My Austrian Love

ays liverish and who had been ordered to Harrogate, too. Mrs Dicks was the best soul you could imagine, but a very plain woman. Yet when she died a couple of years afte

om Vienna, which is surrounded by the most lovely villages and woods, I could not find the slightest charm in the tedious landscape of Harrogate with its tiny heath and nearly invisible pine forest. After what I used to hear in Vienna, the so-called music in the V

ing to be a flapper. I have generally been shy with young ladies, and have avoided their compa

sical charms. Be it sufficient for you to know that there were at Harrogate many ladies whose profession, not to call it trade,

m I saw so many birds of prey. I daresay it was dreadfully mean of me to misuse the child like this. For when we rambled along the fields I scarcely spoke, absorbed as I was in the mental work

if my taciturnity

w you think of music. You listen to your thoughts. One day I w

e to know the p

ld be just

ightful. That was her w

he story of

if you do it, it will be very beautiful. Thi

be at once surrounded by these offensive acquaintances you are compelled to

ing eyes. When I had finished she said nothing. Not one word. But when shortly aft

ht, kiddy

hand a little hard

tly exaggerating its importance, found in it some fuel fo

few days later to Knaresborough, where I offered her a little row, wha

en by fright one moment, by a storm of laughter the next. The situation was not without danger, and the anxiety in my own heart made me

t ... how brav

a while

n I heard that you were goi

incessantly praised for having saved Bean's life, that I took t

ses in my hand. She seemed serious,

ep them?"

ll, k

ept the roses. However, as the petals have gone, all I still possess is the stalks

rstood nothing of his Insurance schemes, yet I never objected to any of them. I was in consequence rather surprised to find him a little cool when I spoke about my Austrian love. He pretended that I was speaking only of my future primadonna, not of my promised bride, a

with the English idea of a long engagement not to have been taken completely by surprise when his first question was, On what date did I intend to fix the marriage. However, although I could only answ

all the sweetness of our secret love. And I am sure we would have quarrelled over this point had I not remembered of a saying of my dear dad

in check with his primadonna. It was, however, more difficult than one may th

ad refused. But as the moment of the performance of his Aladdin was approaching, his highly developed sense for all that touched his interests told him that a more conciliatory attitude would be advisable. His sojourn

sed I am quite incapable of saying. It was mere instinct. But I have always noticed that girls, as soon as th

at changed. This expression must not be taken as funny. She was changed very little indeed, but that little change affected her thro

liged her to be away from home had increased enormously. I had thought

ressed, but now the care she took o

asse I found her pensive, not to say g

he still answered that she did and knew her love was not good enough; but she also added that she was my friend, and that her friendsh

ed my regret and my doubt whether she would ever be able to express what I had tried to in

," was my answer, "but

as closely and rightly as you; and in these questions one may always rely

u dislike th

like everything you compose. But a

better mated than these two. I don't think that they ever quarrelled, but there was a continuous wrangling over small, i

ween Mitzi and me that I was afraid lest it

aughter had. He always treated her with the same coldness. I, of course, could not notice it, as I had never seen them on more friendly terms, but Mitzi often complained

he Imperial Opera enough new things accepted to fill at least two years (his Aladdin amongst others) I decided to accept the services of a theatrical agent. Mitzi advised me to go to Giulay. Indeed, he had the reputation of be

e was clever, there could not be the slightest doubt, for in scarcely a week's time he had induced the manager of the Brünn municipal theatre to play my opera. At the same time he also settled that Mitzi was to make her

that contract. They were so many humiliations. It would make me blush. Still i

tercourse, and my desire to know him better had determin

t me and my opera, and the result was an invitation to come and lunch on the following Sunday with the two Hungarian people at their home in the Maroccanergasse. This street, although situated in a fashionable quarter, was far from smart, the principal reason for this being that one side was filled nearly in the whole of its length by the ugliest barracks in the whole town. So at least the negative beauty o

tistic taste, the right lodging for small people. Only one detail struck me as remarkable, namely, that the walls of the drawing-room were entirely covered with photographs. There were artists and arti

lady hardly ate anything, busy as she was waiting upon us two gentlemen. Yet it looked rather funny, that solitary whiting, as did afterwards the two thrushes for three, accompanied by a little salad adorned with a hard egg, which was cut into

e. I daresay I would have endured it. But none was offered, and to this day I do not know whether it was a dummy or a real one, and in the latte

