“Oh, it was wonderful and I wish it were not over yet.”
“Come, let us go along, too. I’d love to see who played,” and taking his daughter’s hand, Mr. Thornau followed the others up to the organ loft. Mr. Delrick had quickly gone ahead, and before the others had arrived, the same joyful melody greeted them again. Vinzenz Lesa, upon entering, stood stock still. At the organ really sat his curly-headed boy. As he was playing, the father could actually hear how he produced those stirring melodies. Nothing helped now, and Lesa had to wipe his eyes repeatedly.
Vinzi had ceased, and his mother finally let Stefeli’s hand go. The child rushed to her brother and tenderly clung to him. Now the father came up with Mr. Delrick.
“Mr. Lesa,” he said, “your son has played you the song of mercy, and I hope you will also be merciful and forgive him if he does not want to become a farmer.”
Lesa had grasped his son’s hand. “More than that, more than that, Vinzi,” he finally said after a great effort to control himself. “You make your parents proud of you and not what I used to think. I never realized such a thing could happen. I never, never knew it. When I used to come to Freiburg as a boy and heard this organ, I thought that people who played it were creatures entirely set apart, not human beings like one of us. You must be most thankful to Mr. Delrick, boy, for we owe him everything. He found the way for you and made this possible.”
“Not I, Mr. Lesa, not I,” Mr. Delrick remonstrated. “Pater Silvanus is the one who knew what was in Vinzi and who knew what ought to be done with him. Let us be grateful to him. You shall also know right away that Vinzi is not losing time with a breadless art. He already has an offer from a church in Dresden to play every Sunday. I suppose you approve of that, Mr. Lesa? He’ll be able to keep on studying at the same time and I think the longer the better. I hope it will suit you to leave him with me for a few more years.”
“Whatever you deem wise, sir,” Lesa replied, unhesitatingly, perfectly convinced that Mr. Delrick’s plans and his would evermore agree. Vinzenz Lesa was pleased that his friend had kept a long silence about Vinzi, until he could really prove his case.
One surprise after another was in store for Vinzi. When Jos suddenly stepped up to him, Vinzi greeted his old friend with the greatest joy.
“So it was you, after all!” he exclaimed. “I heard you singing down in the church and it nearly upset me. I had to think over and over again: ‘Who knows our song and has a voice just like Jos’s?’ But I thought you couldn’t be here, and here you are, after all.” In the greatest surprise he greeted Alida, Hugo and Mr. Thornau. Alida found so many things to talk over with Vinzi about their past and future that Mr. Thornau found it wise to announce that the moment for dinner had arrived. Then all their conversations could be continued at leisure.
However much Mr. Lesa fought against it, he was taken to dinner at the Zohringer Hotel, where he had not set his foot in his life before. Unfortunately the hour of parting came much too soon for them all.