The Roll-Call

y seemed to ride on waves of brass. The conductor was very excited, and his dark locks shook with the violence of his ge

lause, with yells and thuds above and below the hand-clapping, filled and inflamed the whole interior. The conductor, recovering from a collapse, turned round and bowed low with his hand on his shirt-front; his hair fell over his forehead; he straightened himself and threw the hair back again, and so he kept on, time after time casting those plumes to and fro. At last, sated with homage, he thought of justice, and pointed to t

fe was a grand thing, and that they had reached suddenly one of the summits of existence. George,

hat piece?"

He wished he had been able to identify the piece, but he was too content to be a

as it Glazounov? He could not be certain. It sounded fine. Surely it sounded Russian. Then he had a glimpse of a

el, that the music was not fine and not Russian. He really loved music, but he happened to be at that age, f

rite indifferently, r

v's next,

uldn't sit down,

erred the Promenade to the

act, they were not. Other couples were perched on other ledges, and still others on the cold steam-pipes. A girl with a big face and heavy red lips sat alone, lounging, her head aslant. She had an open copy of Home Notes in one hand. Elgar had sent the simple creature in

could be seen the orchestr

hall," George observed proud

mire Glazounov ought not to relish Elgar. And George, too, reflecting upon the sensations produced within him by Elgar, was ready t

what I needed,

O

essed this after

He had not

n and six." 'They' were the employing bookbinders, and t

e grinding harshness of bookbinders. He was an insensible egotist, and girls were wondrous. At any rate this girl was wondrous. He had an intense desire to atone for his insensibility and his egotism by pro

his sympathy by means of disgust. "Coul

answered. "Especially when they begin to t

s absolute

but the fact of her victimhood. Scandalous, infamous, that this rare

ng again and learning sports and horsewomanship as a girl might have learnt them.... And they were all beautiful beneath the music. The music softened; the fountain was heard; the striking of matches was heard.... Still, all was beautiful. Then he touched Marguerite's hand as it rested a little behind her on the ledge. The effect of contact was surprising. With all his other thoughts he had not ceased to think of the idea of shielding and enveloping her. But now this idea utterly possessed him. The music grew louder, and as it were under cover of the music he put his hand round her hand. It was a vent

awoke them. He released her hand. Sh

ather ..." she murmured. She met his eyes; b

er. It seemed to him that the least he could do at that moment was to fulfil unquestioningly her slightest wish. Then she looked away, and he