Books › The second violin, 1906 › scan 25
Scan 25
The second violin, 1906
10 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 5. See the scan on archive.org.
1played dumbly on. The Pilgrims approached—crescendo; drew near—forte; passed—fortissimo; marched away—diminuendo; were almost lost in the distance—piano—piannissimo. Uplifted bows—and silence.
3"Good!" said a hearty voice behind them. Everybody looked up, smiling—even the second violin. His children always smiled when Mr. Roderick Birch came in. It would have been a sour temper which could have resisted his genial greeting.
5"Mother would like the 'Lullaby' next," he said. "She's rather tired to-night. And after the 'Lullaby' I want a little talk with you all."
7Something in his voice or his eyes made his elder daughter take notice of him, as he dropped into a chair by the fire. "Play your best," she warned the others, in a whisper. But they needed no warning. Everybody always played his best for father. And if mother was tired—
9The notes of the second violin fell daintily, caressing those which wrought out the melody enveloping but never overwhelming them. As the music ceased, the leader, turning to the second violin, met her reluctant eyes with a softening in his own keen ones. The hint of a laugh curved the corners of her lips as his smiled broadly. It
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