esitated and stopped short, and
again his rosy cheeks grew redder than usual.

Herr Wildermann looked up. He was still very pale, but he did not seem
self-conscious or ashamed.

"You saw my distress?" he said quietly. "Ah, well, I could not help
it--the thought of my poor mother----" He turned away and bit his lips.
"I thought you knew the cause of it," he went on; "your lady mother, did
you not know--did she not tell you that she meant to-day to give me
notice that the lessons are to cease--that this is to be the last?"

Basil opened his mouth as if he meant to say something, and stood there,
forgetting to shut it again, and staring up in Ulric's face, though no
words came. Ulric, after waiting a moment or two, turned away and began
arranging the violins. Then at last the boy ejaculated--

"Herr Wildermann, you--you don't mean to say----" and stopped short
again.

"To say what?" asked the young German, but without much tone of interest
in his voice. He had quite mastered himself by now--a sort of dull,
hopeless resignation was coming over him--it did not seem to matter what
Basil said about it; it was all settled, and the momentary gleam of
good-fortune which had so raised his hopes had faded into the dark
again. "We must go back to Germany," he was saying to himself. "Somehow
or other I must scrape together money enough to take my mother back to
her own country. There at least she need not starve. I can earn our
daily bread, even if I have to give up music for ever."

But again Basil's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Herr Wildermann," said the boy, speaking now with eagerness, and
throwing aside his hesitation, "is it possible that it is about my
lessons that you're unhappy? Does it _matter_ to you if I give them up?
I never thought of it."

"Master Basil," said the young man sadly, "it does not signify now. It
is all settled. But I do not blame you. It is not your fault--at least,
it is not exactly your fault. You are so young, and the violin is very
difficult. I am sorry to lose you as a pupil, for I think you could have
learnt well, if you had had more hopefulness and perseverance."

And again he turned away as if there were no more to be said.

But Basil was not to be so easily satisfied.

"Herr Wildermann," he exclaimed, going nearer to his master and pulling
him gently by the sleeve, "that can't be all. I daresay you're vexed at
my giving it up when you've tried so hard to teach me, but that wouldn