Part 25 (1/2)

'I confess I was surprised----' began Mrs Harvey-Browne; but was interrupted by her son, who asked whether I thought Lohme possessed an hotel where one could stay

'I should think so froh,' I said

'Because----' began Brosy; but was interrupted by hisof the dear Professor since he left

'Delightful genius,' she added enthusiastically

'Yes,' I said

'I suppose he and his ill go back to Bonn now?'

'Soon, I hope'

'Did you say he had gone to Berlin? Is he there now?'

'No, he isn't'

'Have you seen hiain?'

'Yes; he came back to Stubbenkammer'

'Indeed? With his wife?'

'No; Charlotte was not with him'

'Indeed?'

Never was a ed her plans about Berlin,' I said hastily, disturbed by this expressiveness, 'and came back too But she didn't care for Stubbenka there till I--till we come'

'Oh really? And the Professor?'

'The Professor goes to Wiek, too, of course'

Mrs Harvey-Browne gazed at hts 'Do forgivestupid, but I don't quite understand where the Professor is He was at Stubbenkammer, and he will be at Wiek; but where is he now?'

'In there,' I said, with a nod in the direction of the dining-room; and I wished with all my heart that he wasn't

'In there?' cried the bishop's wife 'Brosy, do you hear? How very delightful Let us go to him at once' And she rustled into the rooo first, dear Frau X,' she turned round to say, daunted by the clouds of sot out of the way; for by this ti, and had pushed their chairs out into the rooether more conveniently, and the room was dim with smoke 'You knohere he is I can't tell you how charlish friend,' she added, for the revellers, having paused in their din to stare at us, the Professor's cheery voice was distinctly heard inquiring in English of some person or persons unseen whether they knew the difference between a canary and a grand piano

'Always in such genial spirits,' murreat obstruction, a group of people blocking the passage down the rooot out of the way before we could pass; and when the scraping of their chairs and their gruht the Professor's conversation a little farther on He was saying, 'I cannot in that case,lady, caution you with a sufficient earnestness to be of an extrerand piano----'

'I don't ever think of doing such a thing,' interrupted a shrill female voice, at whose sound Mrs Harvey-Brownea case Suppose you wished to purchase a grand piano, and did not know, as you say you do not, the difference between it----'