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Mr. Hammond followed the two ladies to their bower.
'This is to be my last morning,' he said, looking at Lesbia. 'Will you
think me a great bore if I spend it with you?'
'We shall think it very nice of you,' answered Lesbia, without a vestige
of emotion; 'especially if you will read to us.'
'I will do any thing to make myself useful. What shall I read?'
'Anything you like. What do you say to Tennyson?'
'That he is a noble poet, a teacher of all good; but too philosophical
for my present mood. May I read you some of Heine's ballads, those songs
which you sing so exquisitely, or rather some you do not sing, and which
will be fresher to you. My German is far from perfect, but I am told it
is passable, and Fraeulein Mueller can throw her scissors at me when my
accent is too dreadful.'
'You speak German beautifully,' said Fraeulein. 'I wonder where you
learned it?'
'I have been a good deal in Germany, and I had a Hanoverian valet who
was quite a gentleman, and spoke admirably, I think I learned more from
him than from grammars or dictionaries.


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