“And yet, I insist,” said the stranger smilingly, “that you do not know your watch wholly. I’ll wager anything you like,—your watch against ten thousand francs!”
“Oh, well, if you have ten thousand francs too many, I’ll take the bet,” cried Rossini; “but now give me the proof of your assertion.”
“Very well,—the watch plays another piece of yours, master, and contains your portrait besides.”
Speechless, Rossini saw that when the stranger touched a spring a lid flew back, disclosing his portrait, while at the same time it played “Di Tanti Palpiti” from “Tancred.”
“Good gracious!” he exclaimed, looking at his lost watch, “it is true, you have won the wager; but how could I know?”
The stranger, laughing heartily, handed him back his treasure saying:
“I am the maker of this watch, Michel Plivée. The wager was made in fun, but I am delighted, that you, the great maestro, take such pleasure in my work.”
He Didn’t Mean It
The well-known pianist, Sophie Menter, delighted everybody with her simple, natural ways. One day in Pesth, while in a company of artists and lovers of art, Liszt among them, a young count, carried away by her playing, cried enthusiastically,
“Mein Fräulein, I lay myself at your feet!”