room, thinking there must have been an
accident and the master of the house was calling for help. He hastily
assured her all was well--no one was hurt; then we all had a hearty
laugh over the little incident.

And now we begged to be allowed to visit the atelier, where the
versatile artist worked out his pictures. He protested that it was in
disorder, that he would not dare to take us up, and so on. After a
little he yielded to persuasion, saying, however, he would go up first
and arrange the room a little. As soon as he had left us my friend
turned to me:

"What a remarkable man! So strong and vigorous, in spite of his advanced
age. No doubt he travels those stairs twenty times a day. He is as alert
as a young man; doubtless he still has his voice, as he says. And what a
career he has had. You know he was a friend of Edward the Seventh; they
once lived together. Then he and Verdi were close friends; he helped
coach singers for Verdi's operas. He says it was a wonderful
experience, when the composer sat down at the piano, put his hands on
the keys and showed the singers how he wanted his music sung!

"Early in his career Maurel sang in Verdi's opera, _Simone Boccanegra_,
which one never hears now, but it has a fine baritone part, and a couple
of very dramatic scenes, especially the final scene at the close. This
is the death scene. Maurel had sung and acted so wonderfully on a
certain occasion that all the singers about him were in tears. Verdi was
present at this performance and was deeply moved by Maurel's singing and
acting. He came upon the stage when all was over, and exclaimed, in a
voice trembling with emotion: 'You have created the role just as I would
have it; I shall write an opera especially _for you_!' This he did; it
was _Othello_, and the Iago was composed for Maurel. In his later years,
when he seldom left his home, the aged composer several times expressed
the wish that he might go to Paris, just to hear Maurel sing once more.

"It is very interesting that he was led to speak to us as he did just
now, about mental control, and the part played by mind in the singer's
study, equipment and career. It is a side of the question which every
young singer must seriously consider, first, last and always. But here
he comes."

Again protesting about the appearance of his simple studio, the master
led the way up the stairways till we reached the top of the house, where
a north-lighted room had been turned into