"Mazette! Do you smell something?" inquired Pinac, sniffing the air. "Something is burning!"
Von Barwig started and hastily looked into the coffee pot. "Ach Gott, boys," he said, "it's the coffee!" and he laughed.
"Is it boiling?" asked Pinac.
"Boiling! No, it's burning! I—forgot to put the water in it," and he laughed aloud.
"Let me make the coffee this time," said Pinac, busying himself at that occupation without further delay.
"Yes, and I mend that skylight," said Von Barwig, climbing up the steps that led to the skylight window. But Von Barwig was not successful. The wind was so strong that it blew away everything that he tried to substitute for the missing pane of glass. Finally he determined, as he could not mend it, to stuff it up temporarily and to that end he asked Pinac to hand him up a cloak, which was lying on a chair, and which he thought was his own. His effort to stuff it into the broken skylight was only too successful, for, as it went through to the other side, the wind caught it, tore it out of his hands and blew it completely away. There was a great outcry as the men realised that Pinac's overcoat had blown away and was lost. It was only when Jenny brought up the missing article, which had fallen into the street below, that their excitement was allayed. Von Barwig made no further effort to mend the skylight.
A little later, after the men had gone out to their respective engagements, Jenny found Von Barwig busily engaged in packing his last few remaining possessions into the little old-fashioned portmanteau which he had brought over from Leipsic with him. He had pulled it out into the hallway, as his room was too small for him to pack comfortably.
"I've packed all your other things away. Everything is ready now," said Jenny in a low voice.
The old man nodded and patted her hand as if to thank her for all her goodness.
"Have you told them?" she asked.