Riedel

I mean, this is what people drink their wine out of.

And yet you've got Riedel, which is an amazing brand that has spent so much time and science and effort into creating glasses specific to each grape.

Like, this is how you should appreciate Burgundy.

This is how you should appreciate Bordeaux.

Maybe.

I haven't really tasted every single glass that they've used with every single wine.

And so no offense to Riedel, but I also don't have the space or the money to get all of those glasses.

To me, it's again back to how do you want to enjoy the wine? If you're just sitting outside on the porch with a friend, one, you may not want to break a glass.

No, we have the same thing.

So the reason we're doing that is that we will soon be doing our tastings with our Riedel glasses, which changes.

We will be doing a podcast.

Oh, gosh, we should grab some of those now.

Sort of potted around the kitchen at home growing up.

But really, you know, working out how I like to cook... ...and what I like to cook and that I think... cemented the importance of food to me and so then I went into PR and that's when I landed with some PR clients that you know Peter Gilmore at Key and Victor Churchill and Riedel.

Well obviously PR and that's obviously where our careers have continued to sort of cross over excellent foundations for any career, but it just teaches you so much.

And particularly at that time of PR agencies, it was an incredible way to learn about relationships around work ethic, what it took to kind of achieve results.

You've got to come along.

And then with Thrift Market, which, like I said, is this range of all sorts of things, I bought for myself, and I'm going to brand drop a couple, and people might or might not know them, but I found a set of, or two sets, of Riedel champagne glasses.

Oh, hello.

I know.

[laughs]

But if you, if you want to do it on your Riedel posh wine glasses-

Mm

... you'll get a beautiful sort of ethereal sound.

[laughs] I haven't dropped a glass in a while.

They used to have these wonderful Riedel wine glasses at Wasserstrom's.

Mm-hmm.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

I was looking for a-

And they are Riedel

...

Oh my God, that's gonna be so much fun.

We're gonna, um, talk, we're gonna start using our new glassware from Riedel.

Yes.

Which is gonna be really fun.

Yes.

We're gonna be, um, interviewing, um, podcasting with Maximilian Riedel.

We can't wait for that.

It's gonna be spectacular.

On his return to the police station, he found that notices of the occurrence had already been sent out to the papers.

