He turned upon me with a short smile,--just the end of one,--and raised his delicate eyebrows. "Be that as it may, to-night we rehearse first, in the lesser hall; there will be nobody present but the band. The Chevalier will hold his own rehearsal the week after next, for there is a work of his on this occasion,--therefore we shall prepare, and, I trust, successfully; so that the polishing only will remain for him." "Bravo, sir!" "I hope it will be bravo; but it is no bravo at present," said he, in dismissing me. I had never heard Anastase play yet, and was very curious,--I mean, I had never heard him play consecutively; his exhibitions to us being confined to short passages we could not surmount,--bar upon bar, phrase upon phrase, here a little, and there a very little. But now he must needs bring himself before me, to play out his own inner nature. I found Delemann in his own place presently,--a round box, like a diminutive observatory, at the very top of the building, and communicating only with similar boxes occupied by the brass in general. I let myself in, for it would have been absurd to knock amidst the demonstrations of the alto trombone. He was so ardent over that metallic wonder of his that I had to pluck his sleeve. Even then he would not leave off, at the risk of splitting that short upper lip of his by his involuntary smile, until he had finished what lay before him. It was one great sheet, and I espied at the top the words: "Mer de Glace,--Ouverture; Seraphael." Madder than ever for a conclusion, I stopped my ears till he laid down that shining monster and took occasion to say, "That is what we are to have to-night." "I know. But how abominable is Anastase not to let me have my part to practise!" "Very likely it is not ready. The brass came this morning, and the strings were to follow. Mine was quite damp when I had it." We went into rehearsal together, Franz and I. What a different rehearsal from my first in England! Here we were all instruments. Franz was obliged to leave me on entering, and soon I beheld him afar off, at the top of the wooden platform, on whose raised steps we stood, taking his place by the tenor trombone,--a gentleman of adult appearance who had a large mouth. I have my own doubts, private and peculiar, about the superior utility of large mouths, because Franz, of the two, played best; but that is no matter here.