he respectful affection he felt for the
excellent man who had done so much for him.

'I have the letters ready for thee, my son. They are two old friends of
mine in Leipzig, who will befriend thee in that new life. It is well to
have them, for thou wilt be heartbroken with Heimweh at the first, Nat,
and need comforting,' said the Professor, giving him several letters.

'Thanks, sir. Yes, I expect to be pretty lonely till I get started, then
my music and the hope of getting on will cheer me up,' answered Nat, who
both longed and dreaded to leave all these friends behind him and make
new ones.

He was a man now; but the blue eyes were as honest as ever, the mouth
still a little weak, in spite of the carefully cherished moustache
over it, and the broad forehead more plainly than ever betrayed the
music-loving nature of the youth. Modest, affectionate, and dutiful, Nat
was considered a pleasant though not a brilliant success by Mrs Jo. She
loved and trusted him, and was sure he would do his best, but did not
expect that he would be great in any way, unless the stimulus of foreign
training and self-dependence made him a better artist and a stronger man
than now seemed likely.

'I've marked all your things--or rather, Daisy did--and as soon as your
books are collected, we can see about the packing,' said Mrs Jo, who was
so used to fitting boys off for all quarters of the globe that a trip to
the North Pole would not have been too much for her.

Nat grew red at mention of that name--or was it the last glow of sunset
on his rather pale cheek?--and his heart beat happily at the thought of
the dear girl working Ns and Bs on his humble socks and handkerchiefs;
for Nat adored Daisy, and the cherished dream of his life was to earn
a place for himself as a musician and win this angel for his wife. This
hope did more for him than the Professor's counsels, Mrs Jo's care, or
Mr Laurie's generous help. For her sake he worked, waited, and hoped,
finding courage and patience in the dream of that happy future when
Daisy should make a little home for him and he fiddle a fortune into her
lap. Mrs Jo knew this; and though he was not exactly the man she would
have chosen for her niece, she felt that Nat would always need just the
wise and loving care Daisy could give him, and that without it there was
danger of his being one of the amiable and aimless men who fail for
want of the right pilot to steer them safely through the world. Mrs Meg