"It is to be sung at the opera the night before? At the gala performance!"
"You're as well up in the arrangements as Bederhof himself."
"I have cause. Whence come you, sire?"
"From paying a visit to the Countess von Sempach."
He burst into a laugh, but the look in his eyes forbade me to be offended.
"That's very whimsical too," he observed. "There's a smack of repetition about this. Is fate hard-up for new effects?"
"There's variety enough here for me. There were no decorations in the streets when I left her before."
"True, true; and—for I must return to my tidings—I bring you something new." He paused and enjoyed his smile at me. "Who sings the marriage song?" he asked.
"Heavens, man, I don't know! I'm not the manager. What is it to me who sings the song?"
"You would like it sung in tune?"