\"Youhavenothingtodotoyourhair，\"Mrs。Harsanyisaidkindly，asTheaturnedtothemirror。\"Howeverithappenstolie，it’salwayspretty。IadmireitasmuchasTanyadoes。\"
Theaglancedawkwardlyawayfromherandlookedstern，butMrs。Harsanyiknewthatshewaspleased。Theywentintotheliving—room，behindthestudio，wherethetwochildrenwereplayingonthebigrugbeforethecoalgrate。Andor，theboy，wassix，asturdy，handsomechild，andthelittlegirlwasfour。ShecametrippingtomeetThea，lookinglikealittledollinherwhitenetdress——hermothermadeallherclothes。Theapickedherupandhuggedher。Mrs。Harsanyiexcusedherselfandwenttothedining—room。Shekeptonlyonemaidanddidagooddealofthehouseworkherself，besidescookingherhusband’sfavoritedishesforhim。Shewasstillunderthirty，aslender，gracefulwoman，gracious，intelligent，andcapable。Sheadaptedherselftocircumstanceswithawell—bredeasewhichsolvedmanyofherhusband’sdifficulties，andkepthim，ashesaid，fromfeelingcheapanddownattheheel。
Nomusicianeverhadabetterwife。Unfortunatelyherbeautywasofaveryfrailandimpressionablekind，andshewasbeginningtoloseit。Herfacewastoothinnow，andtherewereoftendarkcirclesunderhereyes。
Leftalonewiththechildren，TheasatdownonTanya’slittlechair——shewouldratherhavesatonthefloor，butwasafraidofrumplingherdress——andhelpedthemplay\"cars\"withAndor’sironrailwayset。Sheshowedhim
newwaystolayhistracksandhowtomakeswitches，setuphisNoah’sarkvillageforstationsandpackedtheani—
malsintheopencoalcarstosendthemtothestockyards。
TheyworkedouttheirshipmentsorealisticallythatwhenAndorputthetwolittlereindeerintothestockcar，Tanyasnatchedthemoutandbegantocry，sayingshewasn’tgoingtohavealltheiranimalskilled。
Harsanyicamein，jadedandtired，andaskedTheatogoonwithhergame，ashewasnotequaltotalkingmuchbeforedinner。Hesatdownandmadepretenseofglancingattheeveningpaper，buthesoondroppedit。Aftertherailroadbegantogrowtiresome，Theawentwiththechild—
rentotheloungeinthecorner，andplayedforthemthegamewithwhichsheusedtoamuseThorforhoursto—
getherbehindtheparlorstoveathome，makingshadowpicturesagainstthewallwithherhands。Herfingerswereverysupple，andshecouldmakeaduckandacowandasheepandafoxandarabbitandevenanelephant。Har—
sanyi，fromhislowchair，watchedthem，smiling。Theboywasonhisknees，jumpingupanddownwiththeexcite—
mentofguessingthebeasts，andTanyasatwithherfeettuckedunderherandclappedherfraillittlehands。Thea’sprofile，inthelamplight，teasedhisfancy。Wherehadheseenaheadlikeitbefore？
Whendinnerwasannounced，littleAndortookThea’shandandwalkedtothedining—roomwithher。Thechil—
drenalwayshaddinnerwiththeirparentsandbehavedverynicelyattable。\"Mamma，\"saidAndorseriouslyasheclimbedintohischairandtuckedhisnapkinintothecollarofhisblouse，\"MissKronborg’shandsareeverykindofanimalthereis。\"
Hisfatherlaughed。\"Iwishsomebodywouldsaythataboutmyhands，Andor。\"
WhenTheadinedattheHarsanyisbefore，shenoticedthattherewasanintensesuspensefromthemomenttheytooktheirplacesatthetableuntilthemasterofthehouse
hadtastedthesoup。Hehadatheorythatifthesoupwentwell，thedinnerwouldgowell；butifthesoupwaspoor，allwaslost。To—nighthetastedhissoupandsmiled，andMrs。HarsanyisatmoreeasilyinherchairandturnedherattentiontoThea。Thealovedtheirdinnertable，be—
