evening, and had business early the following morning in
Berlin. He lived in such an out-of-the-way suburb that it would be quite
impossible for him to go home to sleep. I was only too delighted to be
of service to him. Although I could not offer him a bed, it would be
easy to improvise a shakedown on which he could have a few hours' rest.
I set to work at once, and did the best I could for him, using a bundle
of rags for the pillows, and my old dressing-gown for the mattress. When
Balder saw it, he declared that nothing could be more to his taste.

[Illustration: "WALKED INTO MY ROOM."]

It was long past midnight, when I was awakened from a refreshing sleep
by somebody fumbling with a key at the lock of my door. Several bungling
attempts were made before the key was fitted into the lock successfully.
At last, Balder walked into my room. He presented rather a comical
appearance, with his crush-hat on one side of his head like the leaning
tower of Pisa, and a short overcoat, with his long tail-coat peeping
beneath. His face was flushed, partly with excitement, and he appeared
possessed of a burning desire to relate his adventures to somebody. I
had been looking at him with one eye; the other, nearest him, I kept
tight shut, and did not move, for I had no desire to enter into
conversation with him. But my friend was not so easily shaken in his
purpose; he came close to my bedside, stepping on my boot-jack, so that
it fell over with a terrible noise, and held the lighted candle within a
few inches of my nose. It was impossible for even the most shameless
shammer of sleep to hold out any longer. I opened my eyes, and said in
the sleepiest tone I could assume:

"Enjoyed yourself?"

[Illustration: "ON THE SIDE OF MY BED."]

"Famously, my dear fellow," answered Balder, seating himself on the side
of my bed, although I forestalled his intention, and left hardly an inch
for him to sit on. Then he entered into a long and not very lucid
rigmarole on souls which are destined to come together. The story was
rendered all the more difficult to understand from the fact that I kept
falling asleep, and dreaming between his rhapsodies; but I gathered that
Balder had met with a young Spanish lady at the mask ball, who
apparently possessed the soul which he was fated to meet, and that she
was the only person on earth who could make him happy. He had spent the
whole evening with her, and she had promised to meet him at the next
ball. At