accomplished, and now I go back; my mission is ended.
See, I have bought my ticket," and Von Barwig brought out his ticket to
show her.

Miss Husted was fairly stunned. She could only look at him in silence.

"Look! see my ticket," repeated Von Barwig, handing it to her to look
at.

"First-class?" she asked plaintively. She always thought for her dear
professor's comfort.

"Yes, first-class steamer," he replied.

"Why it's a steerage ticket!" she said, looking closely at it.

"Yes, first-class steerage! Ach, what does it matter? I get there all
right," said Von Barwig. "Here is what I owe you, all reckoned up to
the penny! Here," and he thrust a small roll of bills in her hand.

"Oh, professor!" wailed Miss Husted. It was all she could say. She
did not even realise that he had given her money.

"I shall not tell the others until the very last moment. I'll wake
them up before daylight and say good-bye to them. Ah, it is not easy
to see these old friends go out; one by one, like lamps in the dark!"

Miss Husted could only gaze at him through her tear-bedimmed eyes and
shake her head mournfully. Von Barwig tried to cheer her.

"Come, think of Jenny, of Poons! New thoughts, new life, a new family!
Now I say good-bye to one or two good neighbours, to Galazatti and the
grocer, and the poor old Schneider. I'll be back, I'll be back," and
Von Barwig put on his cloak and rushed off.

How long Miss Husted sat there at the table she never knew; she was too
stunned to think. Going, her dear professor, going! It could not be
true, she would not believe it! But she had seen his steamship ticket
and there was his trunk. She went over to the little portmanteau and
saw that the key was in the lock. She opened it to see if it was
packed properly. She then noticed the little roll of bills in her hand
and for the first time realised that it was his money she had taken.
"Perhaps it is his last few dollars," she mourned. She stooped down
and secreted the money in one of the pockets of his Prince Albert coat;
then she closed the lid of the portmanteau. As she did so she burst
into a flood of tears, and giving way completely to her feelings, she
knelt by the little trunk and fairly sobbed as if her heart would
break. When Pinac, Fico and Poons returned to their respective rooms
they found her kneeling by the trunk. When they spoke to her she
pretended to be singing a worn-out ditty of years gone by. It stru