After All.

my life , and heard hundreds of marches , for nothing-, and without getting to know their " ins and outs" pretty well , I can tell you . A little more briskness is what you want , not such a sombre conclusion for so sprightly a march . " " Very well , I'll try and alter it , " said Humberton , resignedly . Mr . Cribton professed himself to be an eminent critic on things musical , from his large experience . He had studied the theorycertainlbut practice

, y , was his forte . He was one of those vagabond Jack-of-all-trades who had taken up everything in turn , ancl had been somewhat successful in all of them ; anyhow "his knowledge was extensive and peculiar . " According to his own account , and he was not afraid of confessing it , though it did not lower his selfesteem ( the music-master and critic was always there , that was his peculiarly " rough and ready" aptitude of adapting himself to circumstances ) that he had

, turned his hand to almost everything . He had been a schoolmaster ; from that he turned bricklayer , and then greengrocer ; the vegetable merchant failing , he enlisted as a soldier , ancl after serving in that capacity for nearly ten years , during which he saw a good deal of what is generally called " the world , " he managed to obtain his discharge , being tired of that kind of life , ancl anxious to experience some new hase of existence . In the he had lost his in

p army eye service , but that did not alter his keen-sightedness . He had been a prominent member of the band , ancl had played , in turn , nearly all the instruments . In fact , he professed to be able to perforin on the piccolo , flute , flageolet , cornet , trombone , French-horn , and the drums , ancl of these instruments he had purchased second-hand samples , and displayed them in his room . He could play them all a little even now , but he soon got " out of practice , you know . "

After the army , he turned musician , and played as an itinerant , and for the theatres ; and altogether he made a considerable amount of money , which , however , mostly went to colour his proboscis . The companies he had travelled with had , however , an unhappy knack of averring that he generally got the largest share of the proceeds , ancl did the least work ; so that he did not stop long in one company . His evil eye had a reputation . Of this , though , Humberton was profoundl y ignorant . He onlknew Mr . Cribton as the musical professor

y ( his last " line of business " ) , ancl from personal experience . The professor had added to his accomplishments by some means or other , the manipulation of keyed instruments , and aided b y the theory of music he was moderatel y successful . Thus Humberton had found him with a local fame for drilling beginners and making accomplished musicians of them in a short period . Unless engaged , in music , for which he seemed to have a great liking , Humberton

found him a great talker , ancl of such a rambling nature that it was difficult to know what he was aiming at . As will be seen from the above conversation , hewould digress from one subject to another ancl get interested in them all , until he totall y forgot his object at the commencement . Humberton , however , put up with all this for the sake of the musical information he received from him ; and it was astonishing what a lot he knew of the practical

part of music . As he said , he had not been through all these varied scenes in life without getting to know something . His instruction , though ( as mig ht be supposed ) , was not of a very profound nature ; generall y a skimming of the surface of things . He took cave in all his advice to Humberton since he had left his tuition , that his altez-ations and corrections should be merely suggestions , ancl that Humberton should carry them out .

_ The latter frequently went to the home of Mr . Cribton , for the sake of a friendly practice ancl criticism ( but chiefly for practice and company ) ; and many a time they had been so absorbed in their favourite studies ( tlie " professor" taking up first one instrument and - then another—violin , violoncello double-bass fiddle , bassoon , oboe , etc ., all coining in turn ) that the early dawn of morning bad crept on them unobserved . At other times-Professor Cribton would come So Humberton ' s house , and there they would continue their nightly practices until Mrs . Chatwind , the landlandy and a widow , would