t is all I have to live on. The
wedding day of my pupil is the sum and end of all for me."

"Was it a fine wedding, Anton?" asked Pinac gently. He could see that
the old man was much moved and he wanted to bring him out of the world
of abstract ideas into the world of tangible, concrete thought.

"Very fine," replied Von Barwig. There was silence for a moment, then
he went on reminiscently: "The father and mother of the bridegroom sat
in church. The mother of my little pupil is dead, or she--she would
have been there. When the minister said, 'Who giveth this woman to be
married to this man?' perhaps you think I did not envy that father who
answered 'I--I do!' Ah, he was a fine looking man, indeed yes, a fine
looking man! After the wedding was over--I--I walked home. What is in
my heart I cannot tell you; but she is happy, happy! What more can I
ask? What more dare I ask?" he broke off suddenly.

"What is it, Anton?" asked Fico gently, "you are worried, anxious!"

"You are in trouble, Anton," said Pinac, taking Von Barwig's hand.
"Come confide in your friends; they help you."

Von Barwig forced a laugh. "I troubled? Why, no, no! I have been to
a wedding; a happy wedding, a smiling bride, a fine fellow of a
bridegroom. A few tears, yes; but happy, happy tears! Come, come,
long faces! Cheer up," cried Von Barwig hysterically, and he slapped
Poons on the back to conceal his emotion.

"Mazette! Do you smell something?" inquired Pinac, sniffing the air.
"Something is burning!"

Von Barwig started and hastily looked into the coffee pot. "Ach Gott,
boys," he said, "it's the coffee!" and he laughed.

"Is it boiling?" asked Pinac.

"Boiling! No, it's burning! I--forgot to put the water in it," and he
laughed aloud.

"Let me make the coffee this time," said Pinac, busying himself at that
occupation without further delay.

"Yes, and I mend that skylight," said Von Barwig, climbing up the steps
that led to the skylight window. But Von Barwig was not successful.
The wind was so strong that it blew away everything that he tried to
substitute for the missing pane of glass. Finally he determined, as he
could not mend it, to stuff it up temporarily and to that end he asked
Pinac to hand him up a cloak, which was lying on a chair, and which he
thought was his own. His effort to stuff it into the broken skylight
was only too successful, for, as it went through to the other side, the
wind caught it, tore