George nodded in embarrassment, and looked at his hands. Anna began to speak about her past summer-outing. "It was awfully pretty in Weissenfeld," she said. "The forest was just behind our house with good level roads, wasn't it, papa? One could walk there for hours and hours without meeting a soul." "And did you have a piano out there?" asked George. "Oh yes." "An awful affair," observed Herr Rosner, "a thing fit to wake up the stones and drive men mad." "It wasn't so bad," said Anna. "Good enough for the little Graubinger girl," added Frau Rosner. "The little Graubinger girl, you see, is the daughter of the local shopkeeper," explained Anna: "and I taught her the elements of pianoforte, a pretty little girl with long blonde pig-tails." "Just a favour to the shopkeeper," said Frau Rosner. "Quite so, but I should like to remind you," supplemented Anna, "that apart from that I gave real lessons, I mean paid-for ones." "What, also in Weissenfeld?" asked George. "Children on a holiday. Anyway, it's a pity, Herr Baron, that you never paid us a visit in the country. I am sure you would have liked it." George then remembered for the first time that he had promised Anna that he would try to pay her a visit some time in the summer on a cycling tour. "I am sure the Baron would not have found a place like that really to his liking," began Herr Rosner. "Why not?" asked George. "They don't cater there for the requirements of a spoilt Viennese." "Oh, I'm not spoilt," said George. "Weren't you at Auhof either?" Anna turned to George. "Oh no," he answered quickly. "No, I wasn't there," he added less sharply. "I was invited though.... Frau Ehrenberg was so kind as to ... I had various invitations for the summer. But I preferred to stay in Vienna by myself." "I am really sorry," said Anna, "not to see anything more of Else. You know of course that we went to the same boarding-school. Of course it's a long time ago. I really liked her. A pity that one gets so out of touch as time goes on." "How is that?" asked George. "Well, I suppose the reason is that I'm not particularly keen on the whole set." "Nor am I," said Josef, who was blowing rings into the air.... "I haven't been there for years. Putting it quite frankly ... I've no idea, Baron, of your views on this question ... I'm not very gone on Israelites." Herr Rosner looked up at his son. "My dear Josef, the Baron visits the house and it will strike him as rather strange...." "I?" said George courteously. "I'm not at all on intimate terms with the Ehrenberg family, however much I enjoy talking to the two ladies." And then he added interrogatively, "But didn't you give singing lessons to Else last year, Fräulein Anna?" "Yes. Or rather ... I just accompanied her...." "I suppose you'll do so again this year?" "I don't know. She hasn't shown any signs of life, so far." "Perhaps she's giving it all up."