chapter three of the case of the lamp that went out the autopsy proved beyond a doubt that the murdered man had been dead for many hours before the discovery of his body the bullet which had struck him in the back had pierced the trachea and death had occurred within a few minutes the only marks for identification of the body were the initials l w on his underwear the evening paper printed an exact description of the man's appearance and his clothing it was about ten o'clock next morning when mrs klingmayer a widow living in a quiet street at the opposite end of the city from heitzing returned from her morning marketing it was only a few little bundles that she brought with her and she set about preparing her simple dinner her packages were wrapped in newspapers which she carefully smoothed out and laid on the dresser mrs clingmare was the widow of a street-car conductor and the little pension which she received from the company as well as the money she could earn for herself did not permit the indulgence in a daily newspaper and yet the reading of the papers was the one luxury for which the simple woman longed her grocer who was a friend of years knew this and would wrap her purchases in papers of recent date knowing that she could then enjoy them in her few moments of leisure to-day this leisure came unexpectedly early for mrs klingmayer had less work than usual to attend to her little flat consisted of two rooms and a kitchen with a large closet opening out from it she lived in the kitchen and rented the front rooms her tenants were a middle-aged man inspector in a factory who had the larger room and a younger man who was a bookkeeper in an importing house in the city but this young man had not been at home for forty-eight hours a fact however which did not greatly worry his landlady the gentleman in question lived a rather dissipated life and it was not the first time that he had remained away from home overnight it is true that it was the first time that he had not been home for two successive nights but as mrs clingmere thought everything has to happen the first time sometime it's not likely to be the last time the worthy woman thought at all events she was rather glad of it to-day for she suffered from rheumatism and it was difficult for her to get about the young man's absence saved her the work of fixing up his room that morning and allowed her to get to her reading earlier than usual when she had put the pot of soup on the fire she sat down by the window adjusted her big spectacles and began to read to her great delight she discovered that the paper she held in her hand bore the date of the previous afternoon in spite of the good intentions of her friend the grocer it was not always that she could get a paper of so recent date and she began to read with doubled anticipation of pleasure she did not waste time on the leading articles for she understood little about politics the serial stories were a great delight to her or would have been if she had ever been able to follow them consecutively but her principal joy were the everyday happenings of varied interest which she found in the news columns to-day she was so absorbed in the reading of them that the soup-pot began to boil over and send out rivulets down on to the stove ordinarily this would have shocked mrs clingmare for the neatness of her pots and pans was the one great care of her life but now strange to relate she paid no attention to the soup nor to the smell and the smoke that arose from the stove she had just come upon a notice in the paper which took her entire attention she read it through three times and each time with growing excitement this is what she read murder in heitzing this morning at six o'clock the body of a man about thirty years old was discovered in a lane in heitzing the man must have been dead many hours he had been shot from behind the dead man was tall and thin with brown eyes brown hair and mustache the letters l w were embroidered in his underwear there was nothing else discovered on him that could reveal his identity his watch and purse were not in his pockets presumably they had been taken by the murderer a strange fact is that in one of his pockets a hidden pocket it is true there was the sum of three hundred guldens in bills this was the notice which made mrs klingmayer neglect the soup-pot finally the old woman stood up very slowly threw a glance at the stove and opened the window mechanically then she lifted the pots from the fire and set them on the outer edge of the range and then she did something that ordinarily would have shocked her economical soul she poured water on the fire to put it out when she saw that there was not a spark left in the stove she went into her own little room and prepared to go out her excitement caused her to forget her rheumatism entirely one more look around her little kitchen then she locked it up and set out for the center of the city she went to the office of the importing house where her tenant leopold winkler was employed as a bookkeeper the clerk at the door noticed the woman's excitement and asked her kindly what the trouble was i'd like to speak to mr winkler she said eagerly mr winkler hasn't come in yet answered the young man is anything the matter you look so white winkler will probably show up soon he's never very punctual but it's after eleven o'clock now and he's never been as late as this before i don't believe he'll ever come again said the old woman sinking down on a bench beside the door why what do you mean asked the clerk why shouldn't he come again is the head of the firm here asked mrs clingmayer wiping her forehead with her handkerchief the clerk nodded and hurried away to tell his employer about the woman with the white face who came to ask for a man who as she expressed it would never come there again i don't think she's quite right in the head he volunteered the head of the firm told him to bring the woman into the inner office who are you my good woman he asked kindly softened by the evident agitation of this poorly though neatly dressed woman i am mr winkler's landlady she answered ah and he wants you to tell me that he's sick i'm afraid i can't believe all that this gentleman says i hope he's not asking for your help to lie to me are you sure that his illness is