The Girls of St. Cyprian's: A Tale of School Life

by Angela Brazil

  CHAPTER XXI

  Harvest

  St. Cyprian's decided that Mildred's success was so far the greatesttriumph the College had had, and a worthy finish to a term in which theyhad beaten Newington Green at cricket and vanquished Marston Grove attennis; and when later on came the news that Laura Kirby had won theGirton Scholarship, and that even Kitty Fletcher had managed to get asecond class in her examination, Miss Cartwright felt the year's workhad been eminently satisfactory. All her Sixth Form girls were leaving,some to continue their studies elsewhere, and others to find theirvocations at home; but all carried away the warmest recollections of theschool which had laid the foundations of their education, and many lefta tradition of strenuousness which would be handed on to futuremonitresses, and so maintain the high tone which they had established.

  Mildred was overwhelmed with amazement that she had been actuallyselected from among forty candidates to win Mr. Steiniger's openexhibition. She had hoped after leaving St. Cyprian's to study at theFreiburg College, or possibly at the Academy of Music in London, but togo to Berlin was a far higher opportunity. Herr Kalovski, one of themost celebrated violinists in Europe, was at present teaching at theConservatoire, and through the powerful influence of Mr. Steiniger couldbe persuaded to receive her as a pupil, a privilege only conferred on afavoured few. As Herr Hoffmann had always founded his style onKalovski's, it would be a particular advantage for Mildred to studyunder the latter, for she would not be required to change her presentsystem of bowing, and though she would have much to learn she would notbe put back to the very beginning, as might be the case if she selecteda teacher with different methods. As the Professor had said, it was thechance of a lifetime. She was indeed young, but with Kalovski that was apoint in her favour, not a drawback, for he was well known to confer hisrather capricious interest upon those of his pupils who, were still intheir teens.

  Naturally the event was of supreme importance at Meredith Terrace.Mildred would be away for three years, or probably more, only returningto Kirkton for holidays, so it seemed a great break in her home life.But Dr. and Mrs. Graham had always intended her to take up a musicalcareer, and resigned themselves to the parting as the inevitableconsequence of their choice on her behalf. It was arranged that she wasto board with a widowed sister of Herr Hoffmann, who lived in Berlin,and who promised to look after her as if she were her own daughter. Dr.and Mrs. Graham gave themselves a short holiday to escort their niece toGermany, and after a tour up the Rhine, which pleasure she shared withthem, they returned to England, leaving her safely in charge of FrauBehrens.

  September, therefore, saw Mildred settled at Bingen Strasse, 24, andbeginning an entirely new phase in her existence. She had been taken tothe Conservatoire and introduced to Herr Kalovski, who, after hearingher play, admitted that Herr Hoffmann had laid a good foundation, andformally consented to place her under his tuition. It was considered agreat honour to become his pupil, so Mildred at once aroused interest atthe Conservatoire, and found herself in the midst of a delightfulmusical coterie. It was a keen stimulus and inspiration to hear theplaying of other students and masters, and to be able to attend some ofthe beautiful concerts and operas which were given almost every eveningin the city. The quartet class, in which she was placed, helped herenormously, and also the class for reading at sight. The whole musicalatmosphere of the place was a revelation to her; she was wild withenthusiasm, and wrote home such ecstatic accounts that her aunt was morethan satisfied.

  Kalovski proved a stern, even a severe teacher; but here Mildred'sdrilling under Professor Hoffmann stood her in good stead, and insteadof trembling at his snubs and frequent tirades, she took them all aspart of the lesson with perfect equanimity--a method of treating himwhich, she afterwards heard, raised her immensely in his estimation. Shelearnt much from Kalovski, for he was able to show her manytechnicalities only known to a virtuoso, and he would often play forher himself, which she found the best lesson of all. He was a strangeman, like all great artists full of whims and caprices and moods, but hetook a genuine interest in his English pupil, and in spite of hishabitually peppery manner gave her great encouragement. After a timeMildred ventured to show him some of her own compositions, and here hisdeep knowledge of music was of great service to her, and the hints hegave her were of the utmost value. Gradually she came to be regarded asone of his favourite pupils, and though it was against his method tobestow praise, he began to regard her playing with complacency.

