Messrs. Laffitte and Gaillard's firm, to do what they liked with
it, and I never cared to inquire what became of that manuscript.

Suddenly Kietz devised a way out of these troubles. He had been
commissioned by an old lady of Leipzig, called Fraulein Leplay, a
rich and very miserly old maid, to find a cheap lodging in Paris
for her and for his stepmother, with whom she intended to travel.
As our apartment, though not spacious, was larger than we
actually needed, and had very quickly become a troublesome burden
to us, we did not hesitate for a moment to let the larger portion
of it to her for the time of her stay in Paris, which was to last
about two months. In addition, my wife provided the guests with
breakfast, as though they were in furnished apartments, and took
a great pride in looking at the few pence she earned in this way.
Although we found this amazing example of old-maidishness trying
enough, the arrangement we had made helped us in some degree to
tide over the anxious time, and I was able, in spite of this
disorganisation of our household arrangements, to continue
working in comparative peace at my Rienzi.

This became more difficult after Fraulein Leplay's departure,
when we let one of our rooms to a German commercial traveller,
who in his leisure hours zealously played the flute. His name was
Brix; he was a modest, decent fellow, and had been recommended to
us by Pecht the painter, whose acquaintance we had recently made.
He had been introduced to us by Kietz, who studied with him in
Delaroche's studio. He was the very antithesis of Kietz in every
way, and obviously endowed with less talent, yet he grappled with
the task of acquiring the art of oil-painting in the shortest
possible time under difficult circumstances with an industry and