"Father is always making jokes like that," said Elly. "I don't like himdoing that at all!"

Bertha knew that her brother-in-law had only been talking at random, ashis usual manner was, and that, if she had told him the truth, he wouldnot have believed her for a moment.

Her sister-in-law came into the chamber, and Bertha had to relate all abouther stay in Vienna.

To her own surprise she succeeded quite well in cleverly blending truthwith fiction. She told how she had been with her cousin to the publicgardens and the picture gallery; on Sunday she had heard Mass at St.Stephen's Church; she had met in the street a teacher from theConservatoire; and finally she even invented a funny married couple, whomshe represented as having had supper one night at her cousin's. Thefurther she proceeded with her lies, the greater was her desire to tellall about Emil as well, and to inform them how she had met in the streetthe celebrated violinist Lindbach, who had formerly been with her at theConservatoire, and how she had had a conversation with him. But a vaguefear of not being able to stop at the right time caused her to refrainfrom making any reference to him.

Frau Albertine Garlan sat on the sofa in an attitude of profoundlassitude, and nodded her head. Elly stood, as usual, by the piano, herhead resting on her arms, and she gazed open-eyed at her aunt.

From her sister-in-law's Bertha went on to the Mahlmanns' and gave thetwins their music lesson. The finger exercises and scales which she hadto hear were at first intolerable to her, but finally she ceased tolisten to them at all, and let her thoughts wander at will. The cheerfulmood of the morning had vanished, Vienna seemed to her to be infinitelydistant, a strange feeling of disquietude came over her and suddenly thefear seized her that Emil might go away immediately after his concert.That would indeed be terrible! He might go away all of a sudden withouther having seen him once more--and whom could say when he would return?