ust
mention here that he received a very small allowance from his family,
and made up the deficit by giving music-lessons, for which indeed he
was but poorly paid.

When I entered his little room he was sitting at an old, hired piano,
and writing down some notes in a music-book on his knee. He jumped up
with an exclamation of pleasure, let the book fall, and caught hold of
my hand in both his. He made me sit down on the hard sofa and light a
cigar, and spite of all I could say, would have me drink a glass of
beer which the tailors wife fetched from the nearest tavern. At first
we said but little, as was our wont, but often looked at each other,
smiled, and were heartily glad to be together again.

"Bastel," said I at length, shrouding myself as completely as I
possibly could in tobacco-smoke, "I have a confession to make. You need
no longer keep up any reserve with me about--you know what. The wound
inflicted by a certain pair of eyes" (again the old lyrical style, this
time with a touch of Spanish colour), "either was not so deep as I at
first believed it, or else absence has done wonders. Suffice it that I
am perfectly recovered, and if you have turned these last weeks to good
account and been made happy, I shall rejoice with you unqualifiedly."

He looked at me with beaming eyes. "Is it really so?" he said. "Well,
then, I can tell you, you remove a great weight from my heart. I have
reproached myself a hundred times for accepting your sacrifice, and my
best hours with her have been embittered by the thought of having done
you wrong. I did not indeed feel sure that you would have been
satisfied with what made me so happy. And besides I felt that it would
have been wholly impossible for me to have renounced her. But now--now
all is right."

And again he pressed my hand, his joy so genuine and touching that I
felt myself and my artificially excited feelings, very small indeed in
comparison.

He then went on to tell me how far matters had advanced. It certainly
did require a modest nature, and a very sincere affection, not to be
rather disheartened than encouraged by the amount of progress made in
the course of three entire weeks. He had gone evening after evening, to
spend an hour in that small reading-room. It was plain that his silent
reverential homage had touched her, and the last few evenings she had
permitted herself to sit with him, and keep up an innocent chat. Once
even, when he was two hours later than u