The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-10-23

| least if you DO. the chances are that one OF
| these fife days he will begin making love
| TO your daughter; and then-weii, then, L
| presume there will be ructions."
| Remote as that contingency appeared 20
| be- Lady Winchcombe deemed II just as
well 10 guard against it; possibly also she
| was not very eager 10 exhibit her protege
| to her friends; for the disappearance oil
the musical monse had been more or less
of nine days wonder, and the newspa-
pers had got hold of the story, and she
had been good deal laughed at. Lady
Winchcombe was a kind-hearted woman,
and she had never lacked the courage OF
her convictions; still she did think
that nobody ought TO take the liberty OF
laughing at her, and she was, therefore,
unwilling to remind the irreverent OF an
episode which had perhaps brought her
kindness of heart into higher reilef than
her wisdom. Thus. for period of about
eighteen months after the change IN his
fortunes, Franz Ostermann led SOLITARY
existence. with occasional respondent and
even reoelllous thoughts TO keep him COM
pany.
The more he learnt the less he was in
clined to believe in his capacity for ever
achieving greatness in his art: ne was not
sure that he particularly cared to be great.
whereas he was quite sure that he did
want little human sympathy. Lady
Winchcombe was IS KIND as possible;
Lady Ella. when he saw her. always gave
him kindly welcome; but it was evident
that neither of them remembered him
from the moment that he was out of their
sight. Sometimes he wondered whether
il would be very wicked and very migrate
full to run away q second time in search OF
employment for which no mortal could
have been more hopeiessly united. He
was q sickly child, as Mrs. Markham
might have testified had she been asked,
bo ioI roff q
manner which was not likely to prove
beneficial to his health.
One gloomy December morning he was
at work as usual wishing that his head
would stop aching and wondering whether
London fog made other people long to be
dead and buried, when his heart was
gladdened and his spirits were raised by
the receipt of an urgent summons to pro-
coed Immediately to Warwickshire, here,
as he knew. Lady Winchcombe was at that
time entertaining large party Of visitors.
Her ladyship, it appeared, was in diff
Guilty. She had organized and advertised
grand concert, which was to take place
in the adjoining county town. for the
benefit of certain local charities: she had
secured the services of various eminent
professionals, chief amongst whom was
the renowned Russian pianist NJ. Ber-
ditscheff. and now that wretch Ber-
iitscheff had thrown her over, for
no other reason than that he
was wretch who delighted in putting his
betters to inconvenience by way of show
ing how completely independent he was
of their favors. Her ladyship, while de-
termining to take ultimate vengeance
upon the dscourteous Muscovite, was
equally determined that her concert
should not be ruined by his discourtesy,
and indeed it struck her as a happy in
SEPARATION that she should take this oppor-
tunity of trotting ont her musical mouse.
the echoes OF whose previous performances
had long since ceased to vibrate in the
memories of those who had heard him two
years before. Franz, therefore, was dis
patched to Warwickshire by express and
immediately on his arrival was shown the
two pieces which he was expected to in
.erpret in the stead Of his more celebrated
fellow artist.
Well, he was not Berditscheff, but he
could at least play the notes-perhaps
even do a little more than that-and he
had four clear days to devote to practice
During those four days he did very little 4
else but practice upon the piano in the
school room, which apartment was as
signed to him for his sole use and behoof
Lady Elias governess having departed for
her Christmas holidays, so that when the
fifth day, which was that appointed for
the concert, came he felt justified in yield
ing to the solicitations of Lady Ella
whose entreaties that he would come out
for a ride with her he had hitherto resisted
Lady Ella who was now the possessor of
two ponies and had been several times
taken out to follow the hounds with her
uncle, was naturally anxious to display
her skill in equitation to this poor little
Cockney. and she put him upon the ami.
NAL which. she was careful to assure him.
was by far the quieter of the pair.
Now there was Of course no reason why
Franz should be ashamed of being an in
experienced rider; but. as a matter of fact,
most of us are modest about such attain.
ments as We possess, while we pride our.
selves upon those in which We do not
excel, and he had, after all. received q GER
tam amount of instruction from the
grooms during those periodical sojourns of
his in the country. And he set forth,
therefore, fully determined to do everv.
thing that Lady Ella did. and managed to
follow her over a couple of flights of
hurdles, though the second performance
OF this feat landed him verv near his
pony's ears. Happily for him she did not
see the desperate struggles by means of
which he got back into the saddle; but
when he drew alongside of her she had
some rather contemptuous criticisms To
make upon his seat and hands, and, what
was worse. she detected the fact that his
nerves were not altogether under his con-
troll.
You mustn't get into Q funk, said she.
'you ii never ride If you do. Uncle John
says | don't know what fear Is. Now III
take you over little bit of brook; you'll
do 1t all right If you follow me. Toby isn't
very fond of water, but he'll jump with q
lead. Only you must cram him at it, you
know"
Perhaps poor Franz-and small blame to
him-did not know how to ride at water:
perhaps Toby was quite aware of his in
caracity; IN any case, that wicked little
beast, after galloping steadily in the wake
OF ms stable companion, stopped short on
the verge of the leap which LADY Ella me-
gotIated with perfect ease, and Franz was
shot head hrst. into a very muddy stream
Ii was not deep enough to drown him,
nor did the peals of laughter with
which he was greeted when he emerged
daunt his courage; but it must be con.
fessed that his pride was deeply wounded
and the worst OF it was that his return to
the house was a somewhat ignominious
one; for Toby, instead of waiting TO be
caught. had trotted straight back to the
stables.
That settled it-that. together with a
scoding which he received on his arrival
from Lady Winchcombe. who reminded
him how very wrong and inconsiderate il
was on his part TO run the risk of catching
cold on the eve Of his appearance in pub
lie. design which had long been grad
ually crys!allizing in his mind now took
definite shape. These people had been
good TO him; but they despised him. He
could not do the things that they did; he
ne could not live with them; nor in truth
would they allow him 10 do so, for since
he had been In the house he had par
taken OF his meals in solitary grandeur
IN the schoolroom. Well. he would do
ms best to repay them; he would piay for
tnefn mat night As he had never played