the first step towards the settlement of his future was taken by
his parents. Previous to this event Mathias had confided to his wife
the hopes which he entertained with regard to Joseph's musical career,
in the expectation that she would share them. Maria, however, did not
incline to her husband's views on the subject. She cherished a strong
desire that Joseph should eventually join the priesthood, and fancied
that she detected in the boy's reverence for sacred music a natural
leaning in that direction.

Matters were at this juncture when an unexpected visit was paid to the
cottage by a distant relative named Johann Mathias Frankh, the
schoolmaster of Hainburg, a small town about four leagues from Rohrau.
Frankh, who was himself a fair musician, happened to visit the family
at the moment when they were engaged in their evening concert, and the
sight of Joseph with his toy violin at once attracted his attention.
The purity and accuracy of the child's singing, moreover, soon
convinced the schoolmaster that he had in him the makings of a good
musician, and without knowing anything of the parents' wishes or
intentions, he immediately proposed that Joseph should be placed under
his instruction. 'If you will let Sepperl (the Austrian diminutive for
Joseph) come to me,' said he, 'I will take care that he is properly
taught. I can see that he promises well.'

Mathias gave a willing consent to the proposition, and Maria's
objections having been overruled (she kept to herself the hope that
this might, after all, prove to be but a stepping-stone to the
fulfilment of her wishes), in a very short time Joseph and his father
were seated in the waggon and jogging on their way to Hainburg.

The new world into which Joseph found himself launched had many
drawbacks, but one excellent side. His 'cousin,' as he termed Frankh,
was a strict but careful teacher, and under his care the boy not only
learned to sing well, but also acquired a good deal of knowledge
regarding the various musical instruments in use at that time. In
other respects, too, his education was looked after; and as his
quickness at learning was remarkable, and his cousin did not scruple
to employ physical force to enable his pupil to master his
difficulties, Joseph made rapid progress, despite the fact that he was
often flogged when he should have been fed. The strict discipline to
which he was subjected may not have been without its value in inducing
habits of method