ests.

"You have explained?" she asked Von Barwig. He nodded, but did not
speak. The sound of approaching voices caught their ears. Joles threw
open both doors and Mr. Cruger came into the room with his son and Mrs.
Cruger, followed by many others. They greeted Mr. Stanton, who
welcomed them as well as he could. In a few moments the conversation
became general. Von Barwig stood apart from them. Mr. Stanton,
nervous and anxious, watched him closely. Mrs. Cruger fastened a
beautiful diamond pendant on Helene's neck. Mr. Cruger kissed her.

"We cannot give you the wealth of your father, my dear child," said he;
"but we can give you a name against which there has never been a
breath; an honoured name, a name with which we are very proud to
entrust you!"

Von Barwig heard this, and groaned aloud in his misery.

"I'm very happy, very happy!" said Helene.

Others gathered around the happy pair and showered congratulations on
them. After a short while Beverly saw Von Barwig in the corner of the
room and went over and greeted him. Helene joined them.

"Is it all arranged between you and father?" she asked.

Von Barwig nodded.

"I knew you could explain," said Helene.

"Yes, he has let me explain!" said Von Barwig with a deep sigh. He was
quite calm now. "Pardon the liberty I take--I--forgive me--" he placed
Beverly's and Helene's hands one in the other. "Pardon the liberty I
take; I am an old man," he said in a low voice. "I wish you both--long
life--much prosperity--much happiness--much joy to you both. God bless
you, children; excuse me, I speak as a father. God bless you!" and the
old man picked his hat up from the table on which he had deposited it
and wiped away the tears that were coursing down his cheeks. Stanton,
who had been watching him closely, uttered a cry of joy. Von Barwig
went out of the room slowly, shutting the door behind him.

Chapter Twenty-three

It was midwinter nearly a year later. The cold was the severest in the
memory of any inmate of the Houston Street establishment, including
Miss Husted herself. Everything was frozen solid. It was nearly as
cold inside the house as it was outside, greatly to Miss Husted's
dismay, for added to the increased expenditure for coal, the services
of the plumber to thaw out frozen water and gas pipes were in constant
requisition. Houston Mansion was a corner house with an open space
next door, and the biting north winds on three si