causeitwaslightedbycandlesinsilvercandle—sticks，andshehadneverseenatablesolightedanywhereelse。
Therewerealwaysflowers，too。To—nighttherewasalittleorangetree，withorangesonit，thatoneofHarsanyi’spupilshadsenthimatThanksgivingtime。AfterHarsanyihadfinishedhissoupandaglassofredHungarianwine，helosthisfaggedlookandbecamecordialandwitty。HepersuadedTheatodrinkalittlewineto—night。Thefirsttimeshedinedwiththem，whenheurgedhertotastetheglassofsherrybesideherplate，sheastonishedthembytellingthemthatshe\"neverdrank。\"
Harsanyiwasthenamanofthirty—two。Hewastohaveaverybrilliantcareer，buthedidnotknowitthen。
TheodoreThomaswasperhapstheonlymaninChicagowhofeltthatHarsanyimighthaveagreatfuture。Har—
sanyibelongedtothesofterSlavictype，andwasmorelikeaPolethanaHungarian。Hewastall，slender，active，withsloping，gracefulshouldersandlongarms。Hisheadwasveryfine，stronglyanddelicatelymodelled，and，asTheaputit，\"soindependent。\"Alockofhisthickbrownhairusuallyhungoverhisforehead。Hiseyewaswonderful；
fulloflightandfirewhenhewasinterested，softandthoughtfulwhenhewastiredormelancholy。Themean—
ingandpoweroftwoveryfineeyesmustallhavegoneintothisone——therightone，fortunately，theonenexthisaudiencewhenheplayed。Hebelievedthattheglasseyewhichgaveonesideofhisfacesuchadull，blindlook，hadruinedhiscareer，orratherhadmadeacareerimpos—
sibleforhim。Harsanyilosthiseyewhenhewastwelveyearsold，inaPennsylvaniaminingtownwhereexplo—
siveshappenedtobekepttooneartheframeshanties
inwhichthecompanypackednewlyarrivedHungarianfamilies。
Hisfatherwasamusicianandagoodone，buthehadcruellyover—workedtheboy；keepinghimatthepianoforsixhoursadayandmakinghimplayincafesanddancehallsforhalfthenight。Andorranawayandcrossedtheoceanwithanuncle，whosmuggledhimthroughtheportasoneofhisownmanychildren。TheexplosioninwhichAndorwashurtkilledascoreofpeople，andhewasthoughtluckytogetoffwithaneye。Hestillhadaclip—
pingfromaPittsburgpaper，givingalistofthedeadandinjured。Heappearedas\"Harsanyi，Andor，lefteyeandslightinjuriesaboutthehead。\"ThatwashisfirstAmerican\"notice\"；andhekeptit。Heheldnogrudgeagainstthecoalcompany；heunderstoodthattheacci—
dentwasmerelyoneofthethingsthatareboundtohap—
peninthegeneralscrambleofAmericanlife，whereeveryonecomestograbandtakeshischance。
Whiletheywereeatingdessert，TheaaskedHarsanyiifshecouldchangeherTuesdaylessonfromafternoontomorning。\"Ihavetobeatachoirrehearsalintheafter—
noon，togetreadyfortheChristmasmusic，andIexpectitwilllastuntillate。\"
Harsanyiputdownhisforkandlookedup。\"Achoirrehearsal？Yousinginachurch？\"
\"Yes。AlittleSwedishchurch，overontheNorthside。\"
\"Whydidyounottellus？\"
\"Oh，I’monlyatemporary。Theregularsopranoisnotwell。\"
\"Howlonghaveyoubeensingingthere？\"
\"EversinceIcame。Ihadtogetapositionofsomekind，\"Theaexplained，flushing，\"andthepreachertookmeon。Herunsthechoirhimself。Heknewmyfather，andIguesshetookmetooblige。\"
Harsanyitappedthetableclothwiththeendsofhis
fingers。\"Butwhydidyounevertellus？Whyareyousoreticentwithus？\"
Thealookedshylyathimfromunderherbrows。\"Well，it’scertainlynotveryinteresting。It’sonlyalittlechurch。
Ionlydoitforbusinessreasons。\"
\"Whatdoyoumean？Don’tyouliketosing？Don’tyousingwell？\"
\"Ilikeitwellenough，but，ofcourse，Idon’tknowany—
thingaboutsinging。Iguessthat’swhyIneversaidany—
