Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-02-05
SOUVENIRS OF AN EGOIST.
Temple Bari

l<lltA lukdCCc tlON tubh MI 'eAAsNe
me back, that cir ground away so I'M
mercifully, sans tune, sans timo on
hopelessly discordant barrel-organ, night
underneath my window. II is being bit
terly execrated, know, by the literary
sgentleman who lives in chambers above
me, and by the conyivial gentleman who
has dinner party underneath. 1t has
certainly made 1t impossible Tor me
TO continue the passage IN my new
Fugue in A minor, which was beng
transferred so lovingly from my own
brain on 20 the score when it interrupted
me. But for all that, i have shrewd
suspicion that shall bear its unmusicai
torture as long as it lasts, and eventually
send away the frowsy foreigner who, no
doubt. is playing it, happy with fairly
largo coin.
Yes: for tho sake OF old times, for the
old emotions sake-for Ninette's sake, L
put up with il, not altogether sorry Tor
the recollections il has aroused.
How wildly it brings 1t all back.
Though am q rich man now and 50
comfortably domiciled; though the
fashionable world are so eager to honize
me, and the musical world look upon me
almost as a god, and tomorrow hun
dreds of people will be turned away LOT
want of space from the hall where am
70 plav. lust alone, my last fantaisle,
IL WAS not so very many years ago
that / trudge1 along, fidding for
hslf-pepce in the streets. Nlnette
and I-Ninette with her barrel
organ and / fiddling. Poor little
Ninette-that air was one Of the four her
organ PLAYED. / wonder what has be-
come OF her? Dead, l should hope,
Door child. Now that / am successful
and famous, Baron OF the French en-
pire. it is not altogether unpleasant to
think of the old penniless vagrant days,
by blazing fire, IN thick carpeted
room. with the November night shut out
side am ratheran epicure OF my emo
tious. and my work is none the worse tor
il. Little egoist" | remember Lady
GrevilIe once said OF me, she has the
tine artistic susceptibility. All his SEN
cations are so much Prist for his art.
But it is Of Nine.te, not Lady Grevllle,
Shat | think tonight; hinette's childish
face that the dreary grinding organ
brings up before me, not Lady Greyille s
aauil:ne nose and delicate artificial com
plexion.
Although am such q great man now,
7 should find 1t very awkward to he
obliged 10 answer questions as to my
percentage and infancy.
Even my nationality | could not state
precisely. though l know | am as much
Italian as English. perhaps rather more.
From Italy L have inherited my genus
and enthusiasm for art, from England L
think 1 must have got my common sense
and the capacity of keeping the money
which | make also certain natural
GOODNESS of disposition, which those who
only know me as pubic character 90
not dream Of. All my earliest mem
ories are very vague and lndlstlnct.
! remember tramping over France
and Italy with a man and woman
they were Italian, | beheve-who beat
me and n fiddle. which L loved passion
atelv. and which l cannot remember
having ever been without They are
very shadowy presences now, ana the
name of the man have forgotten. The
woman. | think. was called Msddalena.
I do not suppose they were related to me
in any way-anyhow, / hated them bit
terlv. and eventually. after a worse beat
ing than usual, ran away from them. L
never cared for any one except my hdde
until l knew Ninette. l was very
hungry and miserable indeed when
that repcontre came about | won
der sometimes what would have hap
nened if Ninette had not come to the
rescue lust at that particular juncture.
Would some other salvation have ap-
reared or would-well, well, if one once
begins wondering what would have hap
pened if certain accidents IL ones lie
had not befallen one when they did,
where will one come to o stop? Any
how. when | had escaped from my task
masters, wretched, puny child OF ten,
undersi2ed and shiverlng, clasplnG
cheap fiddle in my arms, lost IN the
huge labyrinth of Paris, without a sou
in NV rags TO save me from starvation, l
did meet Ninette, and that after all IS
the main point.
II was at the close of my first day OF
independence, wretched November
evening, very much like this one. l
had wandered about all day, but my
efforts had not been rewarded with a
single coin. Ny fiddle was old and
warped and injured by the rain its
whining was even more repugnant to my
own sensitive ear than to the casual
passer-by. / was in despair. How L
hated ali the few well-dressed, well-to-do
people who were out on the Boulevard
on that inclement night. l wandered
up and down, hoping against hope, until
/ was too tired to stand, and then l
crawled under the shelter OF a covered
passage and flung myself down on the
ground TO die, as l hoped, crying bit
terly. r.
The alley was dark and narrow, and /
did not see at first that 1t had another
occupant. Presently d hand was put
ont and touched me on the shoulder.
/ started up in terror, though the
touch was soft and need not have
alarmed me. 1 found 1t came from a
little girl, for she was really about my
own age, though then she seemed to be
very big and protecting. But she was
tall and strong for her age, and ]. as l
have said, was weak and understood.
"Chut little boy" said Ninette,
"what are you crying for?"
And told her my story as clearly as |
could through my sobs, and soon a pair
of small arms were thrown round my
neck and a smoth little face laid against
nv wet one caressingly, and l felt as if
half my troubles were over.
"Don't cry, little boy" said Ninette
prandly; 81 viii take care of you. II
you like, you shall live with me. We
will make n1endge together. What is
your profession ?"
showed her my fiddle, and the sight
Of its condition caused fresh tears to
flow.
"Ah I" she said, with smile of ap-
proval, ga violinist-good l too am
an artistic. You ask my instrument.
La VOLTA /"
And she pointed to an object on the
ground beside her, which had at first
taken to be big box and dimly hoped
might contain eatables. My respect for
my new friend suffered a little diminu-
ton. Already i felt instinctiyely that to