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Show Bending to pick up the rat, the stranger said, "I will dispose of this for you, Sir, and then I must be on my way." "Stop, Gast, stay for a moment." Master Hermann plucked him by the sleeve. "Can anything be done to save Hamelin town from the terrible disease?" "You must get rid of the rats." "But how are vie to do that? We've tried everything we know." Master Hermann was so upset that his voice raised to a whine. "There are so many of the vermin that even the cats no longer try to catch them. We chase them, but it is like chasing drops of rain. They have swelled from a trickle to a torrent to a flood." "There must be some way-..," the stranger mused, fingering his upper lip in a gesture I was to know well. "If you could find a way to rid us of the rats, we would... pay you!" "Who would pay me?" "The town council. I am a member of the council." Master Hermann took a moment to puff his chest in conceit. "I am sure that all fifteen council members would be willing to pay a...urn... reasonable fee...to be rid of the rats." "I will think about it," the stranger said, stepping through the doorway. "Hold on, Gast, where will I find you?" "I will be somewhere out there," he answered, waving a hand toward the rain. |