Hislookwasonewithwhichheusedtowatchherlongago，andwhich，eveninthinkingabouther，hadbecomeahabitofhisface。Itwasfullofsolicitude，andakindofsecretgratitude，asiftothankherforsomeinexpressiblepleasureoftheheart。Theaturnedpresentlytowardthepianoandbegansoftlytowakenanoldair：——
\"Ca’theyowestotheknowes，Ca’themwheretheheathergrows，Ca’themwheretheburnierowes，Mybonniedear—ie。\"
Archiesatdownandshadedhiseyeswithhishand。Sheturnedherheadandspoketohimoverhershoulder。
\"Comeon，youknowthewordsbetterthanI。That’sright。\"
\"We’llgaedownbyClouden’sside，Throughthehazelsspreadingwide，O’erthewavesthatsweetlyglide，Tothemoonsaeclearly。
Ghaistnorbogleshaltthoufear，Thou’rttoloveandHeav’nsaedear，Nochtofillmaycometheenear，Mybonniedear—ie！\"
\"WecangetonwithoutLandry。Let’stryitagain，I
haveallthewordsnow。Thenwe’llhave`SweetAfton。’
Come：`CA’THEYOWESTOTHEKNOWES’——\"
X
OTTENBURGdismissedhistaxicabatthe91stStreetentranceoftheParkandflounderedacrossthedrivethroughawildspringsnowstorm。WhenhereachedthereservoirpathhesawTheaaheadofhim，walkingrapidlyagainstthewind。Exceptforthatonefigure，thepathwasdeserted。Aflockofgullswerehoveringoverthereservoir，seemingbewilderedbythedrivingcurrentsofsnowthatwhirledabovetheblackwaterandthendisappearedwith—
init。WhenhehadalmostovertakenThea，Fredcalledtoher，andsheturnedandwaitedforhimwithherbacktothewind。Herhairandfurswerepowderedwithsnow—
flakes，andshelookedlikesomerich—peltedanimal，withwarmblood，thathadruninoutofthewoods。Fredlaughedashetookherhand。
\"Nouseaskinghowyoudo。Yousurelyneedn’tfeelmuchanxietyaboutFriday，whenyoucanlooklikethis。\"
Shemovedclosetotheironfencetomakeroomforhimbesideher，andfacedthewindagain。\"Oh，I’mWELLenough，insofarasthatgoes。ButI’mnotluckyaboutstageappearances。I’measilyupset，andthemostperversethingshappen。\"
\"What’sthematter？Doyoustillgetnervous？\"
\"OfcourseIdo。Idon’tmindnervessomuchasgettingnumbed，\"Theamuttered，shelteringherfaceforamo—
mentwithhermuff。\"I’munderaspell，youknow，hoo—
dooed。It’sthethingIWANTtodothatIcanneverdo。
AnyothereffectsIcangeteasilyenough。\"
\"Yes，yougeteffects，andnotonlywithyourvoice。
That’swhereyouhaveitoveralltherestofthem；you’reasmuchathomeonthestageasyouweredownin
PantherCanyon——asifyou’djustbeenletoutofacage。
Didn’tyougetsomeofyourideasdownthere？\"
Theanodded。\"Oh，yes！Forheroicparts，atleast。Outoftherocks，outofthedeadpeople。Youmeantheideaofstandingupunderthings，don’tyou，meetingcatas—
trophe？Nofussiness。Seemstometheymusthavebeenareserved，somberpeople，withonlyamuscularlanguage，alltheirmovementsforapurpose；simple，strong，asiftheyweredealingwithfatebare—handed。\"SheputherglovedfingersonFred’sarm。\"Idon’tknowhowIcaneverthankyouenough。Idon’tknowifI’deverhavegotanywherewithoutPantherCanyon。Howdidyouknowthatwastheonethingtodoforme？It’sthesortofthingnobodyeverhelpsoneto，inthisworld。Onecanlearnhowtosing，butnosingingteachercangiveanybodywhatI
gotdownthere。Howdidyouknow？\"
\"Ididn’tknow。Anythingelsewouldhavedoneaswell。
Itwasyourcreativehour。Iknewyouweregettingalot，butIdidn’trealizehowmuch。\"
Theawalkedoninsilence。Sheseemedtobethinking。
\"Doyouknowwhattheyreallytaughtme？\"shecameoutsuddenly。\"Theytaughtmetheinevitablehardnessofhumanlife。Noartistgetsfarwhodoesn’tknowthat。Andyoucan’tknowitwithyourmind。Youhavetorealizeitinyourbody，somehow；deep。It’sananimalsortoffeeling。Isometimesthinkit’sthestrongestofall。DoyouknowwhatI’mdrivingat？\"
