Fraulein, I wouldn't keep him another day," she
declared.

Meanwhile the cat, which, in the girl's presence, had shrunk still
further into its hiding-place, began to make advances. It crept a step
forward, retreated again, stretched out its nose to sniff at the milk,
and, all of a sudden, emerged and drank greedily.

Krafft touched its head, and the animal paused in its hungry gulping to
rub its back against the caressing hand. When the last drop of milk was
finished, it withdrew to its corner, but less suspiciously.

Krafft rose to his feet and stretched himself, and when Avery returned,
he smiled at her.

"Now then, is it all right?"

She did not reply, but went to the piano, to search for something among
the scattered music. Krafft clasped his hands behind his head, and
leaning against the table, watched her with an ironical curl of the lip.

"O LENE! LENE! O MAGDALENE!" he sang under his breath; and, for the
second time, Maurice received the impression that a by-play was being
carried on between these two.

"Look at this," said Krafft after a pause. "Here, ladies and gentlemen,
is one of those rare persons who have a jot of talent in them, and off
she goes--I don't mean at this moment, but tomorrow, the day after,
every day--to waste it in teaching children finger-exercises. If you
ask her why she does it, she will tell you it is necessary to live.
Necessary to live!--who has ever proved that it is?"

For an instant, it seemed as if the girl were going to flash out a
bitter retort that might have betrayed her. Then she showed the same
self-control as before, and went, without a word, into the next room.
She was absent for a few minutes, and when she reappeared, carried what
was unmistakably a bundle of soiled linen, going away with this on one
arm, the volumes of music she had picked out on the other. She did not
wish the young men good-night, but, in passing Maurice, she said in an
unfriendly tone: "Do you know what time it is?" and to Krafft: "It is
late, Heiriz, you are not to play."

The door had barely closed behind her, when Krafft broke into the loud,
repellent laugh that had so jarred on Maurice at their former meeting.
He had risen at once, and now said he must go. But Krafft would not
hear of it; he pressed him into his seat again, with an effusive warmth
of manner.

"Don't mind her. Stay, like a good fellow. Of course, I am going to
play to you."

He flicked the keys of the piano with his ha