  Mildred had had a fair knowledge of German before she came to Berlin,and with constant practice she soon spoke it fluently and easily. Shewas very happy with Frau Behrens, and readily adapted herself to Germanlife, accepting all national differences as part of her education,learning to like strange dishes and to submit to many rules which Mrs.Graham would have laughed at, but which her chaperon consideredabsolutely necessary.

  In this new and busy world time slipped rapidly away. The three years ofher scholarship came to an end, but as Kalovski would not hear ofparting with his pupil, her course was extended for two years more.Under her brilliant teacher Mildred not only gained a marvellous masteryover her instrument, but his personal magnetism was so inspiring thatshe won a new insight into music, and besides acquiring technique,grasped the spirit of true exposition. She worked indefatigably, andwhen at length her long period of training was finished, there were fewstudents at the Conservatoire who could show such a record of all-roundimprovement.

  MILDRED IS TOLD THAT SHE HAS WON THE THREE YEARS'SCHOLARSHIP IN THE BERLIN CONSERVATOIRE]

  She left Berlin with regret. Her stay there had been a memorableexperience, and one which would last for the rest of her life. She hadmade many musical friendships, and for her teacher had formed theintense appreciation and reverence only yielded to a great artist whoseideals exceeded her own. Her time of sowing had indeed been of greatpromise, and she was now to return to reap the harvest.

  During her absence from Kirkton Mildred had not dropped any of her oldfriends. She had corresponded regularly with the Somervilles and withseveral of her school chums, and had kept in touch with Miss Cartwrightand the world of St. Cyprian's, enjoying the brief meetings that werepossible during her holidays in England. The five years had broughtchanges to many of her former fellow monitresses and class-mates. LauraKirby had taken a First in her tripos, and was now engaged inentomological research under a celebrated Cambridge professor--a form ofwork that exactly suited her, and for which she showed the greatestaptitude. Kitty Fletcher had passed through her training forKindergarten teaching with credit, and had just found the post which shehad always coveted, that of Kindergarten and Games mistress combined, ina large High School of eight hundred girls. Eve Mitchell had studied atthe Women's Department of the Kirkton University, and had taken her B.A.degree. She was now a teacher at Newington Green, and doing well.

  Bess Harrison and Maudie Stearne were both married, and Bess had apretty little curly-headed boy to show proudly to her friends. LottieLowman was engaged to a gentleman in India, and her wedding was to takeplace very soon. Neither she nor Carrie had realized her dream of beingcounty champion, but they were the best players in their tennis club,and greatly in request for local tournaments. Freda Kingston was inLondon, studying book illustration at a "black-and-white" studio, andIvy Linthwaite was still working at the Kirkton School of Art. ElizabethChalmers was engaged to one of the piano masters at the Freiburg Schoolof Music, and Edna Carson was married to a clergyman.

  Rhoda Somerville had sustained a great loss in the death of her mother,and was now indispensable at home, looking after her father, and helpingin the parish. Her three brothers had done well; Eric was just ordained,Diccon was at Oxford, and Rodney had a good berth with the PhoenixMotor Engineering Company in Kirkton. He was still a great favouritewith Dr. and Mrs. Graham, and was always welcome at Meredith Terrace.His ingenuity and many original ideas, and his capacity for hard workwere well appreciated by his firm, and there was every likelihood of hispushing on to a most successful business
career.

  Violet Lorraine had grown into a very beautiful and charming girl. Shewas much admired in society, and was very soon to be married to her oldfriend Maurice Tracy, whose father's estate adjoined Sir Darcy's. Thisengagement was highly satisfactory to her parents, for as Maurice wasthe eldest son the two properties would some day be united.

  Mildred had returned from Berlin with the laurels of the Conservatoire.Her teachers recognized in her a genius such as they had found in few ofeven the most gifted pupils who had passed through their hands. Both inthe brilliance of her execution and the beauty and originality of hercompositions they considered she had few equals, and they had thehighest hopes for her future success. It had been arranged that she wasto make her debut at a recital at the Kirkton Town Hall. The opinion ofher masters as to her talent being well known, her appearance wasexpected to cause quite a sensation, and was awaited with interest bythe music-loving world. Professor Hoffmann rubbed his hands with delightat the sight of his pupil's name placarded on the hoardings, and couldnot conceal his satisfaction at the fulfilment of his desires.

