It was just two weeks after they had first seen each other. Rosita made it her business to come ten times that day. A few cuts on the faces of customers bore witness to the young man's distraction. The next day Romano, feeling much better, was in the shop again. Toward noon there was an idle hour, and the two men sat down to talk music. It soon developed into a quarrel. Romano was an admirer of the old Italian school of Rossini and Donizetti; Salvatore Gonfarone bowed at the shrine of Verdi and Puccini. "Pah! Rossini was nothing but a----" "Basta, Signor! Rossini was the greatest master. Your Puccinis are nothing but noise makers." "And you love Rossini only because you can play his things on the guitar." It was a very insolent remark! Silvio Romano checked himself with difficulty. To dispute his musical authority so sneeringly was the height of impudence. But Salvatore was such a good barber! Romano let go a cutting answer: "And you love Puccini because he gives you the opportunity to shout stupid arias." Some customers interrupted the dispute. During the next few hours Salvatore thought how to evade a disaster with the father of Rosita. He loved the girl; yesterday's kisses were still on his lips. Yet he could not, on account of that, change his musical opinions! The idea of the old wire plucker! Let him stick to his Rossini and Donizetti as much as he wants to, but not impose such ideas on him, on Salvatore Gonfarone, who knew more about music than a hundred Romanos! It was a hard battle between love and artistic ideals. Silvio Romano was terribly incensed. Several times he made up his mind to tell the youth they had reached the parting point. To dare sneer at Rossini! Rossini, the greatest master of them all--the god of music! let alone Donizetti--it was nothing less than sacrilege. After those thoughts had had their sway, more practical ones presented themselves. Romano thought of the difficulty to find another man. Salvatore was such a good barber! A hard battle between business and artistic ideals, indeed! There was no music that evening, because there was no harmony between the two. The banker and the other "notabili" came, in vain. Salvatore took his hat and cane, and saying very politely, "Buona sera," he left the shop. "What's the trouble with Salvatore?" they all asked. "He is crazy," Romano answered. They understood something had gone wrong between the two, so the talk was switched on the war. Rosita came and turned pale when she did not see the young man. The absence of his hat and cane caused the girl despair. Said the banker to Romano at parting: "If it's a question of a few dollars more a week, I would advise you----"