\"Ithinkso。Evenyouraudiencesfeelit，vaguely：thatyou’vesometimeorotherfacedthingsthatmakeyoudifferent。\"
Theaturnedherbacktothewind，wipingawaythesnowthatclungtoherbrowsandlashes。\"Ugh！\"sheexclaimed；
\"nomatterhowlongabreathyouhave，thestormhasalonger。Ihaven’tsignedfornextseason，yet，Fred。I’mholdingoutforabigcontract：fortyperformances。Neckerwon’tbeabletodomuchnextwinter。It’sgoingtobeone
ofthosebetweenseasons；theoldsingersaretooold，andthenewonesaretoonew。Theymightaswellriskmeasanybody。SoIwantgoodterms。Thenextfiveorsixyearsaregoingtobemybest。\"
\"You’llgetwhatyoudemand，ifyouareuncompro—
mising。I’msafeincongratulatingyounow。\"
Thealaughed。\"It’salittleearly。Imaynotgetitatall。Theydon’tseemtobebreakingtheirneckstomeetme。IcangobacktoDresden。\"
Astheyturnedthecurveandwalkedwestwardtheygotthewindfromtheside，andtalkingwaseasier。
Fredloweredhiscollarandshookthesnowfromhisshoulders。\"Oh，Idon’tmeanonthecontractparticularly。
Icongratulateyouonwhatyoucando，Thea，andonallthatliesbehindwhatyoudo。Onthelifethat’sleduptoit，andonbeingabletocaresomuch。That，afterall，istheunusualthing。\"
Shelookedathimsharply，withacertainapprehension。
\"Care？Whyshouldn’tIcare？IfIdidn’t，I’dbeinabadway。WhatelsehaveIgot？\"Shestoppedwithachallenginginterrogation，butOttenburgdidnotreply。
\"Youmean，\"shepersisted，\"thatyoudon’tcareasmuchasyouusedto？\"
\"Icareaboutyoursuccess，ofcourse。\"Fredfellintoaslowerpace。Theafeltatoncethathewastalkingseri—
ouslyandhaddroppedthetoneofhalf—ironicalexaggera—
tionhehadusedwithheroflateyears。\"AndI’mgratefultoyouforwhatyoudemandfromyourself，whenyoumightgetoffsoeasily。Youdemandmoreandmoreallthetime，andyou’lldomoreandmore。Oneisgratefultoanybodyforthat；itmakeslifeingeneralalittlelesssordid。Butasamatteroffact，I’mnotmuchinterestedinhowanybodysingsanything。\"
\"That’stoobadofyou，whenI’mjustbeginningtoseewhatisworthdoing，andhowIwanttodoit！\"Theaspokeinaninjuredtone。
\"That’swhatIcongratulateyouon。That’sthegreatdifferencebetweenyourkindandtherestofus。It’showlongyou’reabletokeepitupthattellsthestory。Whenyouneededenthusiasmfromtheoutside，Iwasabletogiveittoyou。Nowyoumustletmewithdraw。\"
\"I’mnottyingyou，amI？\"sheflashedout。\"Butwith—
drawtowhat？Whatdoyouwant？\"
Fredshrugged。\"Imightaskyou，WhathaveIgot？
Iwantthingsthatwouldn’tinterestyou；thatyouprob—
ablywouldn’tunderstand。Foronething，Iwantasontobringup。\"
\"Icanunderstandthat。Itseemstomereasonable。
Haveyoualsofoundsomebodyyouwanttomarry？\"
\"Notparticularly。\"Theyturnedanothercurve，whichbroughtthewindtotheirbacks，andtheywalkedonincomparativecalm，withthesnowblowingpastthem。\"It’snotyourfault，Thea，butI’vehadyoutoomuchinmymind。I’venotgivenmyselfafairchanceinotherdirec—
tions。IwasinRomewhenyouandNordquistwerethere。
Ifthathadkeptup，itmighthavecuredme。\"
\"Itmighthavecuredagoodmanythings，\"remarkedTheagrimly。
Frednoddedsympatheticallyandwenton。\"InmylibraryinSt。Louis，overthefireplace，IhaveapropertyspearIhadcopiedfromoneinVenice，——oh，yearsago，afteryoufirstwentabroad，whileyouwerestudying。
You’llprobablybesingingBRUNNHILDEprettysoonnow，andI’llsenditontoyou，ifImay。Youcantakeitanditshistoryforwhatthey’reworth。ButI’mnearlyfortyyearsold，andI’veservedmyturn。You’vedonewhatIhopedforyou，whatIwashonestlywillingtoloseyoufor——then。I’moldernow，andIthinkIwasanass。I
