took Philippina
into the kitchen.

"Ah, you've got to have a lid on the pot, and what's more, that ain't a
regular fire," remarked Philippina superciliously.

Dorothea had already turned to something else. She had found a glass of
preserved fruit, had opened it, taken a long-handled spoon, dived into
it, put the spoon to her mouth, and was licking away for dear life.
"Tastes good," she said, "tastes like lemon. Try it, Philippin'." She
held the spoon to Philippina's lips so that she could try it. Philippina
thrust the spoon rudely to one side.

"No, no, you have got to try it. I insist. Taste it!" continued
Dorothea, and poked the spoon tightly against Philippina's lips. "I
insist, I insist," she repeated, half beseechingly, half in the tone of
a command, so that Philippina, who somehow or other could not find her
veteran power of resistance, and in order to have peace, let the spoon
be shoved into her mouth.

Just then old Jordan came out into the hall, and with him the
chimney-sweeper who wished to clean the chimney.

"Herr Inspector, Herr Inspector," cried Dorothea, laughing; and when the
old man followed her call, she gave him a spoonful, too. The
chimney-sweep likewise; he had to have his. And last but not least came
Agnes.

They all laughed; a faint smile even ventured across Agnes's pale face,
while Daniel, frightened from his room by the hubbub, came out and stood
in the kitchen door and laughed with the rest.

"Do you see, Daniel, do you see? They all eat out of my hand," said
Dorothea contentedly. "They all eat out of my hand. That's the way I
like to have things. To your health, folks!"

III

One afternoon Dorothea, with an open letter in her hand, came rushing
into Daniel's room, where he was working.

"Listen, Daniel, Frau Feistelmann invites me over to a party at her
house to-morrow. May I go?"

"You are disturbing me, my dear. Can't you see you are upsetting me?"
asked Daniel reproachfully.

"Oh, I see," breathed Dorothea, and looked helplessly at the stack of
scores that lay on the top of the table. "I am to take my violin along
and play a piece or two for the people."

Daniel gazed into space without being able to comprehend her remarks. He
was composing.

Dorothea lost her patience. She stepped up to the place on the wall
where the mask of Zingarella had been hanging since his return home.
"Daniel, I have been wanting for some time to ask you what