se; it is for the fingers."

"Am I playing with my thumbs?" she asked.

"Come; please, please!" he entreated.

"I can't refuse when you plead so hard," she said.

"One, two, three; one, two, three," he counted monotonously.

"You like me, don't you?" she asked irrelevantly, a mischievous smile
on her face. Von Barwig tried to look stern but failed ignominiously.
"Please attend," he said. "One, two, three; one, two, three. Ah, you
play so unevenly! Sometimes you have the touch of an artist, at
another you make bungles."

"Bungles?" repeated Helene, laughing. "What are they?"

"One, two, three; not six-eighth, dear lady, not six-eighth! So! One,
two, three! one, two, three."

"Did I show you my new necklace?" she asked as she played on.

Von Barwig shook his head. "One, two, three," was all she could elicit
from him.

"Father gave it to me; to-day is my birthday."

"Your birthday; so?" said Von Barwig, still marking time. "Your
birthday?" he repeated.

"Yes, mio maestro; I am nineteen to-day."

"Nineteen! One, two, three; one, two, three," he counted. Then after
a pause, "nineteen?"

She looked up, he was still counting and beating time with the lead
pencil as a baton. But there was a far-away look in his eyes, as if he
were trying to recall something. "Nineteen to-day; nineteen to-day!"
he repeated, as if he had not quite realised what she said.

"One, two, three; one, two, three." Was there a break in his voice?

"Nineteen to-day!" Then he looked at her as she played.

"Where were you born?" he asked suddenly.

"In Leipsic," she replied carelessly.

Von Barwig stopped counting, his baton poised in the air.

"In Leipsic!" he repeated hoarsely. "In Leipsic? She--would have been
nineteen to-day. Ach Gott, Gott!"

Helene turned and looked at him.

"One, two, three; one, two, three," chanted the music master. He dared
not let her see his agitation. "What does it mean? How can it be?
Good God, how can it be?" His brain was in a whirl; the possibilities
came to him in an overwhelming flood.

"You really must see that pearl necklace," said Helene, "and some of
the other presents are very beautiful. Do look at them!"

"One, two, three; one, two, three," came in monotonous tones from the
old man. Completely gone was his sense of rhythm now. "One, two,
three; one, two, three," he continued, trying to collect his scattered
thoughts. "Does it mean that she is my--my-- Oh, God!