wouldn’tdoitagainifIhadthechance，notmuch！ButI’mnotsorry。Ittakesagreatmanypeopletomakeone——BRUNNHILDE。\"
Theastoppedbythefenceandlookedoverintothe
blackchoppinessonwhichthesnowflakesfellanddis—
appearedwithmagicalrapidity。Herfacewasbothangryandtroubled。\"SoyoureallyfeelI’vebeenungrateful。
Ithoughtyousentmeouttogetsomething。Ididn’tknowyouwantedmetobringinsomethingeasy。I
thoughtyouwantedsomething——\"Shetookadeepbreathandshruggedhershoulders。\"Butthere！nobodyonGod’searthwantsit，REALLY！Ifoneotherpersonwantedit，\"——shethrustherhandoutbeforehimandclenchedit，——\"myGod，whatIcoulddo！\"
Fredlaugheddismally。\"EveninmyashesIfeelmy—
selfpushingyou！Howcananybodyhelpit？Mydeargirl，can’tyouseethatanybodyelsewhowanteditasyoudowouldbeyourrival，yourdeadliestdanger？Can’tyouseethatit’syourgreatgoodfortunethatotherpeoplecan’tcareaboutitsomuch？\"
ButTheaseemednottotakeinhisprotestatall。Shewentonvindicatingherself。\"It’stakenmealongwhiletodoanything，ofcourse，andI’veonlybeguntoseeday—
light。Butanythinggoodis——expensive。Ithasn’tseemedlong。I’vealwaysfeltresponsibletoyou。\"
Fredlookedatherfaceintently，throughtheveilofsnowflakes，andshookhishead。\"Tome？Youareatruth—
fulwoman，andyoudon’tmeantolietome。Butaftertheoneresponsibilityyoudofeel，Idoubtifyou’veenoughlefttofeelresponsibletoGod！Still，ifyou’veeverinanidlehourfooledyourselfwiththinkingIhadanythingtodowithit，HeavenknowsI’mgrateful。\"
\"EvenifI’dmarriedNordquist，\"Theawenton，turn—
ingdownthepathagain，\"therewouldhavebeensome—
thingleftout。Therealwaysis。Inaway，I’vealwaysbeenmarriedtoyou。I’mnotveryflexible；neverwasandnevershallbe。Youcaughtmeyoung。Icouldneverhavethatoveragain。Onecan’t，afteronebeginstoknowanything。
ButIlookbackonit。Mylifehasn’tbeenagayone，anymorethanyours。IfIshutthingsoutfromyou，youshut
themoutfromme。We’vebeenahelpandahindrancetoeachother。Iguessit’salwaysthatway，thegoodandthebadallmixedup。There’sonlyonethingthat’sallbeau—
tiful——andalwaysbeautiful！That’swhymyinterestkeepsup。\"
\"Yes，Iknow。\"Fredlookedsidewiseattheoutlineofherheadagainstthethickeningatmosphere。\"Andyougiveonetheimpressionthatthatisenough。I’vegradu—
ally，graduallygivenyouup。\"
\"See，thelightsarecomingout。\"Theapointedtowheretheyflickered，flashesofvioletthroughthegraytree—tops。
Lowerdowntheglobesalongthedriveswerebecomingapalelemoncolor。\"Yes，Idon’tseewhyanybodywantstomarryanartist，anyhow。IrememberRayKennedyusedtosayhedidn’tseehowanywomancouldmarryagambler，forshewouldonlybemarryingwhatthegameleft。\"Sheshookhershouldersimpatiently。\"Whomarrieswhoisasmallmatter，afterall。ButIhopeIcanbringbackyourinterestinmywork。You’vecaredlongerandmorethananybodyelse，andI’dliketohavesomebodyhumantomakeareporttoonceinawhile。Youcansendmeyourspear。I’lldomybest。Ifyou’renotinterested，I’lldomybestanyhow。I’veonlyafewfriends，butI
canloseeveryoneofthem，ifithastobe。Ilearnedhowtolosewhenmymotherdied。——Wemusthurrynow。Mytaximustbewaiting。\"
Thebluelightaboutthemwasgrowingdeeperanddarker，andthefallingsnowandthefainttreeshadbe—
comeviolet。Tothesouth，overBroadway，therewasanorangereflectionintheclouds。Motorsandcarriagelightsflashedbyonthedrivebelowthereservoirpath，andtheairwasstridentwithhornsandshrieksfromthewhistlesofthemountedpolicemen。
FredgaveTheahisarmastheydescendedfromtheembankment。\"Iguessyou’llnevermanagetolosemeorArchie，Thea。Youdopickupqueerones。Butloving
