Miss Husted was a woman of few ideas, but once an idea obtained
lodgment in her brain it was by no means an easy matter for her to rid
herself of it. She pondered over it and thought it out until it became
too big for one person to hold. Then, under the ban of secrecy, she
confided it to another, and another, and another, until it became
everybody's secret. She went through this process in regard to her
aversion to young Poons, whom she suspected in one way or another of
being a burden to "the dear professor." In addition she had a haunting
dread that Mr. Poons was in love with her niece. Jenny was now nearly
nineteen years of age, and although she looked barely sixteen, she had
developed into a remarkably good-looking young woman, a fact which
young Poons had evidently noticed.
Miss Husted trembled with dismay when she saw Poons look at Jenny. She
was very grateful that he couldn't speak to her in English, and still
more grateful that Jenny couldn't understand German. Mrs. Mangenborn,
aided and abetted by the cards, had predicted a most advantageous
marriage for her niece; indeed the cards had pointed to either a title
or a million, or both, and Miss Husted dreaded lest any premature,
ill-considered love match should interfere with this happy prediction.
She declared vehemently that Jenny was too young "even to look at a
man."
Now Jenny had no idea that she liked young Poons. She was interested
in him because she was sorry for him, and she was sorry for him because
her aunt was always speaking against him. So Miss Husted brought about
the very condition she most dreaded, for her niece began to like the
young man from the moment her aunt forbade her to speak to him. This
secret was originally Miss Husted's, but after she had begged Pinac to
tell Poons not to behave like a moon-calf, had asked Fico to prevent
the young German from sighing audibly whenever he saw Jenny, and had
finally told Von Barwig she wouldn't keep Poons in the house at any
price, everybody in the house began to suspect something. This
suspicion ripened into certainty, and with the solitary exception of
Miss Husted everybody sympathised with the young pair and aided and
abetted them in their love-making.
But this was not the only awful secret that was troubling Miss Husted's
innermost soul. For some time she had been troubled and depressed, for
she had found several pawn tickets in Von Barwig's room. She had also
missed several ornaments, pictures and even garments that had formerly
been conspicuous possessions. His fur-lined coat was gone; and the
cuckoo clock, what had become of it? When she saw the pawn tickets she
knew, and the knowledge troubled her, for she realised how very badly
the professor must need money to pledge articles of such small value.
She pondered over her discovery until it became too big for her to bear
alone, so she confided it first to Skippy, the little black and tan
terrier that the professor had given her as a Christmas gift, and then
not getting much response from that quarter she told her secret to Mrs.
Mangenborn. She had suspected all along that poor, dear Professor
Barwig was not doing well, but she never dreamed it had come to this.
Tears came into the good woman's eyes as she showed Mrs. Mangenborn the
pawn tickets and tearfully asked her what she could do. Mrs.
Mangenborn, being a practical person, suggested reducing his rent and
Miss Husted made up her mind to do this forthwith.
She could hear the strains of music coming from his room, so she picked
up the little dog, which was now her constant companion, and knocked at
the door. Receiving no reply she opened it and walked in. The three
men who were playing stopped; Jenny, who was there also, looked very
guilty, and began dusting the furniture. Pinac was playing his violin,
Poons the 'cello and Fico was at the piano, with Jenny apparently as
the audience.
"Isn't Professor Barwig here?" inquired Miss Husted, surprised at his
room being occupied during his absence.
"No, Miss Owstong," said Pinac, always the spokesman of the trio. He
spoke English slightly better than Fico, who could barely make himself
understood. There was an awkward pause. "He lets us come down here to
play. We practise to go into the Union. We use his piano; he is very
kind," Pinac explained.
At this point the unfortunate Poons dropped his bow and in picking it
up, knocked his music stand over. When Miss Husted glared at him,
Poons grinned guiltily, and stole a glance in the direction of Jenny.
Miss Husted followed this glance with her eye and rather testily
suggested to her niece that the bell was ringing and there was no one
to answer it. Jenny, who was glad to get out alive, hurriedly made her
escape. Poons, sighing deeply, went into the alcove and looked out of
the window. Miss Husted sat down, looked around the room pathetically,
then followed Poons's example and sighed.
"Gentlemen," she began; then hesitated. After all it was the
professor's secret. Perhaps they knew; if not, 'twas better they
should. The men looked at each other inquiringly, and waited for her
to speak.
"I'm very glad I've found you together--very glad. Do you notice any
change in me?"
Pinac and Fico shook their heads, mainly because they were mystified.
"I haven't been sociable lately; not at all like myself," went on Miss
Husted, "I'm so upset."
"That's all right," said Fico, who didn't know what else to say.
"Sure," nodded Pinac, who felt he had to add his share to the
conversation; then they picked up their music and started to leave the
room, but Miss Husted held up her hand and signified that she wanted
them to remain. When they came back to her she looked around the room
pathetically once more, and began plaintively:
"I said to myself, 'These foreign gentlemen will miss your cheery word
in the hall and on the stairs.'"
The men began to feel very uncomfortable, for they had missed nothing.
Pinac thought she referred in some way to Poons, and tried to catch his
eye and motion to him to get out of the room, but that lovelorn youth
was mooning out of the window, so Pinac nodded sympathetically at Miss
Husted and said, "Oui, oui. Yes, oh, yes!"