ruer
even than my own."

Just then he looked up at Benda's window, and saw his light. He was
ashamed of himself.

V

The first time Eleanore visited Daniel it was along toward evening. She
heard from a distance the piano and the shrill crowing of Daniel's
voice. Down in the hall she saw three white figures cuddled up close to
each other like hens on a roost.

It was the Ruediger sisters trying to drink in the creative efforts of
the artist. That they were eavesdropping at the fount of art they
understood both in the good and the bad sense: their enthusiasm was
praiseworthy, their courtesy was deficient. When they caught sight of
Eleanore on the stairway, they were terrified, and rustled into the
adjoining room.

The three elderly hearts beat impetuously. It was Jasmina's turn to read
from Rueckert's poems. Jasmina had not the shadow of a desire to perform;
her sisters were equally disinclined to listen.

"It is not right," the three kept saying, when they heard of Eleanore's
visits. "It is not right." Even Meta the maid was of the opinion that
her calls were highly unconventional.

As Daniel played on and merely nodded to her, Eleanore's eyes fell on
the mask of Zingarella. She stepped up, took it down from the nail on
the wall, and examined it in perfect silence.

Daniel had in the meantime left the piano. A loud cry from him startled
her: "What the devil are you doing?" he exclaimed in a tone of
immoderate anger. He took the mask, which she was handling so lightly
and tremulously, out of her hands, and replaced it on the nail with
affectionate care.

The sensitive girl at once began to cry. She turned to one side in order
to conceal her tears. Daniel was irritated, but the first thought that
occurred to him was how he could make amends for his rudeness. He
fetched a worn book, and offered to lend it to her. It was a translation
of that beautiful old novel, "Manon Lescaut."

Eleanore came frequently after office hours, but never remained long;
she did not wish to make the people at home uneasy. During the short
time she stayed she always found a number of things to do, such as
straightening up the papers on his table or arranging his scores.

She became acquainted with Benda; he took a liking to her. It did him
good merely to be in her presence, and he could not understand why she
did not have the same wholesome effect on Daniel. Daniel seemed
thoroughly unappreciativ