“On leaving Weimar, my dear Heller, my easiest plan seemed to be to go to Leipzig, but I hesitated because Felix Mendelssohn was musical dictator there, and, in spite of our Roman days together, we had since followed such divergent lines that I could not be sure of a sympathetic reception. Chélard, however, made me ashamed of my misgivings. I wrote, and Mendelssohn replied so warmly and promptly, bidding me welcome to Leipzig, that I could not resist such an invitation, but set off at once, regretfully leaving Weimar and my new friends. “My relations with Mendelssohn in Rome had been rather curious. At our first meeting I had expressed a great dislike to the first allegro in my _Sardanapalus_. “‘Do you really dislike it?’ he said, eagerly. ‘I am so glad. I was afraid you were pleased with it, and I think it simply horrid.’ “Then we nearly quarrelled next day because I spoke enthusiastically of Gluck. He said disdainfully: “‘Do you like Gluck?’ as much as to say, ‘How can a music-maker like you appreciate the majesty of Gluck?’ “I took my revenge a few days after by putting on Montfort’s piano a manuscript copy of an air from _Telemaco_ without the author’s name to it. Mendelssohn came, picked it up thinking it was a bit of Italian opera, and began parodying it. I stopped him in assumed astonishment, saying: “‘Hallo, don’t you like Gluck?’<span class="lftspc">”</span> “‘Gluck?’” “‘Why yes, my dear fellow. That is Gluck, not Bellini as you seem to think. You see I know him better than you do, and am more of your own opinion than you are yourself.’” “One day, speaking of the uses of the metronome, he broke in-- “‘What’s the good of one? A musician who can’t guess the time of a piece of music at sight is a duffer.’” “I might have replied, but did not, that there were lots of duffers. Soon after he asked to see my _King Lear_. He read it through slowly, then, just as he was going to play it (his talent for score-reading was incomparable), said: “‘Give me the time.’ “‘What for? You said yesterday that only duffers needed to be told the time of a piece.’ “He did not show it, but these home thrusts annoyed him intensely. He never mentioned Bach without adding ironically, ‘_your little pupil_.’ In fact, over music he was a regular porcupine; you could never tell where to have him. In every other way he was perfectly charming and sweet-tempered.