"A, D, G, C. 'Allowable delights grow commonplace!' What did the fiend mean? C, G, D, A. 'Courage gains desired aims.' That's better! We aimed pretty straight at his lying mouth."
He opened the piano, struck the notes, and tuned the 'cello exactly as he had seen Aubrey do.
At the first sound of the strings his mood changed. All bitterness passed out of his face. A look of youth and hope dawned in it.
He carried the 'cello back to the circle of chairs. He placed it where it had stood before; then lay back in his own seat smiling dreamily at the empty chair opposite.
"Helen," he said, "darling, I don't really play the piano, I only strum. But there is one instrument, above all others, which I have always longed to play. I have it now. I own the 'cello I have always loved and longed for; the 'cello on which I used to play a hundred years ago. Now I am going to play to you; and you will forget everything in this world, my wife, excepting that I love you."
He drew the Infant between his knees; then realised at once that his chair was too low.
Rising, he went over to a corner where, against the wall, stood a beautiful old chair which he and Helen had brought back, the winter before, from Italy. Its arms and feet of walnut wood, were carved into lions' heads and paws. Its back bore, in a medallion, the Florentine fleur-de-lis. The high padded seat was of embossed gold, on crimson leather.
Ronnie placed this queer old chair in the centre of the room, facing the great mirror.
Then he clicked off the electric lights, stirred the fire, and threw on a couple of fresh logs.
The flames shot up, illumining the room.