usa, and a flush gradually spread
over his cheeks. "You have perhaps bought tickets, and you are afraid lest
you have been robbed. Tranquillise yourself, Madame. If you have the least
fear, I will instruct my agent to reimburse you. And why should I not play?
Naturally I shall play. Accept my word, if you can." He spoke with an icy
and convincing decision.

"Oh, I'm so glad!" Audrey murmured.

"What right have you to be glad, Madame? If you are glad it is your own
affair. Have I troubled you since we last met? I need the sympathy of
nobody. I am assured of a large audience. My impresario is excessively
optimistic. And if this is so, I owe it to none but myself. You speak of
insults. Permit me to say that I regard your patronage as an insult. I have
done nothing, I imagine, to deserve it. I crack my head to divine what I
have done to deserve it. You hear some silly talk about a rehearsal and you
precipitate yourself _chez moi_--"

Without a word Audrey rose and departed. He followed her to the door and
held it open.

"_Bon jour_, Madame."

She descended the stairs. Perhaps it was his sudden illogical change of
tone; perhaps it was the memory of his phrase, "assured of a large
audience," coupled with a picture of the sinister Mr. Cowl unsuccessfully
trying to give away tickets--but whatever was the origin of the sob, she
did give a sob. As she walked downcast through the courtyard she heard
clearly the sounds of Musa's violin, played with savage vigour.

CHAPTER XLI

FINANCIAL NEWS

The Salle Xavier, or Xavier Hall, had been built, with other people's
money, by Xavier in order to force the general public to do something which
the general public does not want to do and never would do of its own
accord. Namely, to listen to high-class music. It had not been built, and
it was not run, strange to say, to advertise a certain brand of piano.
Xavier was an old Jew, of surpassing ugliness, from Cracow or some such
place. He looked a rascal, and he was one--admittedly; he himself would
imply it, if not crudely admit it. He had no personal interest in music,
either high-class or low-class. But he possessed a gift for languages and
he had mixed a great deal with musicians in an informal manner. Wagner, at
Venice, had once threatened Xavier with a stick, and also Xavier had twice
run away with great exponents of the role of Isolde. His competence as a
connoisseur of Wagner's music, and of the proper methods of render