anything else but a case of being up late i don't think he'll ever be sick again i didn't come with any message from him sir please read this sir and she handed him the newspaper showing him the notice while the gentleman was reading she added mr winkler didn't come home last night either winkler's employer read the few lines then laid the paper aside with a very serious face when did you see him last he asked of the woman day before yesterday in the morning he went away about half-past eight as he usually does she replied and then she added a question of her own was he here day before yesterday the merchant nodded and pressed an electric bell then he rose from his seat and pulled up a chair for his visitor sit down here this thing has frightened you and you are no longer young when the servant entered the merchant told him to ask the head bookkeeper to come to the inner office when this official appeared his employer inquired when did winkler leave here day before yesterday at six o'clock as usual he was here all day without interruption yes sir with the exception of the usual luncheon hour did he have the handling of any money monday no sir thank you mr picorni said the merchant handing his employee the evening paper and pointing to the notice which had so interested him picorni read it his face like his employer's growing more serious it looks almost as if it must be winkler sir he said in a few moments we will soon find that out i should like to go to the police station myself with this woman she is winkler's landlady but i think it will be better for you to accompany her they will ask questions about the man which you will be better able to answer than i but corney bowed and left the room mrs klingmayer rose and was about to follow when the merchant asked her to wait a moment and inquired whether winkler owed her anything i am sorry that you should have had this shock and the annoyances and trouble which will come of it but i don't want you to be out of pocket by it no he doesn't owe me anything replied the honest old woman shaking her head a few big tears rolled down over her withered cheeks possibly the only tears that were shed for the dead man under the elder tree but even this sympathetic soul could find nothing to say in his praise she could feel pity for his dreadful death but she could not assert that the world had lost anything by his going out of it as if saddened by the impossibility of finding a single good word to say about the dead man she left the office with drooping head and lagging step picorni helped her into the cab which was already waiting before the door the office force had got wind of the fact that something unusual had occurred and were all at the windows to see them drive off the three clerks who worked in the department to which winkler belonged gathered together to talk the matter over they were none of them particularly hit by it but naturally they were interested in the discovery in heitzing and equally naturally they tried to find a few good words to say about the man whose life had ended so suddenly the youngest of them fritz bohrmann said some kind words and was about to wax more enthusiastic when degenhardt the eldest clerk cut in with the words oh don't trouble yourself nobody ever liked winkler here he was not a good man he was not even a good worker this is the first time that he has had a reasonable excuse for neglecting his duties oh come see here how can you talk about the poor man that way when he is scarcely cold in death yet said fritz indignantly degenhardt laughed harshly did i ever say anything else about him when he was warm and alive death is no reason for changing one's opinion about a man who is good for nothing in life and his death was a stroke of good luck that he scarcely deserved he died without a moment's pain with a merry thought in his head perhaps while many another better man has to linger in torture for weeks no borman the best i can say about winkler is that his death makes one nonentity the less on earth the older man turned to his desk again and the two younger clerks continued the conversation dagonhart seems to be a hard man said fritz but he's the best and kindest person i know and he's dead right in what he says it was simply a case of conventional superstition i never did like that winkler no you're right said the other neither did i and i don't know why for the matter of that he seemed just like a thousand others i never heard of anything particularly wrong that he did no no more did i continued borman but i never heard of anything good about him either and don't you think that it's worse for a man to seem to repel people by his very personality rather than by any particular bad thing that he does yes i don't know how to explain it but that's just how i feel about it i had an instinctive feeling that there was something wrong about winkler the sort of a creepy crawly feeling that a snake gives you chapter three chapter four of the case of the lamp that went out by augusta groener translated by grace isabel cobran this librivox recording is in the public domain speak well of the dead meanwhile picorni and mrs clingmare had reached the police station and were going upstairs to the rooms of the commissioner on service for the day like all people of her class mrs klingmayer stood in great awe and terror of anything connected with the police or the law generally she crept slowly and tremblingly up the stairs behind the head bookkeeper and was very glad when she was left alone for a few minutes while picorni went in to see the commissioner but as soon as his errand was known both the bookkeeper and his companion were led into the office of head commissioner dr von riedau who had charge of the heitzing murder case when dr von riedau heard the reason of their coming his interest was immediately aroused and he pulled a chair to his side for the little thin man with whom he had been talking when the two strangers were ushered in then you believe you could identify the murdered man asked the commissioner from the general description and the initials on his linen i believe it must be leopold winkler answered picorni mrs clingmare has not seen him since monday morning nor has she had any message from him he left the office monday afternoon at six o'clock and