to hear Wagner all the
days of my life, intensified one day in the week by Offenbach, if the
first bars do not prove that the rest is at least worth hearing. You
_must_ allow me to play the introduction on your piano--"

He did not wait for her permission, but hastily entered the sitting
room, so that there was nothing left her but to follow with the lamp.

Lorinser was still sitting in the sofa corner. His eyes were fixed on
the ceiling and he seemed so lost in thought that he did not notice the
new comers.

Christiane set the lamp heavily on the table, as if she wished to rouse
him by the rattling of the shade.

"Allow me to introduce you to each other, gentlemen," she said coldly.
"Herr--what is your name?"

"Heinrich Mohr, Fraeulein. A name hitherto very obscure, but which you
will perhaps help to some moderate distinction. But an introduction is
scarcely necessary. I already have the honor of knowing that
gentleman."

Lorinser fixed his piercing eyes on the other's face and then
carelessly replied: "I didn't know I had the pleasure of your
acquaintance before."

"That's a matter of course," replied Mohr, approaching the little table
and raising the shade from the lamp. "The acquaintance has hitherto
been entirely on my side. Besides, with the exception of a casual
meeting in the entry, it's still very recent; it dates from last
night."

Lorinser rose. He seemed to find the full glare of the lamp
objectionable.

"Last night," said he. "You must be mistaken."

"My dear sir," replied Mohr with eager courtesy, "he who possesses so
marked a face as yours, may be certain that no one will ever mistake
his physiognomy, though to be sure, I only saw it for about five
minutes through a window on the ground floor."

"Sir, allow me--"

"But I'll take my oath before a magistrate, that it was you whom I saw
in very lively society--it was a house in Koenig's stadt--you'll
recollect. You must know, Fraulein, that I'm still poet enough to
prefer night to day. I usually wander aimlessly about the streets till
after midnight; to be sure one doesn't always see the brightest side of
men, but if you wish to know them thoroughly--and they are so
incautious! They fancy if the curtains are down, they can show their
weaknesses great and small in secret. As if there were not chinks and
cracks in blinds and curtains, and one tiny insignificant little hole
was not enough to afford a view of a whole room, as a single word ofte