etends she cannot play and takes lessons she does
not need. But why should she wish to befriend you, why?"

Von Barwig was silent a long time. "Why, why?" he kept asking himself
and his thoughts could get no further. "Am I dreaming?" He looked
around. "Is it all a dream? Do I merely believe these things happen,
or are they real? Sometimes these people seem like phantoms of the
past; phantoms that come and vanish like the thoughts that give them
existence. There seems to be no substance in them. But real or
phantom, dreaming or waking, my love for her is real. That is God's
truth! I feel it, I know it! I love her, I love her! Of that alone I
am certain. That is truth, if nothing else is!"

In the meantime, Helene found her father awaiting her in the library.
Mr. Stanton was in very excellent spirits.

"Why did you trouble to come down, my dear child? I intended to come
up and see you," he said as she entered the door. "I told Denning to
find out if you could receive me; servants are so stupid!"

"Oh, it doesn't matter! I was only taking a music lesson."

"Yes, so Denning said. I didn't know you'd taken up your musical
studies again," and then before Helene could reply, he went on:

"Sit down, my dear, I want to ask, no, not ask; I want to make a
suggestion. I want you to do something for my sake. The spring has
fairly set in; in a few weeks it will be summer, and I may want to go
abroad again. Can you arrange to have your marriage take place late in
June or early in July?"

"No, father!" replied Helene in a somewhat decided tone. "I am sorry,"
she added quickly, as she saw an expression of disappointment in his
face.

"Why not, may I ask?" inquired her father.

"Because Beverly is engaged in Washington at the State Department. The
secretary has promised him an under-secretaryship in one of the
European embassies if his work there is satisfactory, and our marriage
would interrupt his work."

"Not necessarily," said Mr. Stanton. "Besides he doesn't need any
career! He will have plenty of money, and----"

"I don't think all the money in the world would be sufficient to
support Beverly Cruger in idleness," responded Helene with some spirit.
"The Crugers are not well off, and he refuses to accept anything from
his father; and as for living on my income, it's out of the question,
father! He insists on earning his own living and working out his own
career."

"Well, after all, that shows