knowing what the present contains!
Oh, this being with a living life, and remaining unaware of it! This
failure to avail one's self of a wonderful day, a breathing, pulsing
hour! This dragging, falling, plunging into the night of desire and
delusion, this proud, vain, criminal discontent! O winged creature,
winged creature, where art thou! Where can one call out to thee!

There was nothing left but two graves, a broken harp, withered flowers,
and a mask! And a fair child here, a foul one there, and a third that
had come into life only to die! And up above all this, up above even the
tip of the mountain top, the gigantic, the inexpressible, the sea of
dreams and dreamed melodies, the breath of God, the annunciation of
infernal darkness, the message of eternity, the wonders of temporal
existence, dance and dancing pipes, peals of thunder, and sweet weavings
of sound--Music!

It was evening. The Baron closed the door. Daniel reached him his hand
in silence, and then went home.

THE PROMETHEAN SYMPHONY

I

During the following autumn and winter, Daniel lived a quiet, lonely
life. In the spring, Sylvia von Auffenberg wrote him a letter, asking
him to come over to Siegmundshof and spend a few weeks with her and
Eberhard. He declined, though he promised to come later.

Old Herold visited him occasionally. He told all about the friction in
the conservatory since Doederlein had been in charge, and contended that
the world was on the point of turning into a pig-stye.

Herr Seelenfromm also came in from time to time, while among other
visitors were the architect who had a defect in his speech and Martha
Ruebsam. Toward the close of the winter Herr Carovius also called.
Socially he had become more nearly possible than he had been in former
years. He still held, however, some very remarkable views about music.

Whatever any of the visitors said went in one of Daniel's ears and out
of the other. It would often happen that there would be a number of
people in his presence, and he would seem to be listening to them; and
yet if you watched his face, you could see that he was completely
absent-minded. If some one turned to him with a question, he would not
infrequently smile like a child, and make no effort whatsoever to
respond. No one had ever noticed him smile this way before.

He returned the money Philippina had loaned him at the time the piano
was pawned.