Books › The Master's Violin, 1905 › scan 236
Scan 236
The Master's Violin, 1905
10 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1Afraid of Life
3It seemed as though Lynn's heart were rising in an effort to escape. "I must keep it down," he thought. It was like an imprisoned bird, cut, bruised, and bleeding, beating against the walls of flesh. And yet, there was a hand upon it, and the iron fingers clutched unmercifully.
5Iris had gone, and the dream was at an end. Iris had gone, flouting him to the last, calling his love an insult. "Machine—clod—mountebank"—the bitter words rang through his consciousness again and again.
7It might be true, part of it at least. Herr Kaufmann had told him, more than once, that he played like a machine. Clod? Possibly. Mountebank? That might be, too. Trickster with the violin, trickster with words? Perhaps. But a thing without a heart? Lynn laughed bitterly and put his hand against his breast to quiet the throbbing.
9No one knew—no one must ever know. Iris would not betray him, he was sure of that, but he must be on his guard lest he should betray himself. He must hide it, must keep on living, and appear to be the same. His mother's keen eyes must see nothing amiss. Fortunately, he could be alone a great
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