that was the last time that we saw him the only thing that makes me doubt his identity is that the paper reports that three hundred gulden were found in his pocket winkler never seemed to have money and i do not understand how he should have been in possession of such a sum the money was found in the dead man's pockets said the commissioner and yet it may be winkler the man you know muller will you order a cab please i have a cab waiting for me but it only holds two volunteered picorni that doesn't matter i'll sit on the box answered the man addressed as muller you're going with us asked yes he will accompany you replied the commissioner this is detective muller sir by a mere chance he happened to be on hand to take charge of this case and he will remain in charge although it may be wasting his talents which we need for more difficult problems if you or anyone else have anything to tell us it must be told only to me or to muller and before you leave to look at the body i would like to know whether the dead man owned a watch or rather whether he had it with him on the day of the murder yes sir he did have a watch a gold watch answered mrs klingmayer redow looked at the bookkeeper who nodded and said yes sir winkler had a watch a gold watch with a double case it was a large watch very thick i happen to have noticed it by chance and also i happen to know that he had not had the watch for very long can you tell us anything more about the watch asked the commissioner of the landlady yes sir there was engraving on the outside cover initials and a crown on the other side what were the initials i don't know that sir at least i'm not sure about it there were so many twists and curves to them that i couldn't make them out i think one of them was a w though sir the other was probably an l then that might be sir the younger clerks in the office might be able to tell something more about the watch said porcorny for they were quite interested in it for a while it was a handsome watch and they were envious of winkler's possession of it but he was so tactless in his boasting about it that they paid no further attention to him after the first excitement you say he didn't have the watch long since spring i think sir he brought it home on the nineteenth of march interrupted mrs klingmeier i remember the day because it was my birthday i pretended that he had brought it home to me for a present was he in the habit of making you presents oh no sir he was very close with his money sir well perhaps he didn't have much money to be generous with now tell me about his watch-chain i suppose he had a watch-chain both the bookkeeper and the landlady nodded and the latter exclaimed oh yes sir i could recognize it in a minute how it was broken once and mr winkler mended it himself i lent him my pliers and he bent the two links together with them it didn't look very nice after that but it was strong again you could see the mark of the pliers easily why didn't he take the chain to the jeweler's to be fixed asked the commissioner the woman smiled it wouldn't have been worth the money sir the chain wasn't real gold but the watch was real wasn't it oh yes sir that was real gold i pawned it once for mr winkler and they gave me twenty-four gulden for it one question more did he have a purse and did he have it with him on the day of the murder yes sir he had a purse and he must have taken it with him because he didn't leave it in his room what sort of a purse was it a brown leather purse sir was it a new one oh no sir it was well worn how big was it about like mine riedel took out his own pocket-book no sir it was a little smaller it had three pockets in it i mended it for him once so i know it well i didn't have any brown thread so i mended it with yellow dr von riedau nodded to muller the latter had been sitting at a little side-table writing down the questions and answers when redow saw this he did not send for a clerk to do the work for muller preferred to attend to such matters himself as much as possible the facts gained in the examination were impressed upon his mind while he was writing them and he did not have to wade through pages of manuscript to get at what he needed now he handed his superior officer the paper thank you said redow i'll send it out to the other police stations i will attend to this myself you go on with these people to see whether they can identify the corpse fifteen minutes later the three stood before the body in the morgue and both the bookkeeper and his companion identified the dead man positively as leopold winkler when the identification was made a notice was sent out to all austrian police stations and to all pawn shops with an exact description of the stolen watch and purse muller led his companions back to the commissioner's office and they made their report to dr von riedau upon being questioned further picorni stated i had very little to do with winkler we only met when he had a report to make to me or to show me his books and we never met outside the office the clerks who worked in the same room with him may know him better i know only that he was a very reserved man and very little liked then i do not need to detain you any longer nor to trouble you further in this affair i thank you for coming to us so promptly it has been of great assistance the bookkeeper left the station but mrs klingmayer who was now quite reassured as to the harmlessness of the police was asked to remain and to tell what she knew of the private life of the murdered man her answers to the various questions put to her proved that she knew very little about her tenant but this much was learned from her that he was very close with his money at times but that again at other times he seemed to have all he wanted to spend at such times he paid all his debts and when he stayed home for supper he would send her out for all sorts of expensive delicacies these extravagant days seemed to have nothing whatever to do with winkler's business pay-day but came at odd times mrs klingmayer remembered two separate times when he had received a postal money order but she did not know from whom the letters came nor even whether they were sent from the city or from some other town winkler received other letters now and then but his landlady was not of the prying kind and