Walker-My_Musical_Ex.. - Walter Cosand

HENSELT 233
' What do you want ?' were his first words of
greeting to me.
' Just a word,' I said— ' a question which will not
take a moment.' I hoped as I said this that he
would, according to his usual custom on such occasions,
have either gone with me into another room, or sent
the two servants away. But I believe he felt it was
due to himself that they should witness what followed,
for he said
:
'Speak out; ask your question—and quickly,
please, for I am just going out.'
Seeing, then, no help for it, ' Dear Meister,' I said,
' I want you to unsay what you said the day before
yesterday.'
' Unsay what ?' was the gruff rejoinder.
' Unsay that the next lesson will be the last you
intend to give me this season,' I replied.
' You have had your answer ; and, what's more, I
have just told a gentleman whom I have known for
years that I could not spare him an hour, and that
this time I do not intend to give lessons up to the last
moment before I set out for Germany.'
' This last speech of Henselt's would have left me
unable to utter another word on the subject (for I
never chose to presume that he would give me what
he refused to others) ; but Mademoiselle C told me
that he had promised several more lessons before his
departure to a young and, as I was aware, a very
•mediocre player, and I did not feel I was so v&ry pre-