“He did nothing nothing of the kind,” cried the elder lady. “That is the extraordinary part of it. He met her, it is true, but he admitted he had not been to any of her concerts. I am beginning to think, signor, that my daughter is right and we others are wrong. Will you leave a copy of the contract for our consideration?” “O-ah, yes,” said he instantly, and, being a man of rapid perception, he did not press any more for completion that day. Certainly I was puzzled by Steindal’s tactics. Allowing that he was actuated by the basest motives, that Constantine was paying the bill, and that their precious compact would reveal its intent before many weeks had passed, it was, nevertheless, a singular course they had chosen. What possible harm could result to Maggie Hutchinson if she seized the splendid opening dangled before her eyes by the Jew? All he asked in return was a reasonable monopoly, voidable by his failure to carry out his undertakings in their entirety. From her point of view, it was the most convincing case of “Heads I win, tails you lose” I ever heard of in connection with a profession where contracts are apt to be one-sided. And the haze did not lessen when Maggie became confidential that evening after dinner. Karl had gone, Mrs. Hutchinson was writing letters, and I had secured two chairs beneath the palms in the Garden Court. Here we could hear the band, watch the celebrities of the hour, and talk without listeners. “I hope you are not a materialist,” said the girl, after I had uttered some truism about modern life. “Perish the thought!” I answered, “though, as one more than double your extreme age, will you permit me to ask what is your definition of a materialist?” “A gross person--a species of pig man,” was her sufficiently amazing reply. “Are you thinking of Steindal?” I asked involuntarily, though I had resolved to keep clear of the topic for the hour. “Oh, no. He was not in my mind at all. The music, the lights, the soft tones of the women’s dresses, all the harmony to eye and ear of our present surroundings, carried a thought to me. I cannot help knowing that within a very short distance of this pleasant place one can find great misery. Which of these states reveals the truth in life?” “Both. It is well to hold a balance between them.” “Thank you. Now, one has read how rich and well-born men and women, in other days, have had a vision which so influenced their lives that they forthwith abandoned wealth and rank, and devoted themselves to the painful service of their suffering brethren. Such visions may not be so frequent to-day, but it is a matter of constant occurrence for a similar result to be achieved, and achieved in a single hour, whereby the future years of existence are cast irrevocably into a new mold.” “You are speaking solely of spiritual influences?” I asked.