Once Schubert was seen by his boyhood friends busily writing a new song. So quick did he write that the ink was hardly dry on one sheet before the next one was done. He was writing the music to a beautiful fairy poem by the great German poet Goethe. The poem is called _The Erl-King_, and tells how the fairy Erl-King chases a father who is rushing on horseback with his dying child in his arms. Finally, just as the father reaches his courtyard the child dies. It is a beautiful song sung by the greatest singers. Goethe, the great poet, is not known to have met Schubert. He paid little attention to his music. Here is his picture. [Illustration: No. 14 JOHANN WOLFGANG GOETHE.] Sometime you will learn about Joseph Haydn, who died in Vienna when little Franz was twelve years old. Papa Haydn, as he was called, was music master in a famous family called the Esterhazys. Let us put a picture of Joseph Haydn here just to remember that he was an old man of seventy-seven when little Franz was a boy of twelve. [Illustration: No. 15 JOSEPH HAYDN.] Well, Franz Schubert also lived for a time with the Esterhazy family. He was piano teacher to the children of Count Johann. Franz was then twenty-one years old. In what year was he twenty-one? A good friend of Schubert's was Michael Vogl. He was a famous singer, who did all he could to make Schubert's songs known. They took little vacation trips together and were good companions. When you read more about this singer's friendship for Franz Schubert you will like him for being so kind to one who had very little pleasure in life. He looks like a good friend even in a picture--do you not think so? [Illustration: No. 16 SCHUBERT ACCOMPANYING VOGL AS HE SINGS.] Once when Schubert and Vogl were enjoying a vacation tour in the mountains, Franz read Scott's _Lady of the Lake_, which was printed in the year 1810, when Schubert was thirteen years old. Schubert set some of this poem to music. A fact you will remember when you read it in school. Perhaps you could remember at the same time that Scott was a little older than Schubert and just one year younger than Beethoven. Beethoven lived in Vienna at that time and Schubert with two friends went to see him. Beethoven was very deaf, and those who met him had to write down what they wanted to say with a large pencil, such as is used by carpenters. Schubert was so modest and nervous upon meeting the great master that he could not even write his replies. Here is the picture of the way Beethoven looked as he walked down the street in those days: [Illustration: No. 17 BEETHOVEN IN VIENNA.] Once when Schubert was very ill a friend sent him some books to read. They were _The Last of the Mohicans_, _The Spy_, _The Pilot_, and _The Pioneer_.