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Strauch, Dora; Brockmann, Walter / Satan came to Eden
(1936)
Chapter XX: The stage is set, pp. 204-210
Page 204
Chapter XX: THE STAGE IS SET ME WENT ON, THE STRANGENESS OF THE ATMOSPHERE surrounding the Baroness and her household in- creased, until one found oneself moving in a maze of clues and counter-clues wherever her least action was concerned. Try as we might to keep ourselves with- drawn from all the petty sordidness she brought with her to our island, it was inevitable that we should become continu- ally involved directly and indirectly in "situations." There were no more visits exchanged between Friedo and the "Hacienda Paradise," as she had dubbed her place, but on the other hand it proved possible to avoid open hostilities. Since Lorenz came no more, our chief source of news was Wittmer, with whom we very nearly quarreled, owing to the Baroness's inspiring him with the idea that it was most likely we who had stolen his boat. Perhaps it was because he found us so unmoved by this insinuation that Wittmer decided to examine more closely the incidents of all thefts of which he had been the victim. When he had done this, he could hardly escape the conclusion that the Baroness bore the guilt. This led to a fresh scene, which ended in Wittmer's forbidding his wife to associate with the Baroness in any way in future. On one of Wittmer's visits he brought us two documents to look at, which he had found pinned on the barrel at Post Office Bay. Whether anyone but himself had seen them he could not say. They were written in German-rather stupid and ineffectual, I thought, considering that most callers would be more familiar with English or Spanish. One contained a formal charge against Frederick and me for having slandered the Baroness, and against Frederick for having refused to render her medical aid when called upon to do so. Needless to say, no such request had ever been made. The second document was an equally formal charge against Herr Wittmer, accusing him of trespassing upon her property, and of falsely ac- cusing herself, her "husband," and their "comrade Lorenz," in the matter of certain goods (milk, lead, etc.) alleged to have been re- ceived by her in his behalf and not delivered. Besides these, there was a "Wanted to Purchase" bill for four hundred sheets of corrugated iron, forty window frames, and hard- 204
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