thingaboutit。Anybodythat’sgotavoicecansinginalittlechurchlikethat。\"
Harsanyilaughedsoftly——alittlescornfully，Theathought。\"Soyouhaveavoice，haveyou？\"
Theahesitated，lookedintentlyatthecandlesandthenatHarsanyi。\"Yes，\"shesaidfirmly；\"Ihavegotsome，anyway。\"
\"Goodgirl，\"saidMrs。Harsanyi，noddingandsmilingatThea。\"Youmustletushearyousingafterdinner。\"
Thisremarkseeminglyclosedthesubject，andwhenthecoffeewasbroughttheybegantotalkofotherthings。
HarsanyiaskedTheahowshehappenedtoknowsomuchaboutthewayinwhichfreighttrainsareoperated，andshetriedtogivehimsomeideaofhowthepeopleinlittledeserttownslivebytherailwayandordertheirlivesbythecomingandgoingofthetrains。Whentheyleftthedining—
roomthechildrenweresenttobedandMrs。HarsanyitookTheaintothestudio。Sheandherhusbandusuallysatthereintheevening。
AlthoughtheirapartmentseemedsoeleganttoThea，itwassmallandcramped。Thestudiowastheonlyspaciousroom。TheHarsanyiswerepoor，anditwasduetoMrs。
Harsanyi’sgoodmanagementthattheirlives，eveninhardtimes，movedalongwithdignityandorder。Shehadlongagofoundoutthatbillsordebtsofanykindfrightenedherhusbandandcrippledhisworkingpower。
Hesaidtheywerelikebarsonthewindows，andshutout
thefuture；theymeantthatjustsomanyhundreddollars’
worthofhislifewasdebilitatedandexhaustedbeforehegottoit。SoMrs。Harsanyisawtoitthattheyneverowedanything。Harsanyiwasnotextravagant，thoughhewassometimescarelessaboutmoney。Quietandorderandhiswife’sgoodtastewerethethingsthatmeantmosttohim。Afterthese，goodfood，goodcigars，alittlegoodwine。Heworehisclothesuntiltheywereshabby，untilhiswifehadtoaskthetailortocometothehouseandmea—
surehimfornewones。Hisnecktiessheusuallymadeher—
self，andwhenshewasinshopsshealwayskepthereyeopenforsilksinverydullorpaleshades，graysandolives，warmblacksandbrowns。
WhentheywentintothestudioMrs。HarsanyitookupherembroideryandTheasatdownbesideheronalowstool，herhandsclaspedaboutherknees。Whilehiswifeandhispupiltalked，HarsanyisankintoaCHAISELONGUEinwhichhesometimessnatchedafewmoments’restbetweenhislessons，andsmoked。Hesatwelloutofthecircleofthelamplight，hisfeettothefire。Hisfeetwereslenderandwellshaped，alwayselegantlyshod。Muchofthegraceofhismovementswasduetothefactthathisfeetwerealmostassureandflexibleashishands。Helistenedtothecon—
versationwithamusement。Headmiredhiswife’stactandkindnesswithcrudeyoungpeople；shetaughtthemsomuchwithoutseemingtobeinstructing。Whentheclockstrucknine，Theasaidshemustbegoinghome。
Harsanyiroseandflungawayhiscigarette。\"Notyet。
Wehavejustbeguntheevening。Nowyouaregoingtosingforus。Ihavebeenwaitingforyoutorecoverfromdinner。Come，whatshallitbe？\"hecrossedtothepiano。
Thealaughedandshookherhead，lockingherelbowsstilltighteraboutherknees。\"Thankyou，Mr。Harsanyi，butifyoureallymakemesing，I’llaccompanymyself。
Youcouldn’tstandittoplaythesortofthingsIhavetosing。\"
AsHarsanyistillpointedtothechairatthepiano，sheleftherstoolandwenttoit，whilehereturnedtohisCHAISE
LONGUE。Thealookedatthekeyboarduneasilyforamo—
ment，thenshebegan\"Come，yeDisconsolate，\"thehymnWunschhadalwayslikedtohearhersing。Mrs。Harsanyiglancedquestioninglyatherhusband，buthewaslookingintentlyatthetoesofhisboots，shadinghisforeheadwithhislongwhitehand。WhenTheafinishedthehymnshedidnotturnaround，butimmediatelybegan\"TheNinetyandNine。\"Mrs。Harsanyikepttryingtocatchherhus—
