"Honoured," he declared, and they both laughed.
They had an evening of music, singing, and dancing down in Herr Schmidt's room. They moved his table and chairs close to the walls, and danced to their hearts' content.
It was in the midst of a rollicking chorus that Herr Schmidt returned unexpectedly. He stood in the doorway, unseen, unheard, while the chorus rang out:—
"'Mush, mush, mush, tooral i-add
Mush, mush, mush, tooral i-ay!
There was ne'er a gossoon in the village,
Dare thread on the tail of me coat!'"
"By Jove, the owner!" ejaculated Ted, as Denis started on the next verse.
Denis nodded with gay insouciance at Herr Schmidt, and sang on.
Nell went forward, laughing:—
"Oh, Herr Schmidt, we knew you wouldn't mind our using your room—do you?"
"Nein, nein! It is a great unexpectful bleasure, Fräulein! It is so goot of you, meine liebe! I am so bleased, so very much bleased!" He was patting her hand and beaming round his crowded room. "Ach, zere is my little Miss Sheila! But zere is no fire!" His face fell ludicrously. "How inhospital! Why did not ze maid light ze fire? Fräulein, we must light ze fire at once!"
They persuaded him to sing, and his great rolling bass amused Molly so much that she had to retire to the stairs to hide her mirth. Then he joined their supper party, and his broad, red, beaming face, with its kind little eyes twinkling over his glasses, was certainly indicative of enjoyment.