youisaheroicdiscipline。Itwearsamanout。Tellmeonething：couldIhavekeptyou，once，ifI’dputoneveryscrew？\"
Theahurriedhimalong，talkingrapidly，asiftogetitover。\"Youmighthavekeptmeinmiseryforawhile，perhaps。Idon’tknow。Ihavetothinkwellofmyself，towork。Youcouldhavemadeithard。I’mnotungrateful。
Iwasadifficultpropositiontodealwith。Iunderstandnow，ofcourse。Sinceyoudidn’ttellmethetruthinthebe—
ginning，youcouldn’tverywellturnbackafterI’dsetmyhead。Atleast，ifyou’dbeenthesortwhocould，youwouldn’thavehadto，——forI’dnothavecaredabuttonforthatsort，eventhen。\"Shestoppedbesideacarthatwaitedatthecurbandgavehimherhand。\"There。Wepartfriends？\"
Fredlookedather。\"Youknow。Tenyears。\"
\"I’mnotungrateful，\"Thearepeatedasshegotintohercab。
\"Yes，\"shereflected，asthetaxicutintotheParkcarriageroad，\"wedon’tgetfairytalesinthisworld，andhehas，afterall，caredmoreandlongerthananybodyelse。\"Itwasdarkoutsidenow，andthelightfromthelampsalongthedriveflashedintothecab。Thesnowflakeshoveredlikeswarmsofwhitebeesabouttheglobes。
Theasatmotionlessinonecornerstaringoutofthewindowatthecablightsthatwoveinandoutamongthetrees，allseemingtobebentuponjoyouscourses。
TaxicabswerestillnewinNewYork，andthethemeofpopularminstrelsy。LandryhadsungheradittyheheardinsometheateronThirdAvenue，about\"Buttherepassedhimabright—eyedtaxiWiththegirlofhisheartinside。\"
AlmostinaudiblyTheabegantohumtheair，thoughshewasthinkingofsomethingserious，somethingthathadtouchedherdeeply。Atthebeginningoftheseason，when
shewasnotsingingoften，shehadgoneoneafternoontohearPaderewski’srecital。InfrontofhersatanoldGer—
mancouple，evidentlypoorpeoplewhohadmadesacri—
ficestopayfortheirexcellentseats。Theirintelligentenjoymentofthemusic，andtheirfriendlinesswitheachother，hadinterestedhermorethananythingonthepro—
gramme。WhenthepianistbeganalovelymelodyinthefirstmovementoftheBeethovenDminorsonata，theoldladyputoutherplumphandandtouchedherhus—
band’ssleeveandtheylookedateachotherinrecognition。
Theybothworeglasses，butsuchalook！Likeforget—me—
nots，andsofullofhappyrecollections。Theawantedtoputherarmsaroundthemandaskthemhowtheyhadbeenabletokeepafeelinglikethat，likeanosegayinaglassofwater。
XI
DR。ARCHIEsawnothingofTheaduringthefollow—
ingweek。Afterseveralfruitlessefforts，hesucceededingettingawordwithheroverthetelephone，butshesoundedsodistractedanddriventhathewasgladtosaygood—nightandhanguptheinstrument。Therewere，shetoldhim，rehearsalsnotonlyfor\"Walkure，\"butalsofor\"Gotterdammerung，\"inwhichshewastosingWALTRAUTE
twoweekslater。
OnThursdayafternoonTheagothomelate，afteranexhaustingrehearsal。Shewasinnohappyframeofmind。
MadameNecker，whohadbeenverygracioustoherthatnightwhenshewentontocompleteGloeckler’sperformanceofSIEGLINDE，had，sinceTheawascasttosingthepartinsteadofGloecklerintheproductionofthe\"Ring，\"beenchillyanddisapproving，distinctlyhostile。
TheahadalwaysfeltthatsheandNeckerstoodforthesamesortofendeavor，andthatNeckerrecognizeditandhadacordialfeelingforher。InGermanyshehadseveraltimessungBRANGAENAtoNecker’sISOLDE，andtheolderartisthadletherknowthatshethoughtshesangitbeau—
tifully。ItwasabitterdisappointmenttofindthattheapprovalofsohonestanartistasNeckercouldnotstandthetestofanysignificantrecognitionbythemanagement。
