King Midas

ve me king, why ch

ut my

Mrs. Roberts had talked took on such vast proportions before her mind that it was a relief to her to put them aside and enjoy herself for a while in her usual way. Helen was glad that most of the men were to arrive later, so that she mi

her during her stay; and Helen found therefore that her trunks were unpacked and everything in order. It was a gr

r instinct for happiness, her "genial sense of youth." She had never formulated any rule of life to herself, but that which she sought was joy, primarily for herself, and incidentally for other people, because

burn. So far as Helen could see at that moment, a marriage with this Mr. Harrison would mean the command of every source of happiness; and upon a scale so magnificent, so belittling of everything she had known be

her conscience and the ideals which she had formed more or less vaguely from the novels and poems she had read, as the instinct of her maidenhood, which made her shrink from the thought

was foolish to worry herself, or to be ill at ease. She might see what sort of a man he was; if he fell in love with her it would do no harm,-Helen was not long in discovering by the increased pace of her pulses that she would find it exciting to have everyone know t

le magic that is all the woman's own. Besides the prospects her aunt had spoken of, there were reasons enough why Helen should be radiant, for it was her first recognized appearance in high society; and so she sat in front of the tall mirror and criticised every detail of the coiffure which the maid prepared, and eyed by turns her gleaming neck and shoulders and the wonderful dress, as yet unworn, which shone from the bed through its covering of tissue paper; and was all the time so filled with joy and delight that it was a pleasur

the sunbeam and armed with a barb; for a helmet, beside her treasure of golden hair, she wore one rose, set there with the art that conceals art, so that it was no longer a red rose, but one more bright perfec

she knew that neither arms and shoulders, nor robe, nor gleaming hair, would ever be thought of when once the face that smiled upon her with its serene perfectness had caught the eye; she knew that as usual, men must start w

, looking just what he had been represented,-a "plain, sensible man," who attended to his half of the family affairs, and left the other half to his wife. He gazed upon Helen and blinked once or twice, a

s quite exciting to Helen to meet them, for they were all strangers, and Aunt Polly had apparently considered Mr. Harrison of s

really something wrong about their views and ways of living. When they are young, however, they represent the possibilities of the human animal in all things external. In some wonderful way known only to themselves they have managed to manipulate the laws of men so as to make men do for them all the hard and painful tasks of life, so that they have no care but to make themselves as beautiful and as clever and as generally excellent as selfishness can be. Helen, of course, was not in the least troubled about the selfishness, and she was quite

suddenly she heard the bell ring. It was just the time that he was due to arrive, and so she knew that she would see him in another half h

bout her, she could not keep from giving a slight start. Far down at the other end of the room she had caught sight of the figure of a man, and her first thought had been that it must be

nd be introduced to the stranger, but in the meantime the truth had occurred to Helen, that it must be the Mr. Ho

t, all the invalid her aunt had described him to be, for his face was white and very wan, so that it made her shudder. "Dear me!" she exclaimed to herself,

urope. Helen kept the circle well in hand that way, and was equally ready when one of the young ladies turned the conversation off upon French poetry

ing mischievously to herself; "and I suppose she's picked

which served very well to display the incompatibility of the melody and the words. As it happened, however, Mistress Helen heard not a word of the song, for it had

ion, and rather too large a sandy mustache, but his clothes fitted him, and he seemed to be at ease as he glanced about him and waited in the doorway for the young lady

s on the watch with all her faculties, decided that he bore that trial tolerably, for wh

ear," he said; "have I m

, "that was the

f that," sai

t was next due that Helen should ask if he were fond of singing; and

a skillful musician," he added;

e thought to the selection of her program; therefo

dying in Germany," was the next o

they made me work very hard at

you are a good player

he girl replied, following his example o

much of a critic,

son's remarks being so very uninspiring that his companion could

ut 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

son, "that your aunt is c

nd 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 s

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,

as the first movement of the "Sonata Appassionata," 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 sh

th evident sincerity, "th

much," said He

ever heard in my life," the other went on. "P

e answer, "it is

n, "those old composer

id Helen,

the other continued, "and yet so marvelously fast!

it is quite exciting," she adde

me 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

age Helen. She rattled on, quite as supremely captivating as she had been at the dinner table, and as she saw

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

'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

ut I've been keeping Mr. Harrison here talking to me, and nobody else has seen anything of him." And so Mr. Harrison, inwardly anathematizing the rest of the company, was compell

sounded to every one like a finger exercise after her own meteoric flight; the girl sat half listening

are an angel; you have done b

ing thoughts that were in her mind at that moment brought back the nervous trembl

ftly on, perhaps divining the girl's stat

you, Auntie?" as

hat was for you

t is

nd talk to my David H

r. "Aunt Polly," she exclaimed, "not now! He lo

most interesting men you ever met. He knows more than all the people in this room

just then, and she shrunk more than ever from anything that was wre

you will wish to be with Mr. Harrison again soon. And

id Helen, knitting her brows; "I'

ease try to get acquainted with him,

the girl. "He won't talk a

fancy not. Talk to him about musi

chin was still resting in his hand, and he was looking at Helen as before. As she glanced at him thus he seemed

th 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

conversation, added, "I should b

Roberts has chosen me," the man answered,

ritics," said Helen. "

they get into troubl

en, feeling just the least bit uncomfortable. She thought for a moment,

ical," said the other, smiling,

ed Helen; afterwards she added, misch

violin," the

to play for u

other, "I fea

?" Helen

the response. "But I have promised your aunt to

to play in publ

he figure of her companion. The man chanced to look at her at the same instant, and she saw in a flash that her thought ha

