—­Or dirty lamps.

—­They’ll have the impudence to maintain that the mouldings in Man’s house are not gilded.

—­And that the broad picture frames are not made of gold.  It seems to me I can hear the very ring of it.

—­You can see its glitter.  That’s quite sufficient, I should think.

—­I have rarely had the pleasure of hearing such music.

—­It is divine harmony.  It transports the soul to higher spheres.

—­I should think the music good enough, considering the money paid for it.  It is the best trio in the city.  They play on the most important and solemn occasions.

—­If you listen awhile, it compels your absolute attention.  After a ball at Man’s, my children keep singing the tune a long time.

—­I sometimes think I hear it in the street.  I look around—­no musicians, no music.

—­What I like especially in these musicians is the great effort they make when they play.  They know the price they’re paid and don’t want to get the money for nothing.  That’s very decent of them.

—­It seems as if they became a part of their instruments, their efforts are so great.

—­Or as if the instruments became part of them.

—­How rich!

—­How magnificent!

—­How brilliant!

—­How rich!

[For some time the two expressions, “How rich!  How magnificent!” are repeated from different parts of the room, uttered abruptly, like a bark.

—­Beside this ballroom there are fourteen other magnificent rooms in Man’s house.  I have seen them all.  The dining-room has such a huge fireplace that you can put a whole log into it.  There are magnificent guest-rooms and a beautiful boudoir.  A large bedroom, and over the pillows on the beds—­just fancy!—­canopies!

—­Why, how wonderful!  Canopies!

—­Did you hear?  Canopies!

—­Permit me to continue.  For their son, the little boy, they have a beautiful bright room of golden yellow wood.  It looks as if the sun were shining into it all the time.

—­He is such a fine boy.  He has curly hair that looks like the rays of the sun.

—­That’s true.  When you look at him you wonder whether the sun has risen.

—­And when you look at his eyes you think:  “Autumn is, gone, and the blue sky is here again.”

—­Man loves his son madly.  He bought him a pony for horseback riding, a nice snow-white pony.  My children—­

—­Pray, let me continue.  Have I told you yet about the swimming-pool?

—­No.  No.

—­A swimming-pool, a perfect marvel.

—­What, a swimming-pool!

—­Yes.  And further on is Man’s study, full of books, books, books. 
They say he’s a very learned man.

—­You can see it by the books.

—­I have seen his garden.

—­I haven’t.

—­It was entrancing, I must say.  Imagine an emerald-green lawn kept beautifully mowed and trimmed at the edges.  In the middle a path of fine red sand.