MadameNeckerwasforty，andhervoicewasfailingjustwhenherpowerswereattheirheight。Everyfreshyoungvoicewasanenemy，andthisonewasaccompaniedbygiftswhichshecouldnotfailtorecognize。
Theahadherdinnersentuptoherapartment，anditwasaverypoorone。Shetastedthesoupandthenindig—
nantlyputonherwrapstogooutandhuntadinner。Asshewasgoingtotheelevator，shehadtoadmitthatshe
wasbehavingfoolishly。Shetookoffherhatandcoatandorderedanotherdinner。Whenitarrived，itwasnobetterthanthefirst。Therewasevenaburntmatchunderthemilktoast。Shehadasorethroat，whichmadeswal—
lowingpainfulandbodedillforthemorrow。Althoughshehadbeenspeakinginwhispersalldaytosaveherthroat，shenowperverselysummonedthehousekeeperandde—
mandedanaccountofsomelaundrythathadbeenlost。
Thehousekeeperwasindifferentandimpertinent，andTheagotangryandscoldedviolently。Sheknewitwasverybadforhertogetintoaragejustbeforebedtime，andafterthehousekeeperleftsherealizedthatfortendollars’
worthofunderclothingshehadbeenunfittingherselfforaperformancewhichmighteventuallymeanmanythous—
ands。Thebestthingnowwastostopreproachingherselfforherlackofsense，butshewastootiredtocontrolherthoughts。
Whileshewasundressing——TheresewasbrushingoutherSIEGLINDEwiginthetrunk—room——shewentonchid—
ingherselfbitterly。\"AndhowamIevergoingtogettosleepinthisstate？\"shekeptaskingherself。\"IfIdon’tsleep，I’llbeperfectlyworthlessto—morrow。I’llgodownthereto—morrowandmakeafoolofmyself。IfI’dletthatlaundryalonewithwhateverniggerhasstolenit——WHY
didIundertaketoreformthemanagementofthishotelto—night？Afterto—morrowIcouldpackupandleavetheplace。There’sthePhillamon——Ilikedtheroomstherebetter，anyhow——andtheUmberto——\"Shebegangoingovertheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofdifferentapart—
menthotels。Suddenlyshecheckedherself。\"WhatAM
Idoingthisfor？Ican’tmoveintoanotherhotelto—night。
I’llkeepthisuptillmorning。Ishan’tsleepawink。\"
Shouldshetakeahotbath，orshouldn’tshe？Some—
timesitrelaxedher，andsometimesitrousedherandfairlyputherbesideherself。Betweentheconvictionthatshemustsleepandthefearthatshecouldn’t，shehungpara—
lyzed。Whenshelookedatherbed，sheshrankfromitineverynerve。Shewasmuchmoreafraidofitthanshehadeverbeenofthestageofanyoperahouse。Ityawnedbe—
foreherlikethesunkenroadatWaterloo。
Sherushedintoherbathroomandlockedthedoor。Shewouldriskthebath，anddefertheencounterwiththebedalittlelonger。Shelayinthebathhalfanhour。Thewarmthofthewaterpenetratedtoherbones，inducedpleasantreflectionsandafeelingofwell—being。ItwasverynicetohaveDr。ArchieinNewYork，afterall，andtoseehimgetsomuchsatisfactionoutofthelittlecompanionshipshewasabletogivehim。Shelikedpeoplewhogoton，andwhobecamemoreinterestingastheygrewolder。TherewasFred；hewasmuchmoreinterestingnowthanhehadbeenatthirty。Hewasintelligentaboutmusic，andhemustbeveryintelligentinhisbusiness，orhewouldnotbeattheheadoftheBrewers’Trust。Sherespectedthatkindofintelligenceandsuccess。Anysuccesswasgood。
Sheherselfhadmadeagoodstart，atanyrate，andnow，ifshecouldgettosleep——Yes，theywereallmoreinter—
estingthantheyusedtobe。LookatHarsanyi，whohadbeensolongretarded；whataplacehehadmadeforhim—
selfinVienna。Ifshecouldgettosleep，shewouldshowhimsomethingto—morrowthathewouldunderstand。
Shegotquicklyintobedandmovedaboutfreelybe—
tweenthesheets。Yes，shewaswarmallover。Acold，drybreezewascominginfromtheriver，thankgoodness！
ShetriedtothinkaboutherlittlerockhouseandtheAri—
