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He slept for soan to dreaonist standing facing hi a parrot, and this parrot was Pantaleone, and he kept tapping with his beak: one, one, one!

'Oneoneone!' he heard the tapping too distinctly; he opened his eyes, raised his headso at his door

'Come in!' called Sanin

The waiter came in and answered that a lady very particularly wished to see him

'Gemma!' flashed into his headbut the lady turned out to be her mother, Frau Lenore

Directly she caan to cry

'What is thebeside her and softly touching her hand 'What has happened? calm yourself, I entreat you'

'Ah, Herr Dimitri, I am veryvery miserable!'

'You are ? All of a sudden, like thunder froht her breath

'But what is it? Explain! Would you like a glass of water?'

'No, thank you' Frau Lenore wiped her eyes with her handkerchief and began to cry with renewed energy 'I know all, you see! All!'

'All? that is to say?'

'Everything that took place to-day! And the causeI know that too! You acted like an honourable man; but what an unfortunate co that excursion to Sodenquite right!' (Frau Lenore had said nothing of the sort on the day of the excursion, but she was convinced now that she had foreseen 'all' even then) 'I have coh I only saw you for the first tio But you know I ahter '

Tears choked Frau Lenore's voice Sanin did not knohat to think 'Your daughter?' he repeated

'My daughter, Geroan from Frau Lenore, behind the tear-soaked handkerchief, 'informed me to-day that she would not marry Herr Klüber, and that I must refuse him!'

Sanin positively started back a little; he had not expected that

'I won't say anything now,' Frau Lenore went on, 'of the disgrace of it, of its being soirl to jilt her betrothed; but you see it's ruin for us, Herr Dimitri!' Frau Lenore slowly and carefully twisted up her handkerchief in a tiny, tiny little ball, as though she would enclose all her grief within it 'We can't go on living on the takings of our shop, Herr Dimitri! and Herr Klüber is very rich, and will be richer still And what is he to be refused for? Because he did not defend his betrothed? Allowing that was not very handsome on his part, still, he's a civilian, has not had a university education, and as a solid business man, it was for him to look with contempt on the frivolous prank of some unknown little officer And what sort of insult was it, after all, Herr Dimitri?'