y of the
exclamations and the babble of conversation that struggled above the
noise of their going, half seeing Pastor Lahmann opposite to her, a
little insincerely smiling man in an alpaca suit and a soft felt hat.
She got down the steps without his assistance. With whom should she
take refuge?... no Minna. There were long tables and little round tables
standing about under the trees in front of the inn. Some students in
Polytechnik uniform were leaning out of an upper window.

The landlord came out. Everyone was out of the brake and standing about.
Tall Fraulein was taking short padding steps towards the inn-door. A
strong grip came on Miriam's arm and she was propelled rapidly along
towards the farther greenery. Gertrude was talking to her in loud
rallying tones, asking questions in German and answering them herself.
Miriam glanced round at her face. It was crimson and quivering with
laughter. The strong laughter and her strong features seemed to hide the
peculiar roughness of her skin and coarseness of her hair. They made the
round of one of the long tables. When they were on the far side Gertrude
said, "I think you'll see a friend of mine to-day, Henderson."

"D'you mean Erica's brother?"

"There's his chum anyhow at yondah window."

"Oh, I say."

"Hah! Spree, eh? Happy thought of Lily's to bring us here."

Miriam pondered, distressed. "You must tell me which it is if we see
him."

Their party was taking possession of a long table near by. Returning to
her voluble talk, Gertrude steered Miriam towards them.

As they settled round the table under the quiet trees the first part of
the waltz movement of Weber's "Invitation" sounded out through the upper
window. The brilliant tuneless passages bounding singly up the piano,
flowing down entwined, were shaped by an iron rhythm.

Everyone stirred. Smiles broke. Fraulein lifted her head until her chin
was high, smiled slowly until the fullest width was reached and made a
little chiding sound in her throat.

Pastor Lahmann laughed with raised eyebrows. "Ah! la valse... les
etudiants."

The window was empty. The assault settled into a gently-leaping,
heavily-thudding waltz.

As the waiter finished clattering down a circle of cups and saucers
in front of Fraulein, the unseen iron hands dropped tenderly into the
central melody of the waltz. The notes no longer bounded and leaped but
went dreaming along in an even slow swinging movement.

It seemed to Miriam th