The doctor sighed. "I'm afraid he's worse than that.
Is he always all right when you take your lessons? Never
acts as if he'd been drinking?"

Thea looked angry and spoke excitedly. "He knows a
lot. More than anybody. I don't care if he does drink;
he's old and poor." Her voice shook a little.

Mrs. Kronborg spoke up from the next room. "He's a
good teacher, doctor. It's good for us he does drink. He'd
never be in a little place like this if he didn't have some
weakness. These women that teach music around here
don't know nothing. I wouldn't have my child wasting
time with them. If Professor Wunsch goes away, Thea'll
have nobody to take from. He's careful with his scholars;
he don't use bad language. Mrs. Kohler is always present
when Thea takes her lesson. It's all right." Mrs. Kronborg
spoke calmly and judicially. One could see that she had
thought the matter out before.

"I'm glad to hear that, Mrs. Kronborg. I wish we could
get the old man off his bottle and keep him tidy. Do you

suppose if I gave you an old overcoat you could get him to
wear it?" The doctor went to the bedroom door and Mrs.
Kronborg looked up from her darning.

"Why, yes, I guess he'd be glad of it. He'll take most