sohn, or Doehler,
or Beethoven, or Proch, or Schumann," until finally Mr. Silver
mentions Schubert's Serenade. Mr. Forte concludes with the soft
pedal, which in his inspired moments he had already made frequent
use of._)

DOMINIE (_to Emma_). You should never play in company, without
mentioning previously what you are going to perform. You observe, as
soon as the Serenade was mentioned, it put a stop to the guessing.

ALL (_except Mr. Silver and Dominie_). What a glorious performance! what
an artistic treat!

MRS. GOLD. What spirituality in his playing!

MR. SILVER (_asking Mr. Forte for information_). I noticed, in the
Serenade, you made only one bar of the two where it modulates to F
major, in your rapid playing of the passage. Was that accidental?

EMMA (_aside_). He ought to have played a little slower just there.

MR. FORTE. In such beautiful passages, every thing must be left to the
suggestion of one's feelings. Perhaps another time I may make three
bars, just as inspiration and genius may intimate. Those are aesthetic
surprises. Henselt, Moscheles, Thalberg, and Clara Wieck do not execute
in that manner, and consequently can produce no effect, and do not
travel.

DOMINIE (_to Emma_). I hope that your natural taste and your musical
education will preserve you from such preposterous extravagances.

EMMA. Such playing makes one feel quite uncomfortable and worried.
Probably that is what you call "devilish modern"?

DOMINIE. Yes.

EMMA. But do people like it?

DOMINIE. Certainly: a great many people do. It has the superior air of
genius, and sounds very original.

(_Mrs. Gold has "The Creation" in her hand, and Mr. Silver leads
her to the piano for the execution of the grand duet between Adam
and Eve. Mr. Forte is exhausted, and Dominie plays the
accompaniment. Mr. Silver sings intelligently and unaffectedly;
Mrs. Gold, as before, but with still less regard to time, and more
out of tune; but she tries to compensate for this by introducing
very long ornaments at the _fermate_ in the _allegro_, sung with
her thin, piercing, over-strained voice; and she frequently rolls
up her black eyes. At the conclusion, Mrs. Gold was led to the
arm-chair, in great exhaustion of feeling._)

MR. PIOUS. The divine art of music celebrates its perfect triumph in
such interpretations of Haydn. Mrs. Gold, were those delicious _fermate_
of your own invent