de house," he said to Dorothy, then
turned to Aunt Betty, who had extended her hand with the words:

"Welcome again to Bellvieu, Herr Deichenberg."

"T'ank you, madame. It iss very kind of you. Really, if I sit here
much longer, admiring de flowers und de trees, I shall forget dat I
have come to give dis young lady a moosic lesson, und dat I shall
have another pupil vaiting for me in de studio at eleven."

"But it is well that you occasionally forget your labors, Herr."

"Ah, yes, but--"

"I know what you are going to say--that you have your living to
make."

"Madame, you have read the sordid t'oughts of an old man who is
supposed to have made a great success."

"And I'm sure you have made a great success. As for the money, Herr,
is that any reason you should ruin your health?"

"No, no, madame, but--"

"Ah, Herr," she interrupted again, "you are becoming too thoroughly
imbued with the American spirit, which thinks of nothing more than to
catch the dollars as they go rolling past. Then, after they are
corralled in a bank, or invested in property, you are not satisfied,
but begin to covet more."

"Madame, you have struck de key-note of it all, I fear. I plead
guilty. But I also plead, in extenuation, dat I have a vife to whom I
owe a great duty."

"Ah, yes, a wife! True, true; but did you ever put straight to her
the question whether she would prefer to have you slave for money or
give her a little more of your time for pleasure?"

"No; but I know vhat she vould say. You are right und I am wrong. But
come, Miss Dorothy, de lesson! I have brought with me my own
instrument. I vill get it at once."

Stepping across the room he picked up his violin case and began to
unfasten the clasps, while Dorothy watched him with fascinated gaze.

"Oh, Herr," cried the girl, "you--you didn't bring your old Cremona?"

"Surely. Vhat you t'ink, dat you are not good enough to be taught on
a Cremona, eh?"

"Oh, Herr, you know I didn't mean that!"

"Of course not," he laughed. "You meant dat you vould like to see it,
maybe?"

"Yes, yes."

"Vell, here it iss."

For a moment Dorothy was awed as she gazed at the rather
ordinary-looking violin.

Could this be the great Cremona of which she had heard so much?
This--this--why, this looked more like a ten-dollar fiddle picked up
in a pawnshop!

She knew, however, that the Herr would not deceive her, so she took
the instrument tenderly in her hands while the old German w