she had paid very little attention to them he seemed to have few friends or even acquaintances she did not know of any love affair at least nothing regular he had remained away over night two or three times during the year that he had been her tenant this was about all that mrs clingmere could say and she returned to her home in a cab furnished her by the kind commissioner about two hours later a police attendant announced that a gentleman would like to see dr von riedau on business concerning the murder in heitzing friedrich bohrmann was the name on the card ask him to step in here said the commissioner and please ask mr muller to join us the good-looking young clerk entered the office bashfully and muller slipped in behind him seating himself inconspicuously by the door at a sign from the commissioner the visitor began i am an employee of braun co i have the desk next to leopold winkler during the year that he has been with us the year and a quarter to be exact ah then you know him rather well why yes at least we were together all day although i never met him outside the office then you cannot tell us much about his private life no sir but there was something happened on monday and in talking it over with mr brawn he suggested that i should come to you and tell you about it it wasn't really very important and it doesn't seem as if it could have anything to do with this murder and robbery still it may be of some use everything that would throw light on the dead man's life could be of use said dr von riedau please tell us what it is you know fritz borman began winkler came to the office as usual on monday morning and worked steadily at his desk but i happened to notice that he spoiled several letters and had to rewrite them which showed me that his thoughts were not on his work a frequent occurrence with him however everything went along as usual until eleven o'clock then winkler became very uneasy he looked constantly toward the door compared his watch with the office clock and sprang up impatiently as the special letter-carrier who usually comes about eleven with money orders finally appeared then he was expecting money you think it must have been so for as the letter-carrier passed him he called out haven't you anything for me and as the man shook his head winkler seemed greatly disappointed and depressed before he left to go to lunch he wrote a hasty letter which he put in his pocket he came in half an hour later than the rest of us he had often been reprimanded for his lack of punctuality but it seemed to do no good he was almost always late monday was no exception although he was later than usual that day and what sort of mood was he in when he came back he was irritable and depressed he seemed to be awaiting a message which did not come his excitement hindered him from working he scarcely did anything the entire afternoon finally at five o'clock a messenger boy came with a letter for him i saw that winkler turned pale as he took the note in his hand it seemed to be only a few words written hastily on a card thrust into an envelope winkler's teeth were set as he opened the letter the messenger had already gone away did you notice his number asked dr von riedau no i scarcely noticed the man at all i was looking at winkler whose behavior was so peculiar when he read the card his face brightened he read it through once more then he tore both card and envelope into little bits and threw the pieces out of the open window then he evidently did not want any one to see the contents of this note said a voice from the corner of the room fritz borman looked around astonished and rather doubtful at the little man who had risen from his chair and now came forward without waiting for an answer from the clerk the other continued did winkler have money sent him frequently borman looked inquiringly at the commissioner who replied with a smile you may answer answer anything that mr muller has to ask of you as he is in charge of this case as far as i can remember it happened three times was borman's answer how close together why about once in every three or four months i think that looks like a regular income exclaimed his eyes met muller's which were lit up in sudden fire well what are you thinking of asked the commissioner a woman answered muller and continued more as if thinking aloud than as if addressing the others winkler was a good-looking man might he not have had a rich love somewhere might not the money have come from her the money that was found in his pocket muller's voice trailed off into indistinctness at the last words and the fire died out of his eyes then he laughed aloud the commissioner smiled also a good-natured smile such as one would give to a child who has been overeager it doesn't matter to us where the money came from all that matters here is where the bullet came from the bullet which prevented his enjoying this money and it is of more interest to us to find out who robbed him of his life and his property rather than the source from which this property came the commissioner's tone was friendly but muller's face flushed red and his head dropped redow turned to borman and continued and because it is of no interest to us where his money came from for it can have nothing whatever to do with his murder and the subsequent robbery therefore what you noticed of his behavior cannot be of any importance or bearing in the case in any way unless indeed you should find out anything more but we appreciate the thoughtfulness of yourself and your employer and your readiness to help us borman rose to leave but the commissioner put out a hand to stop him a few moments more please you may know of something else that will be of assistance to us we have heard that winkler boasted of his belongings did he talk about his private affairs in any way no sir i do not think he did you say that he destroyed the note at once evidently realizing that no one must see it this note may have been a promise for the money which had not yet come did he however tell any one later that he expected a certain sum do you think he would have been likely to tell any one no i do not think that he would tell any one he never mentioned to any of us that he had received money or even that he expected to receive it none of us knew what outside resources he