Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

Giovanna, who had got out of 'Constance's' clothes and into her own with feverish despatch, complied with this invitation, and the two repaired together to the stage door. Just within it a tall and strongly-built man stood with a violin-case under his arm. His poverty-stricken appearance caused Ginger to mutter angrily :

"Why, it's a tramp!"

But the next instant her eyes had fastened themselves with curiosity upon the stranger's face: a face dark as a Hindoo's, but ruggedly handsome.

[blocks in formation]

"Yes, lady, I a gipsy-a real gipsy, a Zigeun," he said. He pulled off his round felt hat, revealing a tangled mat of black hair.

"I a musician," he went on hastily; "a good one: the ladies shall only hear me play."

it.

He placed his violin-case on the floor, and knelt to unfasten

"But our's isn't an operatic company," Ginger explained. "We're theatrical people. It is no use your coming to my father for a job, if that's what you want."

The man sat back on his heels and looked up at her with his intensely black, heavily-fringed eyes.

"Musicians go with you, they tell me. I can play any music what you like. I can make others play what I like as I like. I a useful man, if the lady will only try me."

He whisked his instrument from its coverings, and passed the bow once or twice across the strings, tuning it rapidly.

"Don't encourage him to think you can do anything for him," whispered Giovanna, under cover of the noise. "Your father could never make use of him."

"He's so

"Oh, let's hear him play," returned Ginger. interesting! Fancy, a real Zigeun from the plains of Hungary! Anyone can see he's real. He's not a bit like one of those monkeys in a red coat that one sees in restaurants." "He's more like a bear than a monkey. your father won't have anything to say to him. tell him so."

"Let's hear," returned Dorothy obstinately.

I am certain
You'd better

She bestowed a sweet smile of encouragement upon the object of discussion, whose changeful face brightened joyously as he noted it. He addressed her exclusively now. "So often in England I not able to play our music, Zigeuner music, but I play it to you. I like to play much to you."

His shining eyes held hers, while his bow flew over the strings in the wilder strains of a csardas, and the restless spirit of his people seeming to take possession of him as he played, called to that unquiet little soul of hers, ever eager for some excitement of a new order.

66

How glorious!" she exclaimed as he paused, and the notes still sang along the narrow passage.

66

66

But no use to you," whispered Giovanna again.

No," said Ginger aloud, regretfully. "I'm afraid you'd be too good for us, even if we wanted another man, which we don't. But you could get an engagement anywhere in London."

66

No," answered the gipsy, mournfully shaking his tousled head. "I tell the lady truth because I know she help me. At home I lived in the forest; I wanted not money or to leave my own country. But a stranger heard me play at a village wedding, and he promised me I should be rich, rich, if I would go with him. He bring me to London, and I must play in a band with many Zigeuners. Then another man give me much more money to go with him. He say I to play by myself when many people listen, because I too good to be heard with others. He say I to play my own music, that which my father learnt of my grandfather, and taught me. Lady, there were very many people, and I stand up all alone to play. Then my violin seem like a piece of wood in my hand, and my music all gone. I think of nothing except how far are my forests, how strange to try and remember music : before it always came without trying. I play nothing, and the man who engage me very angry. He send me away, he not pay me. I go back to the Zigeuner band, but the master there will not have me because I leave him suddenly, before, for more money. I have wandered much since, sometimes. playing from place to place alone, sometimes joining bands. I get never enough money to go back to my own country, but I learn English."

Indeed, his words succeeded each other with ungrammatical but fluent ease.

"And I learn to play many things: all I hear I remember."

He raised his bow once more, and the strains of the latest waltz floated from it in swift emphatic cadence, but with some undefineable charm added to its banal phrasing. And Ginger, drawing up her skirts above her gold slippers and pretty ankles, began to twirl in time to it up and down the narrow flagged floor, her long sleeves flapping and flying about her. The gipsy's flashing eyes followed her, his shaggy head marked time for her as he played now fast, now slowly, and her nimble feet unfalteringly kept to his rhythm. The porter thrust forth his head from his cupboard-like cell near the door to watch the performance with interest.

"Oh, do stop, Ginger, and don't be so mad," besought Giovanna.

66

Mad? I feel mad. I could dance till I was mad to music like this!" gasped the other.