band’seye；buthischinonlysankloweronhiscollar。
\"TherewereninetyandninethatsafelylayIntheshelterofthefold，Butonewasoutonthehillsaway，Farofffromthegatesofgold。\"
Harsanyilookedather，thenbackatthefire。
\"Rejoice，fortheShepherdhasfoundhissheep。\"
Theaturnedonthechairandgrinned。\"That’saboutenough，isn’tit？Thatsonggotmemyjob。Thepreachersaiditwassympathetic，\"shemincedtheword，remember—
ingMr。Larsen’smanner。
Harsanyidrewhimselfupinhischair，restinghiselbowsonthelowarms。\"Yes？Thatisbettersuitedtoyourvoice。Youruppertonesaregood，aboveG。Imustteachyousomesongs。Don’tyouknowanything——pleasant？\"
Theashookherheadruefully。\"I’mafraidIdon’t。Letmesee——Perhaps，\"sheturnedtothepianoandputherhandsonthekeys。\"IusedtosingthisforMr。Wunschalongwhileago。It’sforcontralto，butI’lltryit。\"Shefrownedatthekeyboardamoment，playedthefewin—
troductorymeasures，andbegan\"ACH，ICHHABESIEVERLOREN，\"
Shehadnotsungitforalongtime，anditcamebacklikeanoldfriendship。Whenshefinished，Harsanyisprangfromhischairanddroppedlightlyuponhistoes，akindof
ENTRE—CHATthathesometimesexecutedwhenheformedasuddenresolution，orwhenhewasabouttofollowapureintuition，againstreason。Hiswifesaidthatwhenhegavethatspringhewasshotfromthebowofhisancestors，andnowwhenhelefthischairinthatmannersheknewhewasintenselyinterested。Hewentquicklytothepiano。
\"Singthatagain。Thereisnothingthematterwithyourlowvoice，mygirl。Iwillplayforyou。Letyourvoiceout。\"Withoutlookingatherhebegantheaccom—
paniment。Theadrewbackhershoulders，relaxedtheminstinctively，andsang。
Whenshefinishedthearia，Harsanyibeckonedhernearer。\"SingAH——AHforme，asIindicate。\"Hekepthisrighthandonthekeyboardandputhislefttoherthroat，placingthetipsofhisdelicatefingersoverherlarynx。\"Again，——untilyourbreathisgone。——Trillbetweenthetwotones，always；good！Again；excellent！——
Nowup，——staythere。EandF。Notsogood，isit？Fisalwaysahardone。——Now，trythehalf—tone。——That’sright，nothingdifficultaboutit。——Now，pianissimo，AH——
AH。Now，swellit，AH——AH。——Again，followmyhand。——
Now，carryitdown。——Anybodyevertellyouanythingaboutyourbreathing？\"
\"Mr。LarsensaysIhaveanunusuallylongbreath，\"
Thearepliedwithspirit。
Harsanyismiled。\"Soyouhave，soyouhave。ThatwaswhatImeant。Now，oncemore；carryitupandthendown，AH——AH。\"Heputhishandbacktoherthroatandsatwithhisheadbent，hisoneeyeclosed。Helovedtohearabigvoicethrobinarelaxed，naturalthroat，andhewasthinkingthatnoonehadeverfeltthisvoicevibratebefore。ItwaslikeawildbirdthathadflownintohisstudioonMiddletonStreetfromgoodnessknewhowfar！
Nooneknewthatithadcome，oreventhatitexisted；
leastofallthestrange，crudegirlinwhosethroatitbeatitspassionatewings。Whatasimplethingitwas，here—
flected；whyhadheneverguesseditbefore？Everythingaboutherindicatedit，——thebigmouth，thewidejawandchin，thestrongwhiteteeth，thedeeplaugh。Themachinewassosimpleandstrong，seemedtobesoeasilyoperated。
Shesangfromthebottomofherself。Herbreathcamefromdownwhereherlaughcamefrom，thedeeplaughwhichMrs。Harsanyihadoncecalled\"thelaughofthepeople。\"
