e
_cantabile_ tone, 'I wish to heaven the devil would hurl the wretched
music-perverter ten thousand millions of fathoms deep into the abysses
of hell!' and then he screamed out violently and wildly, 'She's an
angel of heaven, all compounded of the purest, divinest music:' and the
tears came to his eyes. It was some time ere we remembered that, about
an hour before, we had been talking of a particular _prima donna_.
There was a hare at table, and I noticed that he carefully polished the
bones on his plate, and made particular enquiries for the feet, which
were brought to him, with many smiles, by the professor's little
daughter of fifteen. All the time of luncheon the children had been
fixing their eyes upon him as on a favourite, and now they came up to
him, though they kept a respectful distance of two or three paces.'
'What's going to happen,' thought I. The dessert came, and Krespel took
a small box from his pocket, out of which he brought a miniature
turning-lathe, made of steel, which he screwed on to the table, and
proceeded to turn, from the bones, with wonderful skill and rapidity,
all sorts of charming little boxes, balls, etc., which the children
took possession of with cries of delight.

"As we rose from table, the professor's niece said--

"'And how is our dear Antonia, Mr. Krespel?'

"'_Our_--OUR dear Antonia!' he answered, in his sustained singing tone
most unpleasant to hear. At first he made the sort of face which a
person makes who bites into a bitter orange, and wants to look as if
it were a sweet one; but soon this face changed to a perfectly
terrible-looking mask, out of which grinned a bitter, fierce--nay, as
it seemed to me, altogether _diabolical_, sneer of angry scorn.

"The professor hastened up to him. In the look of angry reproach which
he cast at his niece I read that she had touched some string which
jarred most discordantly within Krespel.

"'How get on the violins?' said the professor, taking Krespel by both
hands.

"The cloud cleared away from his face, and he answered in his harsh
rugged tone, 'Splendidly, Professor. You remember my telling you about
a magnificent _Amati_, which I got hold of by a lucky accident a short
time ago? I cut it open this very morning, and expect that Antonia has
finished taking it to pieces by this time.'

"'Antonia is a dear, good child,' said the Professor.

"'Ay! that she is--that she is!' screamed Krespel, and seizing his hat
and stick, was off