Our object, however, was to ascertain through him the complete
facts of Otto Lindenschmidt's history, and then to banish him from
Liebenstein. We allowed him to suppose for awhile that we were
acting under the authority of persons concerned, in order to make
the best possible use of his demoralized mood, for we knew it would
not last long.
My guesses were very nearly correct. Otto Lindenschmidt had been
educated by an old Baron, Bernhard von Herisau, on account of his
resemblance in person to a dead son, whose name had also been Otto.
He could not have adopted the plebeian youth, at least to the
extent of giving him an old and haughty name, but this the latter
nevertheless expected, up to the time of the Baron's death. He had
inherited a little property from his benefactor, but soon ran
through it. "He was a light-headed fellow," said Johann Helm, "but
he knew how to get the confidence of the old Junkers. If he
hadn't been so cowardly and fidgety, he might have made himself a
career."
The Polish episode differed so little from my interpretation that
I need not repeat Helm's version.
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