And this expectation, this torture, hindered nothing. It accompanied
every action, and did not prevent anything. It did not prevent him
from dining capitally at a third inn with Emil; and only occasionally,
like a brief flash of lightning, the thought shot across him, What
if any one in the world knew? This suspense did not prevent him from
playing leap-frog with Emil after dinner. The game took place on an
open green lawn. And the confusion, the stupefaction of Sanin may be
imagined! At the very moment when, accompanied by a sharp bark from
Tartaglia, he was flying like a bird, with his legs outspread over
Emil, who was bent double, he suddenly saw on the farthest border of
the lawn two officers, in whom he recognised at once his adversary and
his second, Herr von Doenhof and Herr von Richter! Each of them had
stuck an eyeglass in his eye, and was staring at him, chuckling!...
Sanin got on his feet, turned away hurriedly, put on the coat he had
flung down, jerked out a word to Emil; the latter, too, put on his
jacket, and they both immediately made off.

It was late when they got back to Frankfort. 'They'll scold me,' Emil
said to Sanin as he said good-bye to him. 'Well, what does it matter?
I've had such a splendid, splendid day!'

When he got home to his hotel, Sanin found a note there from Gemma.
She fixed a meeting with him for next day, at seven o'clock in the
morning, in one of the public gardens which surround Frankfort on all
sides.

How his heart throbbed! How glad he was that he had obeyed her so
unconditionally! And, my God, what was promised ... what was not
promised, by that unknown, unique, impossible, and undubitably certain