Walker-My_Musical_Ex.. - Walter Cosand

270 MY MUSICAL EXPERIENCES
evening for me, for the following reason : My
friend
had perceived that the Meister did not care for the
whist-players whom she had invited to meet him on
the first occasion ; and not being aware of his great
peculiarities (he was choice in general as to whom he
met), she arranged that the next whist-party should
consist of Herr K and his wife, who, with herself,
would make the party complete. Now, this Herr
K was the very gentleman who had tried so many
times, through her, to draw me away from Henselt.
He belonged to a party whose entire aim seemed to be
to cry down the Meister as a pedantic old school-
master—a man out of date—and Henselt knew all
this, and when I told him who were to be his partners
in the next whist tourney, he at once boiled up, and
said, 'I won't meet them, I won't play with them;
and you must write at once and tell your friend that
if she cannot manage to put them off, I must beg her
to excuse me from keeping my engagement to her.' I
wrote, of course, at once, and received a telegram to
the effect, 'AH settled. I expect H. and you.' We
accordingly arrived, and I was in a very happy mood,
for we had had a delightful drive in a most comfort-
able sleigh. I had the Mozart duets with me, and all
seemed to promise for a really charming evening.
But all my pleasure vanished when my friend whis-
pered to me as I was getting off my wraps, ' I could
not be so rude as to put off Herr K and his wife,
whom I have known for so many years, but I told him