to zing one of dese?" he asked.

"As well as anything," replied John, who had changed his mind a dozen
times in the last ten minutes and was ready to accept any suggestion.

"Ver' goot," said the other. "Ve dry dis: Lehn deine wang' an meine
Wang'." His face brightened as John began to sing the German words. In a
measure or two the singer and player were in perfect accord, and as the
former found his voice the ends of his fingers grew warm again. At the
end of the song the applause was distributed about as after the Chopin
waltz.

"Sehr schoen!" exclaimed Herr Schlitz, looking up and nodding; "you must
zing zome more," and he played the first bars of Marie, am Fenster
sitzest du, humming the words under his breath, and quite oblivious of
any one but himself and the singer.

"Zierlich," he said when the song was done, reaching for the collection
of Lassen. "Mit deinen blauen Augen," he hummed, keeping time with his
hands, but at this point Miss Clara came across the room, followed by
her sister.

"Mrs. Tenaker," she said, laughing, "asked me to ask you, Mr. Lenox, if
you wouldn't please sing something they could understand."

"I have a song I should like to hear you sing," said Miss Verjoos.
"There is an obligato for violin and we have a violinist here. It is a
beautiful song--Tosti's Beauty's Eyes. Do you know it?"

"Yes," he replied.

"Will you sing it for me?" she asked.

"With the greatest pleasure," he answered.

Once, as he sang the lines of the song, he looked up. Miss Verjoos was
sitting with her elbows on the arm of her chair, her cheek resting upon
her clasped hands and her dusky eyes were fastened upon his face. As the
song concluded she rose and walked away. Mrs. Tenaker came over to the
piano and put out her hand.

"Thank you so much for your singing, Mr. Lenox," she said. "Would you
like to do an old woman a favor?"

"Very much so," said John, smiling and looking first at Mrs. Tenaker and
then about the room, "but there are no old women here as far as I can
see."

"Very pretty, sir, very pretty," she said, looking very graciously at
him. "Will you sing Annie Laurie for me?"

"With all my heart," he said, bowing. He looked at Herr Schlitz, who
shook his head.

"Let me play it for you," said Mrs. Benson, coming over to the piano.

"Where do you want it?" she asked, modulating softly from one key to
another.

"I think D flat will be about right," he replied. "Kindly play a little
bit of