epened.

And then something bright came into his life. He made the acquaintance
of a family named Breuning, comprising a widow lady and her four
children--three boys and a girl--all of about his own age. The
youngest boy and the daughter became his pupils, and a close
friendship sprang up between them. He stayed at the house for several
days at a time, joined in their excursions, and in every way was
treated as one of the family. As the Breunings were intellectual
people, their friendship was a great help to Beethoven; his whole
nature expanded in the sunshine of their society, and very soon he
found himself taking a deep interest in the literature of his
country--a subject of which he had previously been ignorant. An
affection for English authors likewise grew from this intimacy with a
family of wide tastes and acquirements--indeed, new interests and
fresh paths of pleasant intercourse were opening to him every day,
whilst the separation from the miserable surroundings of his own home
invigorated him for work. Every hour that could be spared from his
official duties or his teaching was devoted to study and composition.
Most of his composing was done in the open air; and for this purpose
he provided himself with rough sketch-books, one of which he always
carried with him, so that he might jot down in it such musical ideas
as occurred to him during his rambles through the lanes and fields.

[Illustration: '_Seated before an old, worn-out piano._']

It was during this happy intercourse with the Breuning family that
Beethoven made the acquaintance of a generous young nobleman, with
whom he not only became on the most friendly terms, but who both
helped him and encouraged his talents. Count von Waldstein, as the
nobleman was named, called one day on Beethoven in his poor room, and
found the composer, whose works he so much admired, seated before an
old, worn-out piano, on which he was elaborating one of his
compositions. The Count said nothing at the time, but shortly
afterwards Beethoven was astonished and delighted at receiving a fine
new instrument, accompanied by a message from his friend praying his
acceptance of the gift. It went to the Count's heart to observe the
poverty-stricken conditions under which the composer worked. That he
himself should be surrounded by every luxury, whilst the gifted
musician who laboured for his enjoyment was driven to practise all
manner of shifts to maintain himself in food and c