“He makes you feel that all will be well with you at last?”

“Yes, he does.  He makes me feel faith in my PERSONAL destiny.  And I do feel that there is something in one’s special fate.  I feel that I myself have a special kind of fate, that will always look after me.”

“And you can trust to it?”

“Yes, I can.  It ALWAYS turns out right.  I think something has gone wrong—­and then, it always turns out right.  Why when we were in London —­when we were at lunch one morning it suddenly struck me, haven’t I left my fur cloak somewhere?  It was rather cold, so I had taken it with me, and then never put it on.  And I hadn’t brought it home.  I had left it somewhere.  But whether in a taxi, or in a shop, or in a little show of pictures I had been to, I couldn’t remember.  I COULD NOT remember.  And I thought to myself:  have I lost my cloak?  I went round to everywhere I could think of:  no-trace of it.  But I didn’t give it up.  Something prompted me not to give it up:  quite distinctly, I felt something telling me that I should get it back.  So I called at Scotland Yard and gave the information.  Well, two days later I had a notice from Scotland Yard, so I went.  And there was my cloak.  I had it back.  And that has happened to me almost every time.  I almost always get my things back.  And I always feel that something looks after me, do you know:  almost takes care of me.”

“But do you mean when you lose things—­or in your life?”

“I mean when I lose things—­or when I want to get something I want—­I am very nearly ALWAYS successful.  And I always feel there is some sort of higher power which does it for me.”

“Finds your cloak for you.”

“Yes.  Wasn’t it extraordinary?  I felt when I saw my cloak in Scotland Yard:  There, I KNEW I should recover you.  And I always feel, as I say, that there is some higher power which helps me.  Do you feel the same?”

“No, not that way, worse luck.  I lost a batch of music a month ago which didn’t belong to me—­and which I couldn’t replace.  But I never could recover it:  though I’m sure nobody wanted it.”

“How very unfortunate!  Whereas my fur cloak was just the thing that gets stolen most.”

“I wished some power would trace my music:  but apparently we aren’t all gifted alike with guardian angels.”

“Apparently not.  And that is how I regard it:  almost as a gift, you know, that my fairy godmother gave me in my cradle.”

“For always recovering your property?”

“Yes—­and succeeding in my undertakings.”

“I’m afraid I had no fairy godmother.”

“Well—­I think I had.  And very glad I am of it.”

“Why, yes,” said Aaron, looking at his hostess.

So the dinner sailed merrily on.

“But does Beethoven make you feel,” said Aaron as an afterthought, “in the same way—­that you will always find the things you have lost?”