which reigned at
home in consequence of the large and growing family, and the disgrace
which he should feel in casting himself as a burden upon those he
loved, especially after what had occurred. 'Sooner than do that,' he
exclaimed, 'I would rather starve in the streets. But, indeed, I
believe it will not be so bad as that; I have made up my mind to
support myself by music, and _I will never give in!_'

Now Spangler, albeit a man of humble attainments, and a being,
moreover, who had set no very high ideals before his eyes, was not, as
we have seen, destitute of the quality of sympathy, nor could he
entirely obliterate from his memory a time when he himself had been
fired by a spark of ambition, and had recognised a longing to
accomplish something great. True, the spark had been but a feeble one
at best, and the unceasing demands upon his powers to supply the bare
necessaries of life, occasioned by an early and imprudent marriage,
had done their best to crush it out of existence. Nevertheless, the
memory of that time remained, and being freshly stirred by the
contemplation of his young friend's forlorn state, it united itself
with the stronger germ of sympathy, and blossomed out into a generous
proposal that Haydn should continue to occupy a corner of his garret
until such time as he could obtain employment.

Haydn gratefully accepted the kindly offer, assuring Spangler that he
would repay his hospitality both in money and thanks. He gave this
assurance in the belief that its fulfilment could only be a question
of a short time. But many weary months, spent in fruitless
applications for employment and equally futile endeavours to secure
pupils, were destined to pass ere the first vestiges of success made
themselves apparent. Haydn was now seventeen, and possessed of the
appetite of a schoolboy; how to satisfy his natural cravings,
therefore, must have been almost as difficult a problem as that of
obtaining work. The rigours of an Austrian winter, too, added not a
little to his miseries, ill-fed and thinly clad as he was, but still
he struggled on, hopeful that the advent of spring would bring good
luck with the sunshine.

Spring came at last, and found him still without means of subsistence,
yet not without the solace of hope. Notwithstanding the uncongeniality
of his surroundings, he had found opportunities for study, and never
had his treasured volumes seemed more precious to him than during
those long winter month