violin parts, and the bowing and expression seemed to me to be that of two gentlemen who had played with me often in C. so many years before. One of them, Kammermusiken L., first 'cellist of the Residenz Theatre in C., had been my eldest son's master, but had been called to H. in 1878. The other, who was employed by my husband at that time, as clerk of the works, had subsequently quitted C. also, and removed in the middle of the nineties to H. I had often seen him since he left C., and had also played duets with him, but never again in a trio. I got out the piano part and began to play. I must here admit that I had played with Z. and L. principally the Trio in B sharp, Op. 97, and the one in C flat, Op. 1, No. 3, and was myself surprised that this Op. 1, No. I, which we had hardly ever played, was ringing in my ears. At any rate I heard with my mental car this melody so exactly that I played the piece right through to the end.
About ten o'clock the bell rang and my house-mate, the daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel G., who lived over me, came in. She apologised for her late visit and assured me that she could not sleep until she had found out what I had been playing. I supplied the information, and she remarked, "Well, what brought that into your head?" "I don't know. I have n't opened the book for twenty years, but before I began I heard Z. and L. playing and I felt I must recall the full harmony."
The next day but one the enclosed card came; it had been written, as we established by subsequent correspondence, on the same evening and at the same time, and as the postmark shows, delivered [in Kiel] the following [should be "the next but one"] morning.
The following is a translation of the post-card:
After playing Beethoven Op. 1, No. I, we send you hearty greetings in remembrance of happy hours spent together in the past.
