The Fifth String

by John Philip Sousa
I

The coming of Diotti to America
had awakened more than usual

interest in the man and his work. His
marvelous success as violinist in the

leading capitals of Europe, together with
many brilliant contributions to the

literature of his instrument, had long been
favorably commented on by the critics

of the old world. Many stories of his
struggles and his triumphs had found

their way across the ocean and had been
read and re-read with interest.

Therefore, when Mr. Henry Perkins,
the well-known impresario, announced

with an air of conscious pride and
pardonable enthusiasm that he had secured

Diotti for a ``limited'' number of
concerts, Perkins' friends assured that

wide-awake gentleman that his foresight
amounted to positivegenius, and

they predicted an unparalleled success
for his star. On account of his wonderful

ability as player, Diotti was a
favorite at half the courts of Europe, and

the astute Perkins enlarged upon this
fact without regard for the feelings of

the courts or the violinist.
On the night preceding Diotti's debut

in New York, he was the center of
attraction at a reception given by Mrs.

Llewellyn, a social leader, and a devoted
patron of the arts. The violinist made

a deep impression on those fortunate
enough to be near him during the even-

ing. He won the respect of the men
by his observations on matters of

international interest, and the admiration of
the gentler sex by his chivalric estimate

of woman's influence in the world's
progress, on which subject he talked

with rarest good humor and delicately
implied gallantry.

During one of those sudden and
unexplainable lulls that always occur in

general drawing-room conversations, Diotti
turned to Mrs. Llewellyn and whispered:

``Who is the charming young
woman just entering?''

``The beauty in white?''
``Yes, the beauty in white,'' softly

echoing Mrs. Llewellyn's query. He
leaned forward and with eager eyes

gazed in admiration at the new-comer.
He seemed hypnotized by the vision,

which moved slowly from between the
blue-tinted portieres and stood for the

instant, a perfect embodiment of radiant
womanhood, silhouetted against the

silken drapery.
``That is Miss Wallace, Miss Mildred

Wallace, only child of one of New
York's prominent bankers.''

``She is beautiful--a queen by divine
right,'' cried he, and then with a mingling

of impetuosity and importunity,
entreated his hostess to present him.

And thus they met.
Mrs. Llewellyn's entertainments were

celebrated, and justly so. At her receptions
one always heard the best singers

and players of the season, and Epicurus'
soul could rest in peace, for her chef had

an internationalreputation. Oh,
remember, you music-fed ascetic, many,

aye, very many, regard the transition
from Tschaikowsky to terrapin, from

Beethoven to burgundy with hearts
aflame with anticipatory joy--and Mrs.

Llewellyn's dining-room was crowded.
Miss Wallace and Diotti had

wandered into the conservatory.
``A desire for happiness is our common

heritage,'' he was saying in his
richly melodious voice.

``But to define what constitutes
happiness is very difficult,'' she replied.

``Not necessarily,'' he went on; ``if
the motive is clearly within our grasp,

the attainment is possible.''
``For example?'' she asked.

``The miser is happy when he hoards
his gold; the philanthropist when he

distributes his. The attainment is identical,
but the motives are antipodal.''

``Then one possessing sufficient
motives could be happy without end?''

she suggested doubtingly.
``That is my theory. The Niobe of

old had happiness within her power.''
``The gods thought not,'' said she;

``in their very pity they changed her
into stone, and with streaming eyes she

ever tells the story of her sorrow.''
``But are her children weeping?''

he asked. ``I think not. Happiness
can bloom from the seeds of deepest

woe,'' and in a tone almost reverential,
he continued: ``I remember a picture in

one of our Italian galleries that always
impressed me as the ideal image of

maternal happiness. It is a painting of
the Christ-mother standing by the body

of the Crucified. Beauty was still hers,
and the dress of grayish hue, nun-like in

its simplicity, seemed more than royal
robe. Her face, illumined as with a light

from heaven, seemed inspired with this
thought: `They have killed Him--they

have killed my son! Oh, God, I thank
Thee that His suffering is at an end!'

And as I gazed at the holy face, an-
other light seemed to change it by

degrees from saddened motherhood to
triumphant woman! Then came: `He

is not dead, He but sleeps; He will
rise again, for He is the best beloved

of the Father!' ''
``Still, fate can rob us of our patrimony,''

she replied, after a pause.
``Not while life is here and eternity

beyond,'' he said, reassuringly.
``What if a soul lies dormant and

will not arouse?'' she asked.
``There are souls that have no motive

low enough for earth, but only high
enough for heaven,'' he said, with evident

intention, looking almost directly
at her.

``Then one must come who speaks
in nature's tongue,'' she continued.

``And the soul will then awake,'' he
added earnestly.

``But is there such a one?'' she
asked.

``Perhaps,'' he almost whispered, his
thought father to the wish.

``I am afraid not,'' she sighed. ``I
studied drawing, worked diligently and,

I hope, intelligently, and yet I was
quickly convinced that a counterfeit

presentment of nature was puny and
insignificant. I painted Niagara. My

friends praised my effort. I saw
Niagara again--I destroyed the picture.''