y: a Coronas cigar that Giulay offered me. It is not an expensive cigar, costing about s

ay apologized for her lunch and e

I was left very poor. I have had to struggle badly to give my boy a sound commercial education. I could not afford a servant girl during these hard times. Ten years ago he opened his a

myself that one must not judge people by appearances, and that M

riseldis score." And then, suddenly, an idea struck me which would have made me go immediately to the Karlsgasse if it had not been a

ouse. He was not in, Monday mornings being regul

shed to have with the maid. Mitzi, of course, laughed at my serious

air of Fr?ulein's visit to Salzburg, that you said, you knew that it w

id not

remember?" I

ps," s

now," said Mitzi,

ng again to Fanny, "And what

girl remai

at you had made friends wi

declared Fa

ied Mitzi. "I distinctly

nial. I remained for a m

ly demanded the servant wh

ple," I declared, "Mr

one at th

ok, nor other servant,

ten with uneasine

ou stated from that imaginary cook

he whole affair," sh

esture with my hand

pset your father. Your visit to Salzburg had been used for foul play;

cried bo

ould be made in which his name would necessarily be involved has prevented police inquiries. But I do not share Mr. Doblana's opinion. I thought and,

cried

picion was evidently erroneous. I also thought that for

laimed Mi

protested

s not

roof is that Fanny tried to protect Mr. Giulay by telling u

asked Fanny

leave had begun on the Friday morning. She went at once to Salzburg from where she sent the wire. There is a train leaving

ied the maid again,

e cook? Why did you declare that you knew that it was a mo

snif

ou have always been a good gir

ith all her throat. If it had been possible she woul

"you see that appearanc

sented with her head, and her tears redoubled. Who

You will understand that by your silence you on

turned upon me with clenched fists, her wet f

hat you should come and wrong me so? I am no thief, nor is Mr.

y," interr

The young gentleman wants to know the truth. Well, I wil

e speechless at

together and didn't leave each other for a minute. That's a

in one minute, as the result of Fanny's confession, lost a good maid who had faithfully served her for six years, and seen her belief in her esteemed friend Giulay ruined, Giulay, w

suspected her and him. You will not be surprised to hear that the theatrical agent's interest i

e was quite sufficient. A regular scene took place between Mitzi and her detective-composer. (F

oser. Now for the detective. You also know with what care I investigated "The Mystery of the Griseldis score," how patiently I waited and kept my suspicions for myself as long as I was not sure. If in

ck. He was coming home from his rehearsal. Then we perceived the noise of a smaller key. He was opening the letter box. And after a min

for a minute or so, and if there had been on our part the slightest w

reliminaries the storm, the third one of the day, broke forth. He had just received a letter from the manager

ng to give his consent to such utter folly. H

expressed my wish that you

ertainly done it more than a thousand tim

ur unhappy aunt, of L

oo, was an op

your mother, I sp

what

not a lif

e to see it i

a Carina? Was I not cheated by your mother every day exactly as I have now been cheated once more by you? And what

as time for me to s

ed, "Mitzi is to sing L

ed sharply, "Mitzi will

been arranged with the

on behalf of my daughter. No, Mr. Cooper, I know Mitzi better than you do, better than anybody does, and I

e window panes. I admired her once more-I cannot suffi

ing the Lady Macbeth, which I have written espe

repent it. Mitzi has no moral strength.

ned sharp

oice, "I know that I owe you respect

I said gently, "let

clared so firmly that I har

marry her within a month, even against your will if it must be, and I will t

I may even say that she never before had loved me so well as she did after that third thundersto

held it in her h

married, you will b

, Mi

property, your t

, Mi

d y

t yours

and wrote across it: "Meinem Patrick,

story of my Austrian love with

still got

hav

frontispiece for your bo

ontis

-Corporal, writes a book he does not think of such paltry things as the frontispiece. And then-it is quite bad enough to s

it. I write the whole adventure off my heart, with all its joys and all its sorrows. Yet I cannot make up my mind to give away her features. But, if really these pages one day d

ree photos and ... I may as well tell you, as you know all about it ... the stalks of those roses Bean gave me so long

n a considerable amount of strong brown paper, and finally in a shee

l Cooper, and then that of the mater. He re

to be nic

Bean's roses,

ver Mitzi'

frowns. After a while

l?"

ply. But sudde

xcuse me,

he g

the mat