he carried his affection for at least one of
these brothers.

With the Prince and Princess Lichnowsky Beethoven shortly became, as
we have said, on terms of the greatest intimacy. All Vienna looked to
the house of Lichnowsky for patronage and help wherever art or science
was concerned, and none looked in vain. To Beethoven--young, rough,
and almost untutored in the usages of society, but with his commanding
genius and his equally remarkable personality--the Lichnowskys were
kindness itself. The Princess saw to his comforts, and arranged his
engagements in the same motherly fashion as Madame Breuning had done
after his mother's death, whilst the Prince even went so far in his
consideration for Beethoven's sensitiveness as to direct his servants
to attend to the musician's bell before answering his own. Extreme
sensibility to what he deemed indifference or neglect on the part of
his friends was undoubtedly one of Ludwig's chief weaknesses; but he
resented angrily the Prince's discovery of the fact, and to mark his
displeasure he immediately engaged a servant of his own to wait upon
him. The regularity of the household arrangements at the palace was
another matter which grated against Beethoven's love of Bohemianism;
to be forced to dress for dinner, especially at a set hour of the
day, was to him an abomination not to be suffered. The workings of his
genius were not to be regulated by the clockwork contrivances of
civilised life, and hence he first took to dining out at some tavern,
where he could be at his ease, and finally went altogether into
lodgings. But the Prince and Princess, like the good, sensible people
they were, only smiled at the vagaries of their favourite, and if his
seat at their table was henceforth but too frequently vacant, they
kept for him a warm corner in their hearts; whilst, as for Beethoven
himself, his affection for his kind friends remained as strong as
ever.

Careless as he was with regard both to dress and manners, there was no
trace of either carelessness or haste in his compositions, and he was
most insistent in having the latter performed in exact accordance with
his plans. One night, when his great work 'Leonore' was to be
rehearsed, the third bassoon failed to put in an appearance, and
Beethoven stamped about in a fury, heaping execrations upon the head
of the absent player. Prince Lobkowitz, who was present, and who was
one of Beethoven's chief patrons, laughed heartily at the compose