me you have deceived me, and
immediately I think she is going to tell me that she will no longer
deceive me, that she does not like me for a music master! I know," he
added plaintively, "that I am foolish. But my life here since I have
been in this country has made of me a coward. Forgive me; please
forgive me!"

The girl's eyes filled with tears. "No, no!" she said gently. "You
need not fear. I shall never want any other music master but you,
never!"

Chapter Seventeen

Pinac and Fico noticed it and so did Miss Husted. Poons probably would
have noticed it, too, if he had not been in love. But Jenny was the
only one who really felt the change in Professor Von Barwig. Try as he
would, the old man could not conceal from them the fact that "something
had happened." Not that he was not just as affable to Miss Husted as
ever, not that he was any less warm in his manner toward his friends,
but there was something missing and Jenny was the only one who came
anywhere near guessing the truth. "He has found some one whom he loves
more than us," thought she, and she felt glad at heart for his sake;
though she did not understand.

"He feels so bad with himself that we have lost our engagement through
him that he cannot come over it," said Fico in answer to Pinac's query
as to what was the matter with Von Barwig. They knew there was no
chance now of their getting the symphony engagement, for Van Praag,
hampered by creditors, unable to carry out his contracts owing to the
strike, had gone into bankruptcy and retired from the venture with the
loss of all his money. He wrote a letter to Von Barwig saying he was
going back to Germany, where musical art was one thing and bricks
another. Von Barwig sadly showed them the letter, but his mind was so
taken up with his new pupil that he did not feel the loss of the
engagement as they did.

And yet his financial position was daily growing worse and worse, for
he had practically no pupils at all--that is, no paying pupils.
Besides this, the weather was so cold and business had dropped off to
such an extent at the Museum that Costello had been compelled to reduce
Von Barwig's salary fifty per cent. "A half a loaf is better than
none," he had told the night professor as he handed him his envelope
with half salary in it; so Von Barwig had been compelled to take what
he could get. He now seriously considered moving upstairs.

"We haven't a room vacant," said Miss Hust