rds. Locke looked on for a short time, and then drew out his
pocket-book and began to write in it with much attention. One of the
players, after a time, observed this, and asked what he was writing. "My
Lord," answered Locke, "I am endeavouring, as far as possible, to profit
by my present situation; for, having waited with impatience for the
honour of being in company with the greatest geniuses of the age, I
thought I could do nothing better than to write down your conversation;
and, indeed, I have set down the substance of what you have said for the
last hour or two." The three noblemen, fully sensible of the force of
the rebuke, immediately left the cards and entered into a conversation
more rational and more befitting their reputation as men of genius.

* * * * *

HAYDN AND THE SHIP CAPTAIN.

When the immortal composer Haydn was on his visit to England, in 1794,
his chamber-door was opened one morning by the captain of an East
Indiaman, who said, "You are Mr. Haydn?" "Yes." "Can you make me a
'March,' to enliven my crew? You shall have thirty guineas; but I must
have it to-day, as to-morrow I sail for Calcutta." Haydn agreed, the
sailor quitted him, the composer opened his piano, and in a few minutes
the march was written. He appears, however, to have had a delicacy rare
among the musical birds of passage and of prey who come to feed on the
unwieldy wealth of England. Conceiving that the receipt of a sum so
large as thirty guineas for a labour so slight, would be a species of
plunder, he came home early in the evening, and composed other two
marches, in order to allow the liberal sea captain his choice, or make
him take all the three. Early next morning, the purchaser came back.
"Where is my march?" "Here it is." "Try it on the piano." Haydn played
it over. The captain counted down the thirty guineas on the piano, took
up the march, and went down stairs. Haydn ran after him, calling, "I
have made other two marches, both better; come up and hear them, and
take your choice." "I am content with the one I have," returned the
captain, without stopping. "I will make you a present of them," cried
the composer. The captain only ran down the more rapidly, and left Haydn
on the stairs. Haydn, opposing obstinacy to obstinacy, determined to
overcome this odd self-denial. He went at once to the Exchange, found
out the name of the ship, made his marches into a roll, and sent them,
with a polite n