might have or whence they came if it had not been that the money was paid him by the carrier in the office two or three times so that we could see it we would none of us have known of this income except for the fact that he was freer in spending after the money came he would dine at expensive restaurants and this fact he would mention to us whereas at other times he would go to the cheap caf do you know anything about the people he was acquainted with outside the office no sir i seldom met him outside of the office one evening it did happen that i saw him at roniker's he was there with a lady that is a so-called lady and it must have been one of the times that he had money for they were enjoying an expensive supper at other times some of the other clerks met him at various resorts always with the same sort of woman but not always with the same woman for they were different in appearance he was never seen anywhere with other men no sir at least not by any of us he was not liked in the office no borman's answer was sharp for what reason i don't know we just didn't like him we had very little to do with him at first because of this and soon we noticed that he seemed just as anxious to avoid us as we were to avoid him the commissioner rose and bohrmann followed his example i am very sorry sir if i have taken up your time to no purpose said the latter modestly as he took up his hat i am not so sure that what you have said may not be of great value to us said a voice behind them muller stood there looking at rideau with a glance almost of defiance his eyes were again lit up with the strange fire that shone in them when he was on the trail the commissioner shrugged his shoulders bowed to the departing visitor and then turned without an answer to some documents on his desk there was silence in the room for a few moments finally a gentle voice came from muller's corner again dr von riedau the commissioner raised his head and looked around oh are you still there he asked with a drawl muller knew what this drawl meant it was the manner adopted by the amiable commissioner when he was in a mood which was not amiable and muller knew also the cause of the mood it was his own last remark the words he addressed to bohrmann muller himself recognized the fact that this remark was out of place that it was almost an impertinence because it was in direct contradiction to a statement made a few moments before by his superior officer also he realized that his remark had been quite unnecessary because it was a matter of indifference to the young man who was only obeying his employer's orders and reporting what he had seen whether his report was of value or not muller had simply uttered aloud the thought that came into his mind a habit of his which years of official training had not yet succeeded in breaking it was annoying to himself sometimes for these half-formed thoughts were mere instinct they were the workings of his own genius that made him catch a suspicion of the truth long before his conscious mind could reason it out or appreciate its value but that sort of thing was not popular in official police life well asked the commissioner as muller did not continue your tongue is not usually so slow as you had proved just a few moments back what were you going to say now i was about to ask your pardon for my interruption it was unnecessary i should not have said it well i realize that you know better yourself said redow now quite friendly again and now what else have you to say do you really think that what that young man has just told us is of any value at all for this case it seems to me as if it might be of value to us oh it seems to you eh your imagination is working overtime again muller said the commissioner with a laugh but the laugh turned to seriousness as he realized how many times muller's imagination had helped the clumsy official mind to its proudest triumphs the commissioner was an intelligent man as far as his lights went and he was a good-hearted man he rose from his chair and walked over to where the detective stood you needn't look so embarrassed muller he said there's no cause for you to feel bad about it and i am quite willing to admit that my remark just now was unnecessary you may give your imagination full rein we can trust to your intelligence and your devotion to duty to keep it from unnecessary flights so curbed i know it will be as much assistance to us this time as it always has been muller's quiet face lit up and his eyes shone in a happiness that made him appear ten years younger that was one of the strange things about joseph muller this genius in his profession was in all other ways a man of such simplicity of heart and bearing that the slightest word of approval from one of the officials for whom he worked could make him as happy as praise from the teacher will make a schoolboy the moments when he was in command of any difficult case when these same superiors would wait for a word from him when high officials would take his orders or would be obliged to acknowledge that without him they were helpless these moments were forgotten as soon as the problem was solved and muller became again the simple subordinate and the obscure member of the imperial police force when muller left the commissioner's room and walked through the outer office one of the clerks looked after him and whispered to his companion do you think he's found the heitzig murderer yet the other answered i don't think so but he looks as if he had found a clue he'll find him sooner or later he always does muller did not hear these words although they also would have pleased him he walked slowly down the stairs murmuring to himself i think i was right just the same we are following a false trail chapter chapter v of the case of the lamp that went out by augusta groener translated by grace isabel cobran this librivox recording is in the public domain by a thread it was on monday the twenty seventh of september that leopold winkler was murdered and robbed and early on tuesday the twenty eighth his body was found that day the evening papers printed the report of the murder and the description of the dead man and on wednesday the twenty ninth missus king mayor read the news and went to see winkler's employer by noon of that day the body was identified and