f all the rules of counterpoint, I composed all sorts of
canzonets and arias, which Lauretta sang, though only in her own room.
Why would she never sing any of my pieces at a concert? I could not
understand it. Teresina also arose before my imagination curvetting on
her proud steed with the lute in her hands, like Art herself disguised
in romance. Without thinking of it consciously, I wrote several songs
of a high and serious nature. Lauretta, it is true, played with her
notes like a capricious fairy queen. There was nothing upon which she
ventured in which she had not success. But never did a roulade cross
Teresina's lips; nothing more than a simple interpolated note, at most
a _mordent_; but her long-sustained tones gleamed like meteors through
the darkness of night, awakening strange spirits, who came and gazed
with earnest eyes into the depths of my heart. I know not how I
remained ignorant of them so long!

"The sisters were granted a benefit concert; I sang with Lauretta a
long scena from Anfossi.[7] As usual I presided at the piano. We came
to the last _fermata_. Lauretta exerted all her skill and art; she
warbled trill after trill like a nightingale, executed sustained notes,
then long elaborate roulades--a whole _solfeggio_. In fact, I thought
she was almost carrying the thing too far this time; I felt a soft
breath on my cheek; Teresina stood behind me. At this moment Lauretta
took a good start with the intention of swelling up to a 'harmonic
shake,' and so passing back into _a tempo_. The devil entered into me;
I jammed down the keys with both hands; the orchestra followed suit;
and it was all over with Lauretta's trill, just at the supreme moment
when she was to excite everybody's astonishment. Almost annihilating me
with a look of fury, she crushed her roll of music together, tore it
up, and hurled it at my head, so that the pieces flew all over me. Then
she rushed like a madwoman through the orchestra into the adjoining
room; as soon as we had concluded the piece, I followed her. She wept;
she raved. 'Out of my sight, villain,' she screamed as soon as she saw
me. 'You devil, you've completely ruined me--my fame, my honour--and
oh! my trill. Out of my sight, you devil's own!' She made a rush
at me; I escaped through the door. Whilst some one else was performing,
Teresina and the music-director at length succeeded in so far pacifying
her rage, that she resolved to appear again; but I was not to be
allowed to