"And you had no dog? I haven't seen any around the place."

"No, sir; the Professor did not like animals. But he must have
been thinking about buying a dog, because I found a new dog-whip
in his room one day."

"Somebody might have left it there. One usually buys the dog
first and then the whip."

"Yes, sir. But there wasn't anybody here to forget it. The
Professor did not receive any visits at that time."

"Why are you so sure of that?"

"Because it was the middle of summer, and everybody was away."

Oh, then, we won't bother about the whip. Can you tell me of any
ladies with whom the Professor was acquainted?"

"Ladies? I don't know of any. Of course, the Professor was
invited out a good deal, and most of the other gentlemen from the
college were married."

"Did he ever receive letters from ladies?" continued Muller.

Johann thought the matter over, then confessed that he knew very
little about writing and couldn't read handwriting very well anyway.
But he remembered to have seen a letter now and then, a little
letter with a fine and delicate handwriting.