word of kindness to her you bind my heart more
fast to yourself?"

"I will--indeed I will!"

"We will not say good-bye, but only _auf wiedersehen_!" said he. "You
and I shall meet again. I am sure of that. _Meine liebe, gute
Schuelerin_, adieu!"

Choked with tears, I passively let him raise my hand to his lips. I hid
my face in my handkerchief to repress my fast-flowing tears. I would
not, because I dared not, look at him. The sight of his kind and trusted
face would give me too much pain.

He loosed my hand. I heard steps; a door opened and closed. He was gone!
My last lesson was over. My trusty friend had departed. He was to leave
Elberthal on the following day.

* * * * *

The next night there was an entertainment--half concert, half
theatricals, wholly _dilettante_--at the Malkasten, the Artists' Club.
We, as is the duty of a decorous English family, buried all our private
griefs, and appeared at the entertainment, to which, indeed, Adelaide
had received a special invitation. I was going to remain with Adelaide
until Sir Peter's return, which, we understood, was to be in the course
of a few weeks, and then I was going to ----, by the advice of von
Francius, there to finish my studies.

Dearly though I loved music, divine as she ever has been, and will be,
to me, yet the idea of leaving von Francius for other masters had at
first almost shaken my resolution to persevere. But, as I said, all this
was taken out of my hands by an irresistible concourse of circumstances,
over which I had simply no control whatever.

Adelaide, Harry, and I went to the Malkasten. The gardens were gayly
illuminated; there was a torch-light procession round the little
artificial lake, and chorus singing--merry choruses, such as "Wenn Zwei
sich gut sind, sie finden den Weg"--which were cheered and laughed at.
The fantastically dressed artists and their friends were flitting, torch
in hand, about the dark alleys under the twisted acacias and elms, the
former of which made the air voluptuous with their scent. Then we
adjourned to the saal for the concert, and heard on all sides regrets
about the absence of von Francius.

We sat out the first part of the festivities, which were to conclude
with theatricals. During the pause we went into the garden. The May
evening was balmy and beautiful; no moonlight, but many stars and the
twinkling lights in the garden.

Adelaide and I had seated ourselves on a circ