zonasunandthebluesky。Butthatledtomemorieswhichwerestilltoodisturbing。Sheturnedonherside，closedhereyes，andtriedanolddevice。
Sheenteredherfather’sfrontdoor，hungherhatandcoatontherack，andstoppedintheparlortowarmherhandsatthestove。Thenshewentoutthroughthedining—
room，wheretheboysweregettingtheirlessonsatthelongtable；throughthesitting—room，whereThorwasasleepin
hiscotbed，hisdressandstockinghangingonachair。Inthekitchenshestoppedforherlanternandherhotbrick。
Shehurriedupthebackstairsandthroughthewindylofttoherownglacialroom。Theillusionwasmarredonlybytheconsciousnessthatsheoughttobrushherteethbeforeshewenttobed，andthatsheneverusedtodoit。Why——？
Thewaterwasfrozensolidinthepitcher，soshegotoverthat。Oncebetweentheredblanketstherewasashort，fiercebattlewiththecold；then，warmer——warmer。Shecouldhearherfathershakingdownthehard—coalburnerforthenight，andthewindrushingandbangingdownthevillagestreet。Theboughsofthecottonwood，hardasbone，rattledagainsthergable。Thebedgrewsofterandwarmer。Everybodywaswarmandwelldownstairs。Thesprawlingoldhousehadgatheredthemallin，likeahen，andhadsettleddownoveritsbrood。Theywereallwarminherfather’shouse。Softerandsofter。Shewasasleep。
Sheslepttenhourswithoutturningover。Fromsleeplikethat，oneawakesinshiningarmor。
OnFridayafternoontherewasaninspiringaudience；
therewasnotanemptychairinthehouse。OttenburgandDr。Archiehadseatsintheorchestracircle，gotfromaticketbroker。Landryhadnotbeenabletogetaseat，soheroamedaboutinthebackofthehouse，whereheusuallystoodwhenhedroppedinafterhisownturninvaudevillewasover。Hewastheresooftenandatsuchirregularhoursthattheushersthoughthewasasinger’shusband，orhadsomethingtodowiththeelectricalplant。
Harsanyiandhiswifewereinabox，nearthestage，inthesecondcircle。Mrs。Harsanyi’shairwasnoticeablygray，butherfacewasfullerandhandsomerthaninthoseearlyyearsofstruggle，andshewasbeautifullydressed。
Harsanyihimselfhadchangedverylittle。Hehadputonhisbestafternooncoatinhonorofhispupil，andworea
pearlinhisblackascot。Hishairwaslongerandmorebushythanheusedtowearit，andtherewasnowonegraylockontherightside。Hehadalwaysbeenanelegantfigure，evenwhenhewentaboutinshabbyclothesandwascrushedwithwork。Beforethecurtainrosehewasrestlessandnervous，andkeptlookingathiswatchandwishinghehadgotafewmorelettersoffbeforehelefthishotel。HehadnotbeeninNewYorksincetheadventofthetaxicab，andhadallowedhimselftoomuchtime。Hiswifeknewthathewasafraidofbeingdisappointedthisafternoon。Hedidnotoftengototheoperabecausethestupidthingsthatsingersdidvexedhimso，anditalwaysputhiminarageiftheconductorheldthetempoorinanywayaccommodatedthescoretothesinger。
WhenthelightswentoutandtheviolinsbegantoquavertheirlongDagainsttherudefigureofthebasses，Mrs。Harsanyisawherhusband’sfingersflutteringonhiskneeinarapidtattoo。AtthemomentwhenSIEGLINDE
enteredfromthesidedoor，sheleanedtowardhimandwhisperedinhisear，\"Oh，thelovelycreature！\"Buthemadenoresponse，eitherbyvoiceorgesture。Throughoutthefirstscenehesatsunkinhischair，hisheadforwardandhisoneyelloweyerollingrestlesslyandshininglikeatiger’sinthedark。HiseyefollowedSIEGLINDEaboutthestagelikeasatellite，andasshesatatthetablelisteningtoSIEGMUND’Slongnarrative，itneverlefther。WhenshepreparedthesleepingdraughtanddisappearedafterHUNDING，Harsanyibowedhisheadstilllowerandputhishandoverhiseyetorestit。Thetenor，——ayoungmanwhosangwithgreatvigor，wenton：——
\"WALSE！WALSE！