a description of the stolen purse and watch telegraphed to police headquarters in various cities a few hours later these police stations had sent out notices by messenger to all pawnshops and dealers in second-hand clothing and now the machinery of the law sat waiting for some news of an attempt on the part of the robber and murderer to get rid of his plunder on this same wednesday about the twilight hour david goldstam dealer in second-hand clothing stood before the door of his shop in a side street of the old hungarian city of presburg and watched his assistant take down the clothes which were hanging outside and carry them into the store the old man's eyes glanced carelessly up and down the street and caught sight of a man who turned the corner and came hurrying towards him this man was a very seedy-looking individual an old faded overcoat hung about his thin figure and a torn and dusty hat fell over his left eye he seemed also to be much the worse for liquor and very wobbly on his feet and yet he seemed anxious to hurry onward in spite of the unevenness of his walk then he slowed up suddenly glanced across the street to goldstam's store and crossed over have you any boots for me he asked sticking at his right foot that the dealer might see whether he had anything the requisite size i think there's something there answered the old man in his usual business-like tone leading the way into the store the stranger followed goldstam lit the one light in the little place and groped about in an untidy heap of shoes of all kinds and sizes until he found several pairs that he thought might fit these he brought out and put them in front of his customer but in spite of his bleary eyes the man caught sight of some patches on the uppers of one pair and pushed them away from him give me something better than that i can pay for it i don't have to wear patched shoes he grunted goldstam didn't like the looks of the man but he felt that he had better be careful and not make him angry have patience sir i'll find you something better he said gently tossing the heap about again but now keeping his face turned towards his customer i want a coat also and a warm pair of trousers said the stranger in a rough voice he bent down to loosen the shabby boot from his right foot and as he did so something fell out of the pocket of his coat an unconscious motion of his own raised foot struck this small object and tossed it into the middle of the heap of shoes close by goldstam's hand the old man reached out after it and caught it it was just an ordinary brown leather pocket-book of medium size old and shabby like a thousand others but the eyes of the little old man widened as if in terror his face turned pale and his hands trembled for he had seen hanging from one side of this worn brown leather pocket-book the end of a yellow thread the loosened end of the thread with which one side of the purse was mended the thread told david goldstam who it was that had come into his shop he regained his control with a desperate effort of the will it took him but a few seconds to do so and thanks to his partial intoxication the customer had not noticed the shopkeeper's start of alarm but he appeared anxious and impatient to regain possession of his purse haven't you found it yet he exclaimed goldstam hastened to give it back the tramp put the purse in his pocket with a sigh of relief goldstam had regained his calm and his mind was working eagerly he put several pairs of shoes before his customer with the remark you must try them on we'll find something to suit you and meanwhile i will bring in several pairs of trousers from those outside i have some fine coats to show you too goldstam went out to the door almost colliding there with his assistant who was coming in with his arm full of garments the old man motioned to the boy who retreated until they were both hidden from the view of the man within the store give me those blue trousers there said goldstam in a loud voice then in a whisper he said to the boy run to the police station the man with the watch and the purse is in there the boy understood and set off at once at a fast pace while the old man returned to his store with a heavy heart he wondered whether he would be able to keep the murderer there until the police could come and he also wondered what it might cost him an old and feeble man who would be as a weak reed in the hands of the strong tramp in there but he knew it was his duty to do whatever he could to help in the arrest of one who had just taken the life of a fellow-creature the realization of this gave the old man strength and calmness a nice sort of eye for size you have cried the tramp as the old man came up to him i suppose you brought me in a boy's suit what do you take me for any girl could go to a ball in the shoes you brought me to try on here are they so much too small asked the dealer in an innocent tone well there's plenty more there and perhaps you had better be trying on this suit behind the curtain here while i'm hunting up the shoes this suggestion seemed to please the stranger as he was evidently in a hurry he passed him behind the curtain and began to undress goldstam's keen eyes watched him through a crack there was not much to be seen except that the tramp seemed anxious to keep his overcoat within reach of his hand he had carefully put the purse in one of its pockets we'll get the things all together pretty soon said the dealer i've found a pair of boots here fine boots of good quality and sure to fit stop your talk growled the other and come here and help me so that i can get away goldstam came forward and though his heart was very heavy within him he aided this man this man about whom so many hundreds were now thinking in terror as calmly as he had aided his other poor but honest customers with hands that did not tremble the dealer busied himself about his customer listening all the while to sounds in the street and hoped that his tte tte with the murderer would soon be over but in spite of all his natural anxiety the old man's sharp eyes took cognizance of various things one of which was that the man whom he was helping to dress in his new clothes did not have the watch which was described in the police notice this fact however did not make the old man's heart any lighter