hall hear."

At that instant the song appeared to terminate, and bass and treble ran
together in long, sweeping arpeggios; and then, out over the merry
crowd, out over the infinite peace of the Bodensee, there rang and
resounded four notes,--E, F, F sharp, G; four notes, the pain, the
prayer, the passion of which shrieked to the inmost mysteries of every
hearing heart.

Rosina started; her companion turned quickly towards her.

"It is what you told me of at Lucerne that night on the steamer?" she
asked, with no question in her voice.

He moved his head slowly in assent to her certainty. The cascading song
was already running its silvery course again; he leaned far towards her.

"Have you comprehend, do you think?" he asked.

She nodded. And then she too leaned her chin on her hand, and looked to
the lake to guard her eyes, while the music invaded and took complete
possession of her senses.

"Do you play that on your violin?" she asked, when all was over.

"There is no music that I may not play," he replied, "unless I have
never see it, or hear it, or divine it for myself."

"Do you play the piano also?"

"Only what I must. Sometimes I must, you know. Then I say to my hands,
'You shall go here, you shall go there!' and they go, but very badly."

She looked straight at him with a curious dawning in her eyes.

"I wonder, shall we ever make any music together?" she murmured.

"Much," he said tritely.

She was conscious of neither wonder nor resistance, as if the music had
cast a spell over her self-mastery.

"I want to hear you play," she said, with an echo of entreaty.

He shook his head, brushing a lock of hair off of his temple as he did
so. There was a sort of impatience in each movement.

"Not these days; no! I played once after I saw you first, but only once.
Since that the case is locked; the key is here." He interrupted himself
to draw out his keys, and separating one from the rest held it up to
her. "Let us hope that in Munich, perhaps."

The waitress had returned with their ices. He watched her arrange them,
and she watched him. The heavy circle under his eyes was especially
noticeable this night, the eyes themselves especially laughless.

"You are glad that I go?" he asked suddenly as he picked up his spoon
and plunged it into the saucer before him; "yes?"

"I shall be more glad when I know that you are really gone."

"But this time it is sure. This time it is really a true going." He
sto