Arelaxedthroat，avoicethatlayonthebreath，thathadneverbeenforcedoffthebreath；itroseandfellintheair—columnlikethelittleballswhichareputtoshineinthejetofafountain。Thevoicedidnotthinasitwentup；
theuppertoneswereasfullandrichasthelower，pro—
ducedinthesamewayandasunconsciously，onlywithdeeperbreath。
AtlastHarsanyithrewbackhisheadandrose。\"Youmustbetired，MissKronborg。\"
Whenshereplied，shestartledhim；hehadforgottenhowhardandfullofbursherspeakingvoicewas。\"No，\"shesaid，\"singingnevertiresme。\"
Harsanyipushedbackhishairwithanervoushand。
\"Idon’tknowmuchaboutthevoice，butIshalltakelibertiesandteachyousomegoodsongs。Ithinkyouhaveaveryinterestingvoice。\"
\"I’mgladifyoulikeit。Good—night，Mr。Harsanyi。\"
TheawentwithMrs。Harsanyitogetherwraps。
WhenMrs。Harsanyicamebacktoherhusband，shefoundhimwalkingrestlesslyupanddowntheroom。
\"Don’tyouthinkhervoicewonderful，dear？\"sheasked。
\"Iscarcelyknowwhattothink。AllIreallyknowaboutthatgirlisthatshetiresmetodeath。Wemustnothaveheroften。IfIdidnothavemylivingtomake，then——\"
hedroppedintoachairandclosedhiseyes。\"HowtiredIam。Whatavoice！\"
IV
AFTERthateveningThea’sworkwithHarsanyichangedsomewhat。Heinsistedthatsheshouldstudysomesongswithhim，andafteralmosteverylessonhegaveuphalfanhourofhisowntimetopracticingthemwithher。Hedidnotpretendtoknowmuchaboutvoiceproduction，butsofar，hethought，shehadacquirednoreallyinjurioushabits。Ahealthyandpowerfulorganhadfounditsownmethod，whichwasnotabadone。Hewishedtofindoutagooddealbeforeherecommendedavocalteacher。HenevertoldTheawhathethoughtabouthervoice，andmadehergeneralignoranceofanythingworthsinginghispretextforthetroublehetook。Thatwasinthebeginning。Afterthefirstfewlessonshisownpleasureandherswerepretextenough。Thesingingcameattheendofthelessonhour，andtheybothtreateditasaformofrelaxation。
Harsanyididnotsaymucheventohiswifeabouthisdiscovery。Hebroodeduponitinacuriousway。Hefoundthattheseunscientificsinginglessonsstimulatedhiminhisownstudy。AfterMissKronborglefthimheoftenlaydowninhisstudioforanhourbeforedinner，withhisheadfullofmusicalideas，withaneffervescenceinhisbrainwhichhehadsometimeslostforweekstogetherun—
derthegrindofteaching。HehadnevergotsomuchbackforhimselffromanypupilashedidfromMissKronborg。
Fromthefirstshehadstimulatedhim；somethinginherpersonalityinvariablyaffectedhim。Nowthathewasfeelinghiswaytowardhervoice，hefoundhermorein—
terestingthaneverbefore。Sheliftedthetediumofthewinterforhim，gavehimcuriousfanciesandreveries。
Musically，shewassympathetictohim。Whyallthiswas
true，heneveraskedhimself。Hehadlearnedthatonemusttakewhereandwhenonecanthemysteriousmentalir—
ritantthatrousesone’simagination；thatitisnottobehadbyorder。Sheoftenweariedhim，butsheneverboredhim。Underhercrudenessandbrusquehardness，hefelttherewasanaturequitedifferent，ofwhichhenevergotsomuchasahintexceptwhenshewasatthepiano，orwhenshesang。Itwastowardthishiddencreaturethathewastrying，forhisownpleasure，tofindhisway。Inshort，HarsanyilookedforwardtohishourwithTheaforthesamereasonthatpoorWunschhadsometimesdreadedhis；becauseshestirredhimmorethananythingshedidcouldadequatelyexplain。
OneafternoonHarsanyi，afterthelesson，wasstandingbythewindowputtingsomecollodiononacrackedfinger，andTheawasatthepianotryingover\"DieLorelei\"
