ething in his ear and sat down in his stead.
He played the same composition which Chopin had played on the previous
occasion, and the audience was again enchanted. At the end of the piece
Liszt struck a match and lighted the candles which stood on the piano.
Of course general stupefaction ensued.

"What do you say to it?" said Liszt to his rival.
"I say what everyone says; I too believed it was Chopin."
"You see," said the virtuoso rising, "that Liszt can be Chopin
when he likes; but could Chopin be Liszt?"

Instead of commenting on the improbability of a generous artist thus
cruelly taunting his sensitive rival, I shall simply say that Liszt had
not the slightest recollection of ever having imitated Chopin's playing
in a darkened room. There may be some minute grains of truth mixed up
with all this chaff of fancy--Chopin's displeasure at the liberties
Liszt took with his compositions was no doubt one of them--but it is
impossible to separate them.

M. Rollinat relates also how in 184-, when Chopin, Liszt, the Comtesse
d'Agoult, Pauline Garcia, Eugene Delacroix, the actor Bocage, and other
celebrities were at Nohant, the piano was one moonlit night carried
out to the terrace; how Liszt played the hunting chorus from Weber's
Euryanthe, Chopin some bars from an impromptu he was then composing; how
Pauline Garcia sang Nel cor piu non mi sento, and a niece of George Sand
a popular air; how the echo answered the musicians; and how after the
music the company, which included also a number of friends from the
neighbouring town, had punch and remained together till dawn. But
here again M. Rollinat's veracity is impugned on all sides. Madame
Viardot-Garcia declares that she was never at Nohant when Liszt was
there; and Liszt did not remember having played on the terrace of the
chateau. Moreover, seeing that the first performance of the Prophete
took place on April 16, 1849, is it likely that Madame Pauline Garcia
was studying her part before or in 1846? And unless she did so she could
not meet Chopin at Nohant when she was studying it.

M. Rollinat is more trustworthy when he tells us that there was a pretty
theatre and quite an assortment of costumes at the chateau; that the
dramas and comedies played there were improvised by the actors, only
the subject and the division into scenes being given; and that on two
pianos, concealed by curtains, one on the right and one on the left
of the stage, Chopin and Liszt improvi