"I can afford it," said I. "I've no one but myself, unluckily. If you don't object to my company, let us try it. We shall be neighbors in the orchestra."
"Why not at home too? I think it an excellent plan. Let us decide it so."
I was very urgent about it. An hour ago I could not have conceived anything which could make me so urgent and set my heart beating so.
"If I did not think it would inconvenience you," he began.
"Then it is settled?" said I. "Now let us go and see what kind of furniture there is in that big room."
Without allowing him to utter any further objection, I dragged him to the large room, and we surveyed it. The woman, who for some unaccountable reason appeared to have recovered her good-temper in a marvelous manner, said quite cheerfully that she would send the maid to make the smaller room ready as a bedroom for two. "One of us won't take much room," said Courvoisier with a laugh, to which she assented with a smile, and then left us. The big room was long, low, and rather dark. Beams were across the ceiling, and two not very large windows looked upon the street below, across to two similar windows of another lodging-house, a little to the left of which was the Tonhalle. The floor was carpetless, but clean; there was a big square table, and some chairs.
"There," said I, drawing Courvoisier to the window, and pointing across: "there is one scene of your future exertions, the Städtische Tonhalle."
"So!" said he, turning away again from the window--it was as dark as ever outside--and looking round the room again. "This is a dull-looking place," he added, gazing around it.
"We'll soon make it different," said I, rubbing my hands and gazing round the room with avidity. "I have long wished to be able to inhabit this room. We must make it more cheerful, though, before the child comes to it. We'll have the stove lighted, and we'll knock up some shelves and we'll have a piano in, and the sofa from my room, _nicht wahr?_ Oh, we'll make a place of it, I can tell you."
He looked at me as if struck with my enthusiasm, and I bustled about. We set to work to make the room habitable. He was out for a short time at the station and returned with the luggage which he had left there. While he was away I stole into my room and took a good look at my new treasure; he still slept peacefully and calmly on. We were deep in impromptu carpentering and contrivances for use and comfort, when it occurred to me to look at my watch.