whichhehadgivenherlastweektopractice。Itwasscarcelyasongwhichasingingmasterwouldhavegivenher，buthehadhisownreasons。Howshesangitmatteredonlytohimandtoher。Hewasplayinghisowngamenow，withoutinterference；hesuspectedthathecouldnotdosoalways。
Whenshefinishedthesong，shelookedbackoverhershoulderathimandspokethoughtfully。\"Thatwasn’tright，attheend，wasit？\"
\"No，thatshouldbeanopen，flowingtone，somethinglikethis，\"——hewavedhisfingersrapidlyintheair。\"Yougettheidea？\"
\"No，Idon’t。Seemsaqueerending，aftertherest。\"
Harsanyicorkedhislittlebottleanddroppeditintothepocketofhisvelvetcoat。\"Whyso？Shipwreckscomeandgo，MARCHENcomeandgo，buttheriverkeepsrighton。
Thereyouhaveyouropen，flowingtone。\"
Thealookedintentlyatthemusic。\"Isee，\"shesaiddully。\"Oh，Isee！\"sherepeatedquicklyandturnedtohimaglowingcountenance。\"Itistheriver。——Oh，yes，Igetitnow！\"Shelookedathimbutlongenoughtocatch
hisglance，thenturnedtothepianoagain。Harsanyiwasneverquitesurewherethelightcamefromwhenherfacesuddenlyflashedoutathiminthatway。Hereyesweretoosmalltoaccountforit，thoughtheyglitteredlikegreeniceinthesun。Atsuchmomentsherhairwasyellower，herskinwhiter，hercheekspinker，asifalamphadsuddenlybeenturnedupinsideofher。Shewentatthesongagain：
\"ICHWEISSNICHT，WASSOLLESBEDEUTEN，DASICHSOTRAURIGBIN。\"
Akindofhappinessvibratedinhervoice。Harsanyino—
ticedhowmuchandhowunhesitatinglyshechangedherdeliveryofthewholesong，thefirstpartaswellasthelast。
Hehadoftennoticedthatshecouldnotthinkathingoutinpassages。Untilshesawitasawhole，shewanderedlikeablindmansurroundedbytorments。Aftersheoncehadher\"revelation，\"aftershegottheideathattoher——notalwaystohim——explainedeverything，thenshewentfor—
wardrapidly。Butshewasnotalwayseasytohelp。Shewassometimesimpervioustosuggestion；shewouldstareathimasifsheweredeafandignoreeverythinghetoldhertodo。Then，allatonce，somethingwouldhappeninherbrainandshewouldbegintodoallthathehadbeenforweekstellinghertodo，withoutrealizingthathehadevertoldher。
To—nightTheaforgotHarsanyiandhisfinger。Shefinishedthesongonlytobeginitwithfreshenthusiasm。
\"UNDDASHATMITIHREMSINGEN
DIELORELEIGETHAN。\"
ShesattheresingingituntilthedarkeningroomwassofloodedwithitthatHarsanyithrewopenawindow。
\"Youreallymuststopit，MissKronborg。Ishan’tbeabletogetitoutofmyheadto—night。\"
Thealaughedtolerantlyasshebegantogatheruphermusic。\"Why，Ithoughtyouhadgone，Mr。Harsanyi。I
likethatsong。\"
ThateveningatdinnerHarsanyisatlookingintentlyintoaglassofheavyyellowwine；boringintoit，indeed，withhisoneeye，whenhisfacesuddenlybrokeintoasmile。
\"Whatisit，Andor？\"hiswifeasked。
Hesmiledagain，thistimeather，andtookupthenut—
crackersandaBrazilnut。\"Doyouknow，\"hesaidinatonesointimateandconfidentialthathemighthavebeenspeakingtohimself，——\"doyouknow，IliketoseeMissKronborggetholdofanidea。Inspiteofbeingsotalented，she’snotquick。Butwhenshedoesgetanidea，itfillsheruptotheeyes。ShehadmyroomsoreekingofasongthisafternoonthatIcouldn’tstaythere。\"
Mrs。Harsanyilookedupquickly，\"`DieLorelei，’youmean？Onecouldn’tthinkofanythingelseanywhereinthehouse。Ithoughtshewaspossessed。Butdon’tyouthinkhervoiceiswonderfulsometimes？\"
Harsanyitastedhiswineslowly。\"Mydear，I’vetoldyoubeforethatIdon’tknowwhatIthinkaboutMissKronborg，exceptthatI’mgladtherearenottwoofher。