his scales to
the metre of the lines, read through one after another of the poems he
liked best. At a particular favourite, he stopped playing and held the
book in both hands.

He had hardly begun anew when the door of his room was unceremoniously
opened, and Dove entered, in the jocose way he adopted when in a rosy
mood. Maurice made a movement to conceal his book, merely in order to
avoid the explanation he new must follow; but was too late; Dove had
espied it. He did not belie himself on this occasion; he was extremely
astonished to find Maurice "still at it," but much more so to see a
book open before him; and he vented his surprise loudly and wordily.

"Liszt used to read the newspaper," said Maurice, for the sake of
saying something. He had swung round in the piano-chair, and he yawned
as he spoke, without attempting to disguise it.

"Why, yes, of course, why not?" agreed Dove cordially, afraid lest he
had seemed discouraging. "Why not, indeed? For those who can do it. I
wish I could. But will you believe me, Guest"--here he seated himself,
and settled into an attitude for talking, one hand inserted between his
crossed knees--"will you believe me, when I say I find it a difficult
business to read at all?--at any time. I find it too stimulating, too
ANREGEND, don't you know? I assure you, for weeks now, I have been
trying to read PAST AND PRESENT, and have not yet got beyond the first
page. It gives one so much to think about, opens up so many new ideas,
that I stop myself and say: 'Old fellow, that must be digested.' This,
I see, is poetry"--he ran quickly and disparagingly through Maurice's
little volume, and laid it down again. "I don't care much for poetry
myself, or for novels either. There's so much in life worth knowing
that is true, or of some use to one; and besides, as we all know, fact
is stranger than fiction."

They spoke also of Furst's performance the evening before, and Dove
gave it its due, although he could not conceal his opinion that Furst's
star would ultimately pale before that of a new-comer to the town, a
late addition to the list of Schwarz's pupils, whom he, Dove, had been
"putting up to things a bit." This was a "Manchester man" and former
pupil of Halle's, and it would certainly not be long before he set the
place in a stir. Dove had just come from his lodgings, where he had
been permitted to sit and hear him practise finger-exercises.

"A touch like velvet," declared Dove. "And a s