  "It was I who first taught you to bow!" he declared. "Ach! you were alittle Maedchen then, and now you are so grown I scarce know you! Do youforget how you played at my Students' Concert? Himmel! You were afraidthat night! But you made success, all the same. You told me yourStradivarius was your very good friend. Believe me, it will be soagain!"

  All Mildred's friends were to be present at the recital. Dr. and Mrs.Graham of course headed the list, the Lorraines and the Somervilles werecoming to Kirkton on purpose for the occasion, Miss Cartwright wasnearly as much excited as Herr Hoffmann, and St. Cyprianites both pastand present were anxious to witness the success of their formerschoolfellow.

  The big Town Hall was filled to the last seat on the evening of theconcert, and in the galleries there was barely even standing room forthe many listeners who had thronged to hear the new and unknownperformer. Every face was turned towards the platform, and a burst ofapplause greeted the appearance of the conductor, leading the youngviolinist who was that night to make her first bow to the public--aslight, girlish figure, whose wonderful dark eyes, soft gold hair, andvery simple and unaffected, yet perfectly self-possessed, manner at oncemade a favourable impression. The vast audience listened with keenattention as, drawing her bow across the strings, she brought out thefirst liquid notes of Lalo's "Symphonie Espagnole". Her clear,full-blooded, luscious tone, southern in its depth and richness,bewitching, sad, sparkling, and bizarre by turns, served to show notonly her exquisite mastery of the instrument, but her wonderfulinterpretation of the music she was playing. Such strength and yet suchmelting sweetness of tone, such lucid phrasing, and such delicatefeeling for every nicety of accentuation and rhythm her listeners hadnever heard before, and they realized that they were in the presence ofa performer of the very first rank. The short encore scarcely satisfiedthe zeal of the delighted audience, and Mildred was recalled again andagain, till, growing desperate, the conductor was at last obliged tolead on the pianist whose solo was the next item on the programme.

  In her second piece, the "Kreutzer Sonata" of Beethoven, Mildred wasable to give even a better idea of the scope of her playing than hadbeen possible in the "Symphonie". Her rendering of it was masterly inthe fullest sense of the word--so independent and original aperformance, with such faultless phrasing of the variations, such a highlevel of pure loveliness throughout, and such a glorious finale that thevery spirit of Beethoven seemed to linger in the notes, and breathethrough her beautiful and eloquent reading of the sonata. Warm as it hadbeen before, the audience was now twice as enthusiastic, and deafeningcheers began to ring through the hall when, for the third and last timein the evening, Mildred appeared with her violin upon the platform.

  The fact that the "Legende" which she was about to play was her owncomposition raised the interest to its highest pitch, and all waitedwith anxiety to learn if this marvellous young performer were equallyendowed with the gift that can create as well as interpret music. It wasan ambitious theme--the story of Undine and the Knight--and it wasunfolded with a strength and yet a delicacy of fancy, and a wealth ofpoetic feeling and imagination which almost took the breath away by thefire of its passion and the daring of its originality. It began verysoftly, conveying to the listeners the weird and uncanny impression ofthe haunted German forest; there was moonlight in the music, and theminor key gave that suggestion of sadness which was the motive of the"Legende". The wild fear of the supernatural, which caused the knight tourge his horse with frantic speed through these unknown shades, throbbedin the restrained power of the opening passages, and burst out into apanic of emotion as the vengeful phantom of the foaming waterfalldissolved itself into showers of spray between the rustling branches.The very essence of elvish roguery and frolic rang in the notes when"Undine", the lovely, wayward sylph, charmed the knight with hercoquetry and unearthly beauty; the courtship of the changelingwater-sprite, her wild whims, her light-hearted gaiety, the strangebeings which ever accompanied her from the spirit world, and the suddenchange in her bearing when at length she gains a human soul, wereportrayed with such fidelity in the airy, elusive character of themusic, that the whole of the tender love story seemed to live to thehearers. It was instinct with graceful and piquant fancy, carried outwith an exquisite refinement of feeling which never degenerated intosentimentality. In the latter part, where "Undine", the unhappy wife,tries to appease her husband's anger, and to curb the revenge of thesupernatural friends who resent her ill treatment, the dramatic fire ofthe composition rose to a pitch of surpassing grandeur, changing to adirge-like wail of infinite sadness as, neglected and despised, the oncebright sylph melts into the element from which she was first formed, the"Legende" breaking into a finale of such inspired pathos that it seemedas if the spirits of the air above and the water below were joining in arequiem for the soul that had been won at the cost of all earthly joy.

