ylvia knew perfectly well from the very beginning that
there could be no thought of lending Daniel money. Gifts, large or
small, merely humiliated him; they disgraced him. It was a case where
eagerness to serve on the part of those who have meets with
insurmountable obstacles, whether they wish to be lavish in their
generosity or of seeming calculation. There was no use to appeal to
delicacy; attenuating provisos would not help; small deceptions
practised in the spirit of love would prove ineffectual. Riches stood
face to face with poverty, and was as helpless as poverty usually is
when obliged to enter the lists against riches. The case was striking,
but not unique.

Having made up her mind to come to the assistance of the musician,
Sylvia turned to her mother. But it was idle to count on the backing of
the Baroness: Andreas Doederlein had so poisoned her mind against Daniel
that the mere mention of his name caused her brow to wrinkle, her lips
to drop.

Agatha von Erfft got in touch, by letter, with some business people who
were in a position to give her some practical advice. Their assistance
was helpful in that it at least saved her the invaluable time she might
have lost by appealing to the wrong people. One day she appeared before
Eberhard and Sylvia with her plans all drawn up.

One of the most reputable music houses of Mayence had been nursing the
idea for years of bringing out a pretentious collection of mediaeval
church music. A great deal of material had already been assembled under
the supervision of a writer on musical subjects who had recently died.
But there was still much to be collected. To do this, it would be
necessary to go on long journeys, and these would entail the expenditure
of a good deal of money. Moreover, it was necessary to find a man who
would not be afraid of the work attached to the undertaking, and on
whose judgment one could rely without doubt or cavil. Owing to the fact
that the expenses up to the present had far exceeded the initial
calculations, and since it seemed impossible to engage the right sort of
man to place in charge of the work, the publisher had become first
sceptical and then positive; positive that he would invest no more money
in it.

Agatha had heard of this some time ago. That the enterprise might be
revived she learned from direct inquiry; indirect investigation
confirmed what she had been told. But the publisher was unwilling to
assume all the financial respon