for the purse mended with yellow thread was too clearly the one stolen from the murdered man found in the quiet street in heitzing what's the matter with you you're so slow i can get along better myself growled the tramp pushing the old man away from him gold's dam had really begun to tremble now in spite of his control in the fear that the man would get away from him before the police came the tramp was already dressed in the new suit into a pocket of which he put the old purse there now the boots and then we're finished said the dealer with an attempt at a smile in his heart he prayed that the pair he now held in his hand might not fit that he might gain a few minutes more but the shoes did fit a little pushing and stamping and the man was ready to leave the store he was evidently in a hurry for he paid what was asked without any attempt to bargain had goldstam not known whom he had before him now he would have been very much astonished at this and might perhaps have been sorry that he had not named a higher sum but under the circumstances he understood only too well the man's desire to get away and would much rather have had some talk as to the payment anything that would keep his customer a little longer in his store there now we're ready i'll pack up your old things for you or perhaps we can make a deal for them i pay the highest prices in the city said goldstam with an apparent eagerness which he hoped would deceive the customer but the man had already turned towards the door and called back over his shoulder you can keep the old things i don't want them as he spoke he opened the door of the store and stood face to face with the policeman holding a revolver he turned with a curse back into the room but the dealer was nowhere to be seen david goldstam had done his duty to the public in spite of his fear now seeing that the police had arrived he could think of his duty to his family this duty was plainly to save his own life and when the tramp turned again to look for him he had disappeared out of the back door not a move or i will shoot cried the policeman and now two others appeared behind him and came into the store but the tramp made no attempt to escape he stood pale and trembling while they put the handcuffs on him and let them take him away without any resistance he was put on the evening express for vienna and taken to police headquarters in that city he made no protest nor any attempt to escape but he refused to utter a word on the entire journey end of chapter v chapter six of the case of the lamp that went out by augusta groener translated by grace isabel this librivox recording is in the public domain almost convicted the evening was already far gone when muller entered redow's office you are in time the man isn't here yet the train is evidently late said the commissioner we are working this case off quickly we will have the murderer here in half an hour at the latest he did not have much time to enjoy the stolen property he was here in vienna this morning and was arrested in presburg this afternoon here is the telegram read it dr von riedow handed muller the message the commissioner was evidently pleased and excited the telegram read as follows man arrested here in possession of described purse containing four ten golden notes and four guldens in silver arrested in store of second-hand clothes dealer goldstam will arrive this evening in vienna under guard the message was signed by the chief of presburg police muller laid the paper on the desk without a word there was a watch on this desk already it was a heavy gold watch unusually thick with the initials l w on the cover just as muller laid down the telegram a door outside was opened and the commissioner covered the watch hastily there was a loud knock at his own door and an attendant entered to announce that the party from presburg had arrived he was followed by one of the presburg police force who brought the official report did you have any difficulty with him asked the commissioner oh no sir it was a very easy job he made no resistance at all and he seems to be quite sober now but he hasn't said a word since we arrested him then followed the detailed report of the arrest and the delivery of the described pocket-book to the commissioner is that all asked dr von riedau yes sir then you may go home now we will take charge of the man the policeman bowed and left the room a few moments later the tramp was brought in guarded by two armed roundsmen his guards remained at the door while the prisoner himself walked forward to the middle of the room commissioner von riedau sat at his desk his clerk beside him ready to take down the evidence muller sat near a window with a paper on his lap looking the least interested of anybody in the proceedings for a moment there was complete silence in the room which was broken in a rather unusual manner a deep voice more like a growl although it had a queer strain of comic good-nature in it began the proceedings with the remark well now say what do you want of me anyway the commissioner looked at the man in astonishment then turned aside that the prisoner might not notice his smile but he might have spared himself the trouble for muller the clerk and the two policemen at the door were all on a broad grin then the commissioner pulled himself together again and began with his usual official gravity it is i who ask questions here is it possible that you do not know this you look to me as if you had had experience in police courts before the commissioner gazed at the prisoner with eyes that were not altogether friendly the tramp seemed to feel this and his own eyes dropped while the good-natured impertinence in his bearing disappeared it was evidently the last remains of his intoxication he was now quite sober what is your name asked the commissioner johann where were you born near brun your age i'll be forty next christmas your religion well you can see i'm no jew can't you you will please answer my questions in a proper manner this impertinence will not make things easier for you all right sir said the tramp humbly i am a catholic You have been in prison before.' This was scarcely a question.

"'No, sir,' said Canole firmly.

"'What is your business?' "'I don't know what to say, sir,' answered Canole, shrugging his shoulders.