  There was dead silence for a moment at the conclusion of the piece, thenthe audience broke into a roar of applause such as was not often heardin the Town Hall. People cheered and cheered yet again, clapping,stamping, shouting, waving their handkerchiefs, and standing on theseats in the wild enthusiasm of their approval. Bowing again and againat each fresh outburst, Mildred stood on the platform with quiveringlips. She felt it was indeed a wonderful power that had been given her,to be able to sway so vast a gathering, to hold her listeners spellboundwhile she played, and to rouse them to such a height of intense feeling.It was beyond her wildest dreams of success. She had hoped forappreciation and perhaps applause, and she had met with an ovation onlyaccorded to a great master of music.

  She ran away at last from the excited crowd, for it appeared as if thecheering would never stop, and in the anteroom behind found a gatheringof those friends who had come to wish her joy. To Dr. and Mrs. Graham,her nearest and dearest, to whom she owed the cultivation of her musicaltalent, she turned first in the hour of her triumph.

  "I don't deserve it, Tantie!" she murmured. "They ought to cheer youinstead. I should never have played at all if you hadn't made me. Thepraise is all due to you, and what you have done for me."

  Mr. Steiniger was warm in his congratulations, and Herr Hoffmann, whoseeyes were wet with emotion, held out his hand to Mildred, saying: "Totell you I am proud would be but a poor way to tell you what I feel.Ach! The 'Legende' was a masterpiece! You are a great exponent of yourart, you have the soul of a poet, and the technique of a finishedmusician. I rejoice that it has been my privilege to take a share inyour training. I now with reverence stand aside. The pupil is greaterthan the master. Go on to still more fame; you rise to heights where Icannot follow you."

  Sir Darcy, Lady Lorraine, and Violet were all hearty and enthusiastic intheir greetings. They realized at last the extent of Mildred's genius,and acknowledged the wisdom of having cultivated it. The Somervillesseemed as delighted at her reception as if she were one of their ownfamily. Rodney said little, but his few words meant much; and Rho
dakissed Mildred like a sister. Miss Cartwright was overflowing withsmiles.

  "Your name is to be painted on our board of successes to-morrow," shedeclared. "You are indeed a credit to St. Cyprian's, and we are proud tocount you as a former pupil."

  As Mildred stood thus, the centre of so much congratulation and so manygood wishes, she felt that she had indeed reaped a rich harvest for theperseverance and hard work of the last few years. It had been worth thedoing, and her toil was repaid now a thousandfold. Her father's dyingwords came rushing into her memory: her strenuous effort should atonefor the life which he had wasted so sadly. Surely she had discovered theCount's secret. The Stradivarius had in her hands been the key to fameand success, and at length she had entered into her inheritance.

  PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN

  _By Blackie & Son, Limited, Glasgow_

  * * * * *

  By ANGELA BRAZIL

  "Angela Brazil has proved her undoubted talent for writing a story ofschoolgirls for other schoolgirls to read."--Bookman.

  A Popular Schoolgirl. The Princess of the School. A Harum-Scarum Schoolgirl. The Head Girl at the Gables. A Patriotic Schoolgirl. For the School Colours. The Madcap of the School. The Luckiest Girl in the School. The Jolliest Term on Record. The Girls of St. Cyprian's. The Youngest Girl in the Fifth. The New Girl at St. Chad's. For the Sake of the School. The School by the Sea. The Leader of the Lower School. A Pair of Schoolgirls. A Fourth Form Friendship. The Manor House School. The Nicest Girl in the School. The Third Class at Miss Kaye's. The Fortunes of Philippa.

  LONDON: BLACKIE & SON, LTD., 50 OLD BAILEY, E.C.