is appreciated, loved, honored! I may say the whole
musical life of our city revolves around her. You've come just at the
right time; the Cecilia Society she organized, gives an open air
concert to-night; first "Winter and Spring" from the "Seasons" then a
time for chat followed by some of Mendelssohn's quartettes. I make
myself useful in my way, by playing accompaniments, distributing the
parts, and often growling a little in baritone. With us, the women's
voices are the best, Christiane's method of instruction has already
produced its effect upon them. But we need tenors and basses.
Addressing the participants at athletic sports, shooting matches, and
workmen's picnics, ruins the voice; everybody thinks he shows his
patriotism by shouting, and then can't control his tones when they are
required for more delicate use. Well, we must put up with the shadows
too. We're living in a provincial town.'_

"_All this was said with such a radiant face that I saw he would not
have exchanged places with any band leader in Vienna or Berlin. I now
noticed that the trick which was so peculiar to him, drawing his under
lip awry and showing his white upper teeth, had entirely disappeared.
He could laugh with his mouth wide open like a child._

"_But the author of the comedy 'I am, I, and rely on myself' was still
so much like himself, that he didn't ask a question about how I had
fared, how my wife looks, and how our little city suits us. But this
omission was most amply compensated for by Frau Christiane, who met us
just outside the city, a few paces from her charming little house,
which is situated among gardens and meadows just beyond the gate. After
the first embarrassment always engendered by seeing old faces again,
she seemed perfectly at ease, her first question was about you, then I
was obliged to tell her about father and his marriage with Frau
Valentin, and next of our neighbor Franzelius and his little wife, and
so we were soon perfectly comfortable. My attention was attracted by
her quiet, gentle manner, which had a shade of suppressed humility,
especially when she turned toward her husband, for whose slightest
gesture she seemed to be on the alert. Only when the conversation
turned upon art, especially in the domain of music, the old harsh
strength of our strange friend flashed out like fire beneath ashes.
Meantime Mohr had brought a bottle of wine into the pretty honeysuckle
covered arbor of their little garden, and now