dwelt repeatedly upon the accuracy of ear and mechanical skill
necessary to produce such a work, called attention to the admirable
expression of the pathetic passages, and reminded his listeners of the
difficulty of bringing out the expression, and, at the same time,
following the strokes of the metronome. This mechanism had not the
advantage enjoyed by the performer of dispensing with the metronome
and varying the time to suit the music. He was going on to explain how
the various qualities of tone were rendered; the solidity of the
barrel-work; the necessity of fitting the cylinders so firmly together
that they could not give way; the reasons for having the soft alder
outside and various woods of different fibres inside; when his
explanations were interrupted by the voice of Franzl without, giving a
peculiarly hearty welcome to some new-comers. Lenz went to the door,
and found the landlord of the Lion, with his wife and daughter. The
landlord shook hands with him, and gave a nod at the same time, as much
as to say that no higher compliment could be paid than for a gentleman
of well-known pride and honor to spend a quarter of an hour in
examining a work to which a young man had devoted years of industry.

"So you have come at last!" was Lenz's greeting to Annele.

"Why at last?" she asked.

"Have you forgotten that you promised to come six weeks ago?"

"When? I cannot remember."

"On the day after my mother's death you said you would come soon."

"Yes, yes; so I did. I have had a feeling there was something on my
mind, I could not tell what. Yes, yes; that is it. But, dear me, you
have no idea how fast one thing crowds out another in our house." Lenz
felt a pang through his heart at Annele's light words.

But he had no time to analyze his feelings of pleasure and pain, for
the ladies now began to exchange greetings. Annele seemed inclined to
follow the city fashion and kiss the doctor's daughters,--those friends
whom, however, she hated most cordially for the reserve that always
appeared in their manner towards her. Amanda, the botanist, had taken
off her broad hat, quite as if she were at home, and Annele followed
her example. Annele's hair was more abundant than that of all the other
ladies put together, and long enough to sit on. She held up her head,
with its triple crowns of braids, and looked about her with an air of
satisfaction.

Lenz put in a new barrel, and made The Magic Flute, which was generally
ra