e was fickle, he was
inconstant, and so let us waste no pity on this episode, over which
lakes of tears have been shed and rivers of ink have been spilt.

Chopin was accompanied by Elsner and a party of friends as far as Wola,
a short distance from Warsaw. There the pupils of the Conservatory sang
a cantata by Elsner, and after a banquet he was given a silver goblet
filled with Polish earth, being adjured, so Karasowski relates, never
to forget his country or his friends wherever he might wander. Chopin,
his heart full of sorrow, left home, parents, friends, and "ideal,"
severed with his youth, and went forth in the world with the keyboard
and a brain full of beautiful music as his only weapons.

At Kaliz he was joined by the faithful Titus, and the two went to
Breslau, where they spent four days, going to the theatre and listening
to music. Chopin played quite impromptu two movements of his E minor
concerto, supplanting a tremulous amateur. In Dresden where they
arrived November 10, they enjoyed themselves with music. Chopin went to
a soiree at Dr. Kreyssig's and was overwhelmed at the sight of a circle
of dames armed with knitting needles which they used during the
intervals of music-making in the most formidable manner. He heard Auber
and Rossini operas and Rolla, the Italian violinist, and listened with
delight to Dotzauer and Kummer the violoncellists--the cello being an
instrument for which he had a consuming affection. Rubini, the brother
of the great tenor, he met, and was promised important letters of
introduction if he desired to visit Italy. He saw Klengel again, who
told the young Pole, thereby pleasing him very much, that his playing
was like John Field's. Prague was also visited, and he arrived at
Vienna in November. There he confidently expected a repetition of his
former successes, but was disappointed. Haslinger received him coldly
and refused to print his variations or concerto unless he got them for
nothing. Chopin's first brush with the hated tribe of publishers begins
here, and he adopts as his motto the pleasing device, "Pay, thou
animal," a motto he strictly adhered to; in money matters Chopin was
very particular. The bulk of his extant correspondence is devoted to
the exposure of the ways and wiles of music publishers. "Animal" is the
mildest term he applies to them, "Jew" the most frequent objurgation.
After all Chopin was very Polish.

He missed his friends the Blahetkas, who had gone to Stut