d little Dr. Mittendorf, who had
brought his wife to call upon me, and to whose house I had been invited
several times since Miss Hallam's departure.

During this time I worked more steadily than ever, and with a deeper
love of my art for itself. Von Francius was still my master and my
friend. I used to look back upon the days, now nearly a year ago, when I
first saw him, and seeing him, distrusted and only half liked him, and
wondered at myself; for I had now as entire a confidence in him as can
by any means be placed in a man. He had thoroughly won my esteem,
respect, admiration--in a measure, too, my affection. I liked the power
of him; the strong hand with which he carried things in his own way; the
idiomatic language, and quick, curt sentences in which he enunciated his
opinions. I felt him like a strong, kind, and thoughtful elder brother,
and have had abundant evidence in his deeds and in some brief
unemotional words of his that he felt a great regard of the fraternal
kind for me. It has often comforted me, that friendship--pure,
disinterested and manly on his side, grateful and unwavering on mine.

I still retained my old lodgings in the Wehrhahn, and was determined to
do so. I would not be tied to remain in Sir Peter Le Marchant's house
unless I choose. Adelaide wished me to come and remain with her
altogether. She said Sir Peter wished it too; he had written and said
she might ask me. I asked what was Sir Peter's motive in wishing it? Was
it not a desire to humiliate both of us, and to show us that we--the
girl who had scorned him, and the woman who had sold herself to
him--were in the end dependent upon him, and must follow his will and
submit to his pleasure?

She reddened, sighed, and owned that it was true; nor did she press me
any further.

A month, then, elapsed between the carnival in February and the next
great concert in the latter end of March. It was rather a special
concert, for von Francius had succeeded, in spite of many obstacles, in
bringing out the Choral Symphony.

He conducted well that night; and he, Courvoisier, Friedhelm Helfen,
Karl Linders, and one or two others, formed in their white heat of
enthusiasm a leaven which leavened the whole lump. Orchestra and chorus
alike did a little more than their possible, without which no great
enthusiasm can be carried out. As I watched von Francius, it seemed to
me that a new soul had entered into the man. I did not believe that a
year ago he