"I am told that you have been studying in Germany," was the next observation. "Do you like Germany?"
"Very much," said Helen. "Only they made me work very hard at music, and at everything else."
"That is perhaps why you are a good player," said Mr. Harrison.
"You ought to wait until you hear me," the girl replied, following his example of choosing the most obvious thing to say.
"I fear I am not much of a critic," said the other.
And so the conversation drifted on for several minutes, Mr.
Harrison"s remarks being so very uninspiring that his companion could find no way to change the subject to anything worth talking about.
"Evidently," the girl thought, during a momentary lull, "he has learned all the rules of talking, and that"s why he"s at ease. But dear me, what an awful prospect! It would kill me to have to do this often. But then, to be sure I shan"t see him in the day time, and in the evenings we should not be at home. One doesn"t have to be too intimate with one"s husband, I suppose. And then--"
"I think," said Mr. Harrison, "that your aunt is coming to ask you to play."
That was Aunt Polly"s mission, for a fact, and Helen was much relieved, for she had found herself quite helpless to lift the conversation out of the slough of despond into which it had fallen; she wanted a little time to collect her faculties and think of something clever to start with again. When in answer to the request of Aunt Polly she arose and went to the piano, the crushed feeling of course left her, and her serenity returned; for Helen was at home at the piano, knowing that she could do whatever she chose, and do it without effort. It was a stimulus to her faculties to perceive that a general hush had fallen upon the room, and that every eye was upon her; as she sat down, therefore, all her old exultation was back.
She paused a moment to collect herself, and gave one easy glance down the room at the groups of people. She caught a glimpse as she did so of Mr. Howard, who was still seated upon the sofa, leaning forward and resting his chin in his hand and fixing his eyes upon her. At another time the sight of his wan face might perhaps have annoyed the girl, but she was carried beyond that just then by the excitement of the moment; her glance came back to the piano, and feeling that everyone was attentive and expectant, she began.
Helen numbered in her repertoire a good many pieces that were hopelessly beyond the technic of the average salon pianist, and she had chosen the most formidable with which to astonish her hearers that evening. She had her full share of that pleasure which people get from concerning themselves with great things: a pleasure which is responsible for much of the reading, and especially the discussing, of the world"s great poets, and which brings forth many lofty sentiments from the numerous cla.s.s of persons who combine idealism with vanity. Helen"s selection was the first movement of the "Sonata Appa.s.sionata," and she was filled with a pleasing sense of majesty and importance as she began. She liked the first theme especially because it was striking and dignified and never failed to attract attention; and in what followed there was room for every shading of tone, from delicate softness that showed much feeling and sympathy, to stunning fortissimos that made everyone stare. The girl was relieved of any possible fear by the certainty that the composition was completely beyond her hearers" understanding, and so she soon lost herself in her task, and, as her excitement mounted, played with splendid spirit and abandon. Her calculations proved entirely well made, for when she stopped she received a real ovation, having genuinely astonished her hearers; and she crossed the room, beaming radiantly upon everyone and acknowledging their compliments, more a.s.sured of triumph than ever before. To cap the climax, when she reached her seat she found Mr. Harrison betraying completely his profound admiration, his gaze being riveted upon the glowing girl as she sat down beside him.
"Miss Davis," he said, with evident sincerity, "that was really wonderful!"
"Thank you very much," said Helen, radiantly.
"It was the most splendid piano playing I have ever heard in my life,"
the other went on. "Pray what was it that you played--something new?"
"Oh, no," was the answer, "it is very old indeed."
"Ah," said Mr. Harrison, "those old composers were very great men."
"Yes," said Helen, demurely.
"I was astonished to see with what ease you played," the other continued, "and yet so marvelously fast! That must be a fearfully hard piece of music to play."
"Yes, it is," said Helen; "but it is quite exciting," she added, fanning herself and laughing.
Helen was at the top of her being just then, and in perfect command of things; she had no idea of letting herself be dragged down into the commonplace again. "I think it"s about time I was fascinating him," she said to herself, and she started in, full of merriment and life. Taking her last remark as a cue, she told him funny stories about the eccentricities of the sonata"s great composer, how he would storm and rage up and down his room like a madman, and how he hired a boy to pump water over his head by the hour, in case of emergency.
Mr. Harrison remarked that it was funny how all musicians were such queer chaps, but even that did not discourage Helen. She rattled on, quite as supremely captivating as she had been at the dinner table, and as she saw that her companion was yielding to her spell, the color mounted to her cheeks and her blood flowed faster yet.
