hly than Czerny, but of this also
don't speak, my beloved ones."

[FOOTNOTE: Their disparity of character would have revealed itself
unpleasantly to both parties if the grand seigneur Chopin had,
like Moritz Hauptmann, been the travelling-companion of the meanly
parsimonious Klengel, who to save a few bajocchi left the hotels with
uncleaned boots, and calculated the worth of the few things he cared
for by scudi.--See Moritz Hauptmann's account of his "canonic"
travelling-companion's ways and procedures in the letters to Franz
Hauser, vol. i., p. 64, and passim.]

The reader will no doubt notice and admire the caution of our young
friend. Remembering that not even Paganini had escaped being censured in
Prague, Chopin felt no inclination to give a concert, as he was advised
to do. A letter in which he describes his Prague experiences reveals to
us one of his weaknesses--one, however, which he has in common with many
men of genius. A propos of his bursting into a wrong bedroom he says: "I
am absent-minded, you know."

After three pleasant days at Prague the quatrefoil of friends betook
themselves again to the road, and wended their way to Teplitz, where
they arrived the same evening, and stopped two nights and one day. Here
they fell in with many Poles, by one of whom, Louis Lempicki, Chopin was
introduced to Prince Clary and his family, in whose castle he spent an
evening in very aristocratic society. Among the guests were an Austrian
prince, an Austrian and a Saxon general, a captain of the English navy,
and several dandies whom Chopin suspected to be Austrian princes or
counts. After tea he was asked by the mother of the Princess Clary,
Countess Chotek, to play something. Chopin at once went to the piano,
and invited those present to give him a theme to improvise upon.

Hereupon [he relates] I heard the ladies, who had taken seats
near a table, whisper to each other: "Un theme, un theme."
Three young princesses consulted together and at last turned
to Mr. Fritsche, the tutor of Prince Clary's only son, who,
with the approbation of all present, said to me: "The
principal theme of Rossini's 'Moses'." I improvised, and, it
appears, very successfully, for General Leiser [this was the
Saxon general] afterwards conversed with me for a long time,
and when he heard that I intended to go to Dresden he wrote
at once to Baron von Friesen as follows: "Monsieur Frederic
Chopin est recommande de