``But you must be prepared to
accept the limitations of man and his

work,'' said the philosophical violinist
``Annihilation of one's own identity

in the moment is possible in nature's
domain--never in man's. The resistless,

never-ending rush of the waters,
madly churning, pitilessly dashing

against the rocks below; the mighty
roar of the loosened giant; that was

Niagara. My picture seemed but a
smear of paint.''

``Still, man has won the admiration
of man by his achievements,'' he said.

``Alas, for me,'' she sighed, ``I have
not felt it.''

``Surely you have been stirred by the
wonders man has accomplished in

music's realm?'' Diotti ventured.
``I never have been.'' She spoke

sadly and reflectively.
``But does not the passion-laden theme

of a master, or the marvelous feeling of
a playerawaken your emotions?'' persisted he.

She stood leaning lightly against a
pillar by the fountain. ``I never hear a

pianist, however great and famous, but
I see the little cream-colored hammers

within the piano bobbing up and down
like acrobatic brownies. I never hear

the plaudits of the crowd for the
artist and watch him return to bow his

thanks, but I mentally demand that
these little acrobats, each resting on an

individual pedestal, and weary from his
efforts, shall appear to receive a share

of the applause.
``When I listen to a great singer,''

continued this world-defying skeptic,
``trilling like a thrush, scampering over

the scales, I see a clumsy lot of ah, ah,
ahs, awkwardly, uncertainly ambling up

the gamut, saying, `were it not for us
she could not sing thus--give us our

• brilliant [´briliənt] a.灿烂的；杰出的 (初中英语单词)
• instrument [´instrumənt] n.仪器；手段；乐器 (初中英语单词)
• well-known [,wel´nəun] a.著名的，众所周知的 (初中英语单词)
• conscious [´kɔnʃəs] a.意识的；自觉的 (初中英语单词)
• enthusiasm [in´θju:ziæzəm] n.热心；狂热；爱好 (初中英语单词)
• genius [´dʒi:niəs] n.天才(人物)；天赋 (初中英语单词)
• account [ə´kaunt] vi.说明 vt.认为 n.帐目 (初中英语单词)
• player [´pleiə] n.游戏的人；选手 (初中英语单词)
• impression [im´preʃən] n.印刷；印象；效果 (初中英语单词)
• admiration [,ædmə´reiʃən] n.赞赏，钦佩 (初中英语单词)
• charming [´tʃɑ:miŋ] a.可爱的；极好的 (初中英语单词)
• prominent [´prɔminənt] a.突起的；凸出的 (初中英语单词)
• international [,intə´næʃənəl] a.国际的，世界的 (初中英语单词)
• motive [´məutiv] n.动机；主题 a.运动的 (初中英语单词)
• italian [i´tæliən] a.意大利 n.意大利人 (初中英语单词)
• painting [´peintiŋ] n.绘画；(油)画；着色 (初中英语单词)
• standing [´stændiŋ] n.持续 a.直立的 (初中英语单词)
• suffering [´sʌfəriŋ] n.痛苦；灾害 (初中英语单词)
• diligently [´dilidʒəntli] ad.勤奋地 (初中英语单词)
• intelligently [in´telidʒəntli] ad.聪明地；理智地 (初中英语单词)
• marvelous [´mɑ:viləs] (=marvellous) a.奇异的 (初中英语单词)
• awaken [ə´weikən] v.唤起，叫醒 (初中英语单词)
• lightly [´laitli] ad.轻微地，稍微 (初中英语单词)
• fountain [´fauntin] n.泉水；源泉；根源 (初中英语单词)
• positive [´pɔzətiv] a.确定的 (高中英语单词)
• reception [ri´sepʃən] n.接待；欢迎；招待会 (高中英语单词)
• hostess [´həustis] n.女主人；旅馆女老板 (高中英语单词)
• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)
• define [di´fain] vt.解释；说明；限定 (高中英语单词)
• simplicity [sim´plisiti] n.简单；朴素 (高中英语单词)
• clumsy [´klʌmzi] a.笨拙的；粗俗的 (高中英语单词)
• preceding [pri(:)´si:diŋ] a.在先的；前面的 (英语四级单词)
• justly [´dʒʌstli] ad.公正地，正当地 (英语四级单词)
• reputation [repju´teiʃən] n.名誉；名声；信誉 (英语四级单词)
• drawing [´drɔ:iŋ] n.画图；制图；图样 (英语四级单词)
• niagara [nai´ægərə] n.尼亚加拉河 (英语四级单词)
• accomplished [ə´kʌmpliʃt] a.完成了的；熟练的 (英语四级单词)
• pedestal [´pedistl] n.垫座 vt.给...装上座 (英语四级单词)
• thrush [θrʌʃ] n.画眉鸟 (英语四级单词)
• awkwardly [´ɔ:kwədli] a.笨拙地；棘手地 (英语四级单词)
• assured [ə´ʃuəd] a.确实的 n.被保险人 (英语六级单词)
• attainment [ə´teinmənt] n.达到；得到；造诣 (英语六级单词)
• philosophical [,filə´sɔfikəl] a.哲学(上)的；冷静的 (英语六级单词)
• uncertainly [ʌn´sə:tnli] ad.不明确地；怀疑地 (英语六级单词)