It is of the nature of such flame to feed itself, and Helen grew the more exulting as she perceived her success,--and consequently all the more irresistible. The eyes of the man were soon riveted upon the gorgeous vision of loveliness before him, and the contagion of the girl"s animation showed itself even in him, for he brightened a little, and was clever enough to startle himself. It was a new delight and stimulus to Helen to perceive it, and she was soon swept away in much the same kind of nervous delight as her phantasy with the thunderstorm. The sofa upon which the two were seated had been somewhat apart from the rest, and so they had nothing to disturb them. A short half hour fled by, during which Helen"s daring animation ruled everything, and at the end of which Mr. Harrison was quite oblivious to everything about him.
There were others, however, who were watching the affair; the keen-eyed Aunt Polly was comprehending all with joy, but she was as ever calculating and prudent, and she knew that Helen"s monopoly of Mr. Harrison would soon become unpleasantly conspicuous, especially as she had so far introduced him to no one else. She felt that little would be lost by breaking the spell, for what the girl was doing then she might do any time she chose; and so after waiting a while longer she made her way un.o.btrusively over to them and joined their conversation.
Helen of course understood her aunt"s meaning, and acquiesced; she kept on laughing and talking for a minute or two more, and then at a lull in the conversation she exclaimed: "But I"ve been keeping Mr.
Harrison here talking to me, and n.o.body else has seen anything of him." And so Mr. Harrison, inwardly anathematizing the rest of the company, was compelled to go through a long series of handshakings, and finally to be drawn into a group of young persons whose conversation seemed to him the most inane he had ever heard in his life.
In the meantime someone else was giving a piano selection, one which Helen had never heard, but which sounded to every one like a finger exercise after her own meteoric flight; the girl sat half listening to it and half waiting for her aunt to return, which Mrs. Roberts finally did, beaming with grat.i.tude.
"My love," she whispered, "you are an angel; you have done better than I ever dreamed of!"
And Helen felt her blood give a sudden leap that was not quite pleasant; the surging thoughts that were in her mind at that moment brought back the nervous trembling she had felt in the carriage, so that she leaned against the sofa for support.
"Now listen, my dear," the other went swiftly on, perhaps divining the girl"s state, "I want you to do a great favor for me."
"Was not that for you, Auntie?" asked Helen, weakly.
"No, my dear, that was for yourself. But this--"
"What is it?"
"I want you to come and talk to my David Howard a little while."
The girl gave a start, and turned a little paler. "Aunt Polly," she exclaimed, "not now! He looks so ill, it makes me nervous even to see him."
"But, Helen, my dear, that is nonsense," was the reply. "Mr. Howard is one of the most interesting men you ever met. He knows more than all the people in this room together, and you will forget he is an invalid when you have talked to him a while."
Helen was, or wished to think herself, upon the heights of happiness just then, and she shrunk more than ever from anything that was wretched. "Not now, Aunt Polly," she said, faintly. "Please wait until--"
"But, my dear," said Aunt Polly, "now is the very time; you will wish to be with Mr. Harrison again soon. And you must meet Mr.
Howard, for that is what he came for."
"I suppose then I"ll have to," said Helen, knitting her brows; "I"ll stroll over in a minute or two."
"All right," said the other; "and please try to get acquainted with him, Helen, for I want you to like him."
"I will do my best," said the girl. "He won"t talk about his ailments, will he?"
"No," said the other, laughing, "I fancy not. Talk to him about music--he"s a great musician, you know."
And as her aunt left the room, Helen stole a side glance at the man, who was alone upon the sofa just then. His chin was still resting in his hand, and he was looking at Helen as before. As she glanced at him thus he seemed to be all head, or rather all forehead, for his brow was very high and white, and was set off by heavy black hair.
"He does look interesting," the girl thought, as she forced a smile and walked across the room; her aunt entered at the same time, as if by accident, and the two approached Mr. Howard. As he saw them coming he rose, with some effort as Helen noticed, and with a very slight look of pain; it cost her some resolution to give the man her hand. In a minute or two more, however, they were seated alone upon the sofa, Aunt Polly having gone off with the remark to Helen that she had made Mr. Howard promise to talk to her about music, and that they both knew too much about it for her. "You must tell Helen all about her playing," she added to him, laughingly.
And then Helen, to carry on the conversation, added, "I should be very much pleased if you would."
"I am afraid it is an ungracious task Mrs. Roberts has chosen me,"
the man answered, smiling. "Critics are not a popular race."
"It depends upon the critics," said Helen. "They must be sincere."
"That is just where they get into trouble," was the response.
"It looks as if he were going to be chary with his praise," thought Helen, feeling just the least bit uncomfortable. She thought for a moment, and then said, not without truth, "You pique my curiosity, Mr. Howard."