Walker-My_Musical_Ex.. - Walter Cosand

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MY MUSICA L EXPERIENCES
music-room, pointed to a seat, saying as he did so,
' Now sit down and tell me all you have to say ; I
shall hear it quite well, though I must go on making
my coffee.' He listened with a glance of kindly
interest, which encouraged me to describe as far as I
really was aware of them myself all my difficulties.
When I had ended, he said he should like to look at
my hands (Miss Fay relates that he did the same
with her) ; and when I took off my gloves, and
showed them to him, he at once said, ' You have a
very good hand, though small ; but the outer side of
it is quite limp and flabby; it is undeveloped and
untrained. Now, go over to the piano and play for
me.'
I sat down accordingly, and attacked with great
vigour Tausig's transcription of a Bach prelude and
fugue. Herr Deppe seated himself at a little table,
and began to drink his coffee as if my presence there
counted for nothing, I played this piece with much
energy and aplomb, and made quite sure that my
performance would impress him with the idea that I
had much mastery over the keyboard ; but I had not
played more than half the piece when, on glancing
inquiringly at him, I perceived that he was highly
amused—that, in fact, he was laughing to himself at
my performance ; and yet, strangely enough, it was
not a latigh that acted like a damper on my energy,
for I could perceive that he was fully as much
interested as amused, and when I had ended the