simple dignity. "I believe that I am

fect self-possession than tha

, and she found herself thinking that if that had been all of him he might have been handsome, tho in a strange, uncomfortable way. The broad forehead seemed more prominent than ever, and the dark eyes seemed fair

tle like Arthur

rought back the original topic again. "You have not told me about my playing," she smiled, "and I wish for your opinion

ure to watch you," said

sion. That is not criticising my music itself," she s

e than ever; evidently the man would have liked to add a "but" to that sentence, and the girl felt as if she had come near an icicle in the course of her ev

who do not understand music I really do not care for." And then as Mr. Howard

all have it. But you must remember that it is yourself w

erested. For the rest, she felt that she had gotten into grav

ou," she said. "

ward; "the truth is that I did

t worry," she thought; and she added easily, "The sonata is usual

e other; "but do you know how

one of his specialties. "Yes," she said; "I have read how he said 'So pocht das Schicksal auf

; "do you?" And Helen felt just then that

e other continued, slowly. "When one has heard the knock, he

ng to save herself, "that you think the so

oned me for being serious, there is in the first place the great genius with his sacred message; you know how he learned that his life work was to be

ngest conversation she had ever been called upon to listen to during an evening's m

second?"

s, but one who has suffered, I fear, nearly as much as one; a man who is very hungry for beauty, and very imp

ery uncomfor

she said, "I

the pianist's place to take the great work and live it,

o seriously as that," said Helen

to me that you did not by every note you played; for

sonata had she known that a musician was present. Helen felt completely humiliated, her few minutes' conversation having been enough to put her out of humor with herself and all of her surroundings. There was a long silence, in which she had time to think of what she had heard; she felt in spite of herse

after that. Fortunately a diversion occurred, the young person who had last

one to take your place," s

r, "she told me we h

mes, as Helen might have told by watching her companion's eyebrows. She in the meantime was trying to recover her equanimity, and to think wha

t, she saw Mr. Harrison coming towards her. Mr. Harrison had somehow succeeded in extricating himself from the difficult

" he asked, as h

e girl. Somehow or other he seemed less endurable than he had just before, for his voice was not as soft as Mr. H

thing we just heard," he said

that it was R

n. "The name sounds familiar

y at Mr. Howard; but t

nist," she said. "We must be c

id the other, with heartiness which somehow seemed to Hel

me about my own playing," Helen we

ch as I did," said the unfo

aid Helen, trying to turn

Mr. Harrison, in surp

h that dreadful "There are always three persons concerned, you know." But the man mer

ng wonderful," said the gentleman from Cin

to save her. Mrs. Roberts was too diplomatic a person not to see the unwisdom of putting Mr. Harrison in a position where his deficiencies must be so very apparent, and so she came over, determined to carry one of the two m

a sigh which was only half restrained. "A very peculiar person,"

the girl, "v

emark was far from being in the best taste, but it pleased Helen, because it went to jus

about music; he was very

rison. "I hope you do n

I shall soon recover my equanimity. It is very h

bserved Mr. Harrison. "He

emark. "Let us change the subject," she said more cheerfully.

, with graciousness which did a little more to restore Helen's se

e?" the girl ask

ng frankness. "I was as interested as could be in the

self-possession came back to her quickly as she read his admiration in his eyes. Besides that, it was impossible to forget for very long that Mr. Harrison was a multi-millionaire, and the object of the envious glances of every other girl in the room; and so when Aunt Polly retu

enthusiasm she possessed; partly because she had a really good voice and enjoyed the song, and partly because an audience appreciates singing more easily than any other kind of music. She really scored the success of the evening. Everybody was as enthusiastic as the limits of good taste allowed, and Helen was compelled, not in the least agai

ing nothing exaggerated in them. And in the meantime, Aunt Polly having suggested a waltz to close the festivities, the furniture was rapidly moved to one side, and the hostess herself took her seat at the piano and struck up the "Invitation to the Dance;" Mr. Harrison, who had been at Helen's side since her singi

rrison kept her arm and begged for the next dance, and the next in turn, Helen was sufficiently carried away to have no w

inating had she become, and so completely enraptured was Mr. Harrison, that he would probably have capitulated then and there if the dancing had not ceased and the company separated when it did. The end of all the excitement was a great disappointment to Helen; she was completely happy just then, and would h

er own room gazing at herself in the glass, and seeing a frightened look in her eyes. The merry laughter of the guests ceased gradually, and sil

her age and dignity; she flung her arms rapturously around Helen,

e," said He

you realize it yet! Do you know, Helen, that Mr. Harrison is madly in

id Helen again, s

r; "you are a little dazed, I fancy, and I do not blame you. I should have been beside myself at your

d, Aunt Polly. I'm afraid about i

My dear, do you actually mean that you could t

said Helen, trem

now I should, for one." And she added, coaxin

, Aun

kes it into his head. He told me to tell you that if you'd accept Mr. Harrison's offer

ow, tho," she pleaded. "Please don't, Aunt Polly. I was so excited, and it was all like a dream

to sleep and be beautiful tomorrow. See," she added, beginning to unfasten He

tectress undressed her, and did not leave her until she had seen her in bed and kissed her again. "And promise m

the night had passed she was sitting up in bed and gazing about her at the gray shadows in the room, holding the covering tightly about her, because she wa

t thought was still in her mind, and those words upon

assage of Beethoven's