The fiddler was introducing wild and haunting variations into his conventional theme; his swarthy face was alight with eager satisfaction.

It was upon this scene that, with stately tread of heavilybooted feet and much jingling of a variety of chains and ornaments, Mr. Dew, in the guise of King John, presently entered. He advanced down the passage with an indignant counten

ance.

[ocr errors]

What's this noise?" he demanded. "I could hear it on the stage; I only hope that it didn't annoy the audience. What are you doing, Ginger? Can I never take my eye off you for a moment?"

Music and dancer stopped in mid-career, the girl hastily allowing her long skirts to trail again. The gipsy's attitude was calm his gaze still followed Dorothy, but now with tranquil confidence: if the newcomer was a person in authority, whom it behoved him to propitiate, the girl could be trusted to plead for him.

In effect, Miss Dew did not disappoint him, for without more ado she drew her father to the further end of the corridor. and proceeded in an eager whisper to state the stranger's case. He meanwhile, divining that Giovanna seemed disposed to

adopt an unfriendly attitude towards himself, tried to draw her into conversation, lest she should interfere.

"I could lead orchestra-I know much music," he remarked, displaying all his white teeth in an ingratiating smile.

"Mr. Dew hasn't really got what you could call an orchestra," returned Giovanna. "He has a few men to play between the acts and go on the stage during them."

Ginger's excited whisper came down the passage: "We could always fill up our programme with him: 'Wonderful artiste direct from Hungary.' You'd make a

fortune out of him."

Giovanna could not distinguish the import of Mr. Dew's grumbled retort, for the gipsy proceeded:

"And I dance Hungarian dances beautiful! I often done it to get money, in places where no one like music."

66

But this is a real theatrical company," rejoined she, desperately. I'm sure a musician such as you wouldn't care

[ocr errors]

about the life."

Again Ginger's whisper reached her ear:

"He could walk on as a villain or anything of that sort." This argument was not without effect. Any manager, Mr. Dew reflected, might think himself lucky to secure the services of such an extraordinarily natural-looking villain.

"Well, well, we'll give him a week's trial," he agreed unwillingly at last.

Father and daughter approached the other two together, and while the former drew the gipsy aside to make him a wary business offer, Dorothy, with shining eyes, asked her friend if it wasn't lovely to think they were giving a helping hand to one so deserving.

Giovanna felt unaccountably irritated.

"Well, we don't know whether he's deserving yet," she observed disapprovingly. "Come along and change, you really must; they'll be locking up in a few minutes."

(To be continued.)

VOL. XLIII.-No. 510.

58

B

SCHISM*

OTH heresy and schism are opposed to the unity of the
Church. Heresy violates the unity of faith; schism,

the unity of charity. A heretic is one who denies one or more of the articles of Catholic belief; a schismatic, as such, is one who holds each and all of the points of Catholic doctrine, but who voluntarily separates himself from the body of the faithful, and is in rebellious disobedience to the Holy See.

Every heretic is in a state of schism; a schismatic is not, as such, in a state of heresy. But, though not in heresy, he is certainly on the road that leads to it. All of us, and schismatics as much as any, try to defend our position by reason; by true reasons, if we can find them; if we cannot, by reasons which, though really false, are at least plausible. This is why, as St. Jerome assures us, schismatics are sure, sooner or later, to lapse into heresy in exigent self-defence. And, we may add that, in all probability, they will lapse sooner rather than later: a schismatic can hardly for any long time avoid denying the supremacy of the Holy See.

Viewed merely with reference to its object, and apart from the circumstances that may accompany it, schism is a less grave sin than heresy because heresy is a sin against God, schism, a sin against our neighbour. Nor is the truth of this statement weakened by the consideration that heresy is opposed to the virtue of faith, schism, to the more excellent virtue of charity. Though schism is opposed to charity, it is not opposed directly and immediately to the primary object of that virtue, which is God; but only to the secondary object, which is our neighbour, or our neighbour's

Is Schism Lawful? A Study in Primitive Ecclesiology, with Special Reference to the Question of Schism. By Rev. Edwd. Maguire, Dunboyne Establishment, Maynooth College. M. H. Gill and Son. (5s. net).

« AnteriorContinuar »