with the baron for holding these opinions all at once, but he tried to laugh it off, and said if he would let him know when he had left off joking he should feel obliged to him.
"'But I am not joking; I was never farther from it,' remonstrated the baron.
"'Well, I am glad to hear that,' said the genius, looking very grim, 'because a joke, without any figure of speech, is the death of me. Come. Quit this dreary world at once.'
"'I don't know,' said the baron, playing with the knife; 'it's a dreary one certainly, but I don't think yours is much better, for you have not the appearance of being particularly comfortable. That puts me in mind—what security have I that I shall be any the better for going out of the world after all!' he cried, starting up; 'I never thought of that.'
"'Dispatch,' cried the figure, gnashing its teeth.
"'Keep off,' said the baron. 'I'll brood over miseries no longer, but put a good face on the matter, and try the fresh air and the bears again; and if that don't do, I'll talk to the baroness soundly, and cut the Von Swillenhausens dead.' With this, the baron fell into his chair and laughed so loud and boisterously, that the room rang with it.
"The figure fell back a pace or two, regarding the baron meanwhile
