"Of its tone," he said, "we cannot, of course, yet pronounce with
certainty, but I am very sure that its voice will not belie its splendid
exterior. It has been carefully opened, and is in a strangely perfect
condition. Several persons eminently qualified to judge unite with me
in considering that it has been exceedingly little played upon, and
admit that never has so intact an interior been seen. The scroll is
exceptionally bold and original. Although undoubtedly from the hand of
the great master, this is of a pattern entirely different and distinct
from any that have ever come under my observation." He then pointed out to my brother that the side lines of the scroll were
unusually deeply cut, and that the front of it projected far more than
is common with such instruments. "The most remarkable feature," he concluded, "is that the instrument
bears a double label. Besides the label which you have already seen
bearing '_Antonius Stradiuarius Cremonensis faciebat_,' with the date of
his most splendid period, 1704, so clearly that the ink seems scarcely
dry, there is another smaller one higher up on the back which I will
show you." He took the violin apart and showed him a small label with characters
written in faded ink. "That is the writing of Antonio Stradivarius
himself, and is easily recognisable, though it is much firmer than
a specimen which I once saw, written in extreme old age, and giving
his name and the date 1736. He was then ninety-two, and died in the
following year. But this, as you will see, does not give his name, but
merely the two words '_Porphyrius philosophus_.' What this may refer
to I cannot say: it is beyond my experience. My friend Mr. Calvert has
suggested that Stradivarius may have dedicated this violin to the pagan
philosopher, or named it after him; but this seems improbable. I have,
indeed, heard of two famous violins being called 'Peter' and 'Paul,'
but the instances of such naming are very rare; and I believe it to be
altogether without precedent to find a name attached thus on a label. "In any case, I must leave this matter to your ingenuity to decipher. Neither the sound-post nor the bass-bar have ever been moved, and you
see here a Stradivarius violin wearing exactly the same appearance as
it once wore in the great master's workshop, and in exactly the same
condition; yet I think the belly is sufficiently strong to stand modern
stringing. I should advise you to leave the instrument with me for some
little while, that I may give it due care and attention and ensure its
being properly strung." My brother thanked him and left the violin with him, saying that he
would instruct him later by letter to what address he wished it sent. CHAPTER VIII


Within a few days after this the autumn term came to an end, and in
the second week of December John returned to Worth Maltravers for
the Christmas vacation. His advent was always a very great pleasure
to me, and on this occasion I had looked forward to his company with
anticipation keener than usual, as I had been disappointed of the visit
of a friend and had spent the last month alone. After the joy of our
first meeting had somewhat sobered, it was not long before I remarked a
change in his manner, which puzzled me. It was not that he was less kind
to me, for I think he was even more tenderly forbearing and gentle than
I had ever known him, but I had an uneasy feeling that some shadow had
crept in between us. It was the small cloud rising in the distance that
afterwards darkened his horizon and mine. I missed the old candour and
open-hearted frankness that he had always shown; and there seemed to be
always something in the background which he was trying to keep from me. It was obvious that his thoughts were constantly elsewhere, so much so
that on more than one occasion he returned vague and incoherent answers
to my questions. At times I was content to believe that he was in love,
and that his thoughts were with Miss Constance Temple; but even so,
I could not persuade myself that his altered manner was to be thus
entirely accounted for. At other times a dazed air, entirely foreign to
his bright disposition, which I observed particularly in the morning,
raised in my mind the terrible suspicion that he was in the habit of
taking some secret narcotic or other deleterious drug. We had never spent a Christmas away from Worth Maltravers, and it had
always been a season of quiet joy for both of us. But under these
altered circumstances it was a great relief and cause of thankfulness
to me to receive a letter from Mrs. Temple inviting us both to spend
Christmas and New Year at Royston. This invitation had upon my brother
precisely the effect that I had hoped for. It roused him from his moody
condition, and he professed much pleasure in accepting it, especially as
he had never hitherto been in Derbyshire. There was a small but very agreeable party at Royston, and we passed a
most enjoyable fortnight. My brother seemed thoroughly to have shaken
off his indisposition; and I saw my fondest hopes realised in the warm
attachment which was evidently springing up between him and Miss
Constance Temple. Our visit drew near its close, and it was within a week of John's return
to Oxford. Mrs. Temple celebrated the termination of the Christmas
festivities by giving a ball on Twelfth-night, at which a large party
were present, including most of the county families. Royston was
admirably adapted for such entertainments, from the number and great
size of its reception-rooms. Though Elizabethan in date and external
appearance, succeeding generations had much modified and enlarged the
house; and an ancestor in the middle of the last century had built at
the back an enormous hall after the classic model, and covered it with a
dome or cupola. In this room the dancing went forward. Supper was served
in the older hall in the front, and it was while this was in progress
that a thunderstorm began. The rarity of such a phenomenon in the depth
of winter formed the subject of general remark; but though the lightning
was extremely brilliant, being seen distinctly through the curtained
windows, the storm appeared to be at some distance, and, except for one
peal, the thunder was not loud. After supper dancing was resumed, and
I was taking part in a polka (called, I remember, the "_King Pippin_"),
when my partner pointed out that one of the footmen wished to speak with
me. I begged him to lead me to one side, and the servant then informed
me that my brother was ill. Sir John, he said, had been seized with a
fainting fit, but had been got to bed, and was being attended by Dr.
Empson, a physician who chanced to be present among the visitors. I at once left the hall and hurried to my brother's room. On the way
I met Mrs. Temple and Constance, the latter much agitated and in tears. Mrs. Temple assured me that Dr. Empson reported favourably of my
brother's condition, attributing his faintness to over-exertion in the
dancing-room.