Page:Halek's Stories and Evensongs.pdf/77

 to satisfy her? Could he have spoken to her, could he have questioned her, could he have announced his presence, he would have learnt all and perhaps they would have found one another.

They might have found one another, they had all but found one another, and here Venik again said to himself, that he wanted her not. And once more his mind ran upon the solo of the first violin, her fainting, the curtain, her smiles, her bows, her thanks, then her escort home, their confidential conversation, the barouche, and at the end of it all, her humming melodies and the “Orphaned Child”—and out of the chaos again emerged the title “a theatrical princess”. If he had then wished to know and call her by name neatly and elegantly, he would not have shouted “Krista,” but “Oh! Theatrical Princess”, and there was humiliation to him in the expression.

So when Krista’s head once more vanished from the window and when the song and that day’s excitement was hushed for him, Venik hurried away from the spot not, however, stealthily to-day nor did he wander on the way. To-day he went direct to his temporary dwelling and on the road only “The Orphaned Child” kept buzzing in his head just as he had heard Krista hum it.

Next day he inquired for the manager of the orchestra, went to him and announced himself as a violinist and begged to be received into the orchestra. The manager gave Venik something to play over and was fully satisfied with him, and told him that he would take down his name and use his influence to have him accepted. On this Venik further begged that he might be allowed on the next performance, as if to approve himself to the public, to play that violin solo in the orchestra. The conductor gave Venik the solo to play through then and there to test him. As Venik played the conductor smiled and told him that he was satisfied with it.

And Venik also was quite satisfied.

HEN the appointed day arrived, the theatre did not differ from its ordinary appearance except perhaps that the public interest was somewhat less than heretofore. The public knew the opera, and it knew Krista’s song in it and was already accustomed to it as we accustom ourselves at last to all. Even