luggage-trains squealing all around, and Aunt Cathie in sandshoes doing the pear-tree touch while Aunt Elizabeth made head-rests. I don't mean that all these things happened actually together, but they are the composition of the picture. It was then I really had the moment of inspiration which led to all that has happened since. I told him of my vision of him as the centre of an artistic, intellectual set of eager, beauty-loving people. I said the vision was of him, but it was really of me. And it's all coming true. We work, we study, we appreciate, we criticize. By the way, he is going to take a house at Fantasie, near Baireuth, for the festival, and we are going to have a sort of Bowdlerized Boccaccio party. There! again it sounds as if I was laughing at it, but I'm not, I'm not!"
"I hadn't heard of that before," said Charlie.
"No, it only occurred to him yesterday. I wish you and Maud could come with us, but you will be on the honeymoon, I suppose. Oh, Maud was so divine the other day—more divine than usual, I mean. Zimpfen had been playing the appassionata, at my house too perfectly, and Gertie Miller was there, who is very, very anxious to learn, the darling, but cannot avoid exposing her ignorance in a manner that is almost indecent. Well, as you know, the second and third movements of the sonata are always played as one, and when Zimpfen had finished, and we were all a good deal emotioned, Gertie said to Maud: 'Isn't he going to play that heavenly last movement?' But Maud can't be unkind—except that she told me about it afterwards—and only said: 'I don't think we had better ask Herr Zimpfen for it; I fancy he is not satisfied with his rendering of it.' Wasn't it darling of her? And Gertie said: 'Oh, how sweet and remembering of you!' Where was I? Oh yes, you and Maud will be honeymooning still, I suppose. Couldn't you have an eclipse for a week and join us? You will have had a fortnight by then."
Charlie looked at her, smiling.
"'O moon of my delight, that knows no wane,'" he quoted.
"Then you can easily spare a week, if that is the case," said she.
"It is so kind of you," he said. "Personally I should love to come, if we are anywhere within reach, but I don't know if Maud"
"Oh, then Maud will love to come too," said Lucia.
