his head had fallen on his arm
which rested on the keyboard of the piano.

* * * * * *

Mr. Costello was quite disturbed at the absence of "Professor Antone of
Germany" that night, and when, the next night, Von Barwig walked into
the Museum, his violin under his arm as usual, he was greeted quite
effusively.

"Well, well, well, profess'! So you didn't give us the shake after
all! Say, George, he's come back!" bawled Costello at the top of his
voice.

"Yes," said Von Barwig simply, "I've come back."

The midgets laughed, the skeleton scowled, the fat lady smiled; and the
old man took out his violin and prepared to go to work.

Chapter Eleven

Miss Husted was a woman of few ideas, but once an idea obtained
lodgment in her brain it was by no means an easy matter for her to rid
herself of it. She pondered over it and thought it out until it became
too big for one person to hold. Then, under the ban of secrecy, she
confided it to another, and another, and another, until it became
everybody's secret. She went through this process in regard to her
aversion to young Poons, whom she suspected in one way or another of
being a burden to "the dear professor." In addition she had a haunting
dread that Mr. Poons was in love with her niece. Jenny was now nearly
nineteen years of age, and although she looked barely sixteen, she had
developed into a remarkably good-looking young woman, a fact which
young Poons had evidently noticed.

Miss Husted trembled with dismay when she saw Poons look at Jenny. She
was very grateful that he couldn't speak to her in English, and still
more grateful that Jenny couldn't understand German. Mrs. Mangenborn,
aided and abetted by the cards, had predicted a most advantageous
marriage for her niece; indeed the cards had pointed to either a title
or a million, or both, and Miss Husted dreaded lest any premature,
ill-considered love match should interfere with this happy prediction.
She declared vehemently that Jenny was too young "even to look at a
man."

Now Jenny had no idea that she liked young Poons. She was interested
in him because she was sorry for him, and she was sorry for him because
her aunt was always speaking against him. So Miss Husted brought about
the very condition she most dreaded, for her niece began to like the
young man from the moment her aunt forbade her to speak to him. This
secret was originally Miss Husted's, but after she