Mrs. DINDERLIN, having succumbed to the usual first attack of Royat depression, is leaning back in her chair, smelling salts and nodding assent to the Wagnerite theories, with which she entirely agrees. For my own part, I am neutral; but as the METTERBRUNS are thorough musicians,--the mother being a magnificent pianist, and the eldest daughter a composer,--I am really interested in hearing all they have to say on the subject. Our bias is, temporarily, decidedly Wagnerian, for Cousin JANE, who is really in favour of "tune," and plenty of it,--being specially fond of BELLINI and DONIZETTI,--in scientific musical society has not the courage of her opinions. From composers the conversation travels to executants, and we name the favourite singers. After we have pretty well exhausted the list, and objected to this one as having a head voice, or to that as using the _vibrato_, or to the other as dwelling on an upper note ("queer sort of existence," says PULLER, gradually coming up, as it were to the surface to open his mouth for breath,--whereat Cousin JANE smiles, and Miss CASANOVA lazily nods approbation of the joke--while the rest of us ignore PULLER, putting him aside as not wanted just now,--when down he goes again), we generally agree that GAYARRE is about the best tenor we have had in London for some time; that SANTLEY is still unequalled as a baritone; that there is no one now to play and sing _Mephistopheles_ like FAURE; that M. MAUREL is about the finest representative of _Don Giovanni_; that Miss ARNOLDSON shows great promise; that ALBANY is unrivalled; that MARIE ROZE is difficult to beat as _Carmen_; and that it is a pity that PATTI'S demands are so exorbitant; and having exhausted the list of operatic artists,--Madame and her daughters holding that certain Germans, with whose names we, unfortunately for us, are not even acquainted, are far superior to any French or Italian singers that can be named--there ensues a pause in the conversation, of which the Countess CASANOVA takes advantage, and extending her right hand, which movement sharply jingles her bracelets, and so, as it were, sounds a bell to call us to attention, cuts in quickly with an emphatic, "Well, I don't profess to understand music as _you_ do. I know what I like"--("Hear! hear!" _sotto voce_ from PULLER, coming up again to the surface, which draws a languidly approving inclination of the head from Miss CASANOVA, and a smile, deprecating the interruption, from Cousin JANE),--"and I must say," continues the Countess, emphatically, "I would rather have one hour of SALVINI in _Othello_, than a whole month of the best Operas by the best composers,--WAGNER included," and down comes her hand on the table, all the bracelets ringing down the curtain on the first act. We, the non-combatants, feel that the mailed gauntlet has been thrown down by the Countess as a challenge to the METTERBRUNS.