"I am really sorry, but just consider, Fräulein Anna, I could scarcely get in the mood for society of any kind this year, you can quite appreciate that." Anna looked at him seriously. "Don't you think," she said, "that perhaps one might have been some help to you in bearing it?" "There's a draught, Anna," called out Frau Rosner from inside. "I'm coming in a minute," answered Anna with a touch of impatience. But Frau Rosner had already shut the door. "When can I come back?" asked George. "Whenever you like. At any rate ... I really ought to give you a written time-table, so that you may know when I'm at home, but that wouldn't be much good either. I often go for walks or go shopping in town or go to picture galleries or exhibitions----" "We might do that together one day," said George. "Oh, yes," answered Anna, took her purse out of her pocket and then took out a tiny note-book. "What have you got there?" asked George. Anna smiled and turned over the leaves of a little book. "Just wait.... I meant to go and see the Exhibition of Miniatures in the Royal Library at eleven on Thursday. If you too are interested in miniatures, we might meet there." "Delighted, I'm sure." "Right you are then, we can then arrange the next time for you to accompany my singing." "Done," said George and shook hands with her. It struck him that while Anna was chatting with him here outside, young Doctor Stauber would doubtless be getting irritated or offended inside, and he was surprised that he should be more disturbed by this circumstance than Anna, who struck him as on the whole a perfectly good-natured person. He freed his hand from hers, said good-bye and went. It was quite dark when George got into the streets. He strolled slowly over the Elizabeth Bridge to the Opera, past the centre of the town and undisturbed by the hubbub and traffic around him, listened mentally to the tune of his song. He thought it strange that Anna's voice which had so pure and sound a tone in a small room, should have no future whatsoever before it on the stage and concert platform, and even stranger that Anna scarcely seemed to mind this tragic fact. But of course he was not quite clear in his mind whether Anna's calmness really reflected her true character.