hose darkening hours.

How long Haydn might have remained at the Cantorei, in spite of his
breaking voice, and the consequent lessening of his importance as a
member of the choir, cannot be told; but an incident which happened at
this period settled his future as far as St. Stephen's was concerned,
in a manner as summary as it was unexpected.

It is odd that Haydn's actual dismissal from the school must be laid
at the door of his love of fun, and that one who was so hard-working
and so wrapped up in his music should have been unable to resist the
temptation to play off a practical joke upon one of his colleagues
under the very eyes of the Capellmeister. Nevertheless, such was the
case, and a bright new pair of scissors, which had found their way
into his possession, was the means by which Joseph executed his joke,
and at the same time severed his connection with the Cantorei. It was
the fashion in those days for boys to wear pigtails, and Haydn's gaze
was one day riveted upon the movements of a pigtail belonging to the
chorister seated immediately in front of him. The pigtail was twitched
to and fro, or jerked up and down, in accordance with the movements of
its owner's head, with a vivacity which was at once fascinating and
exasperating to behold. The new scissors were being opened and closed
in Joseph's fingers--the itching to cut something was too strong to be
resisted--the tantalising pigtail was twitching under his very
nose--and the next moment, ere the owner of the scissors could realise
the crime he was committing, the once active pigtail lay as dead as
any doornail upon the floor.

The punishment meted out to Haydn for this offence was slight--a mere
caning on the hand; but the indignity and disgrace of being caned
before the whole school was not to be borne. He pleaded for
forgiveness: 'Rather than submit to such a disgrace he would leave the
school.' Reutter had for long been seeking an excuse for turning the
lad adrift; a chorister without a voice was useless to him, and here
was his chance. 'You must take your caning first, and then you shall
have your dismissal,' he said, with cruel meaning in his tone, for he
knew Haydn's spirit.

Joseph underwent the disgrace, and then, whilst the physical pain of
it yet lingered, he packed up his two precious volumes, placed the
remainder of his belongings on his brother's bed, and choking back the
rage that was almost suffocating him, he walked quickly out of the