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she did not get a piano right off which she did the next day but one. According to a promise I went to see them last week & spend the evening & Mr Richards gave me a catalogue of the exhibition to read in which he had ticked off the pictures that he had liked and afterwards Mrs Richards made the piano go & sang. It was the only time in my life that I suffered from noise. I like to hear fire crackers & guns go off, and although I may not be fond of hearing a man sharpen a saw or file a tooth or a wet finger drawn over glass, still I do not suffer, but oh that music. She played the [[page torn]] Redowa which [[strikethrough]] compo [[/strikethrough]] was composed & dedicated to her & her playing, & some waltzes dedicated to her husband & others of which [[strikethrough]] they [[/strikethrough]] I did not see or hear the dedication but may have been dedicated to his pictures.  I like to hear beginners a feeling [[strikethrough]] for the keys [[/strikethrough]] so daintily & timidly for the keys they want to strike but ]]strikethrough]] her [[/strikethrough]] practice has given her a confidence & horse power of execution that is marvellous [[marvelous]].

She does not modulate herself but keeps hitting as hard & as fast as she can from beginning to end! Her husband asking her to sing for us she [[strikethrough]] couldnt [[/strikethrough]] said she couldnt & that he knew she had hardly sing [[sung]] since leaving home that etc & etc, but after she had made all the excuses she thought of [[strikethrough]] she commenced so [[/strikethrough]] & nobody saying any more or insisting she commenced of her own accord. Her singing was more wonderful than her playing & much louder. The first song was in English but I did not catch any words.  The second was an Italian song which she said was to an infant sleeping I should hope dead.  There was the piano accompaniment which could be heard when she took breath, otherwise the police would have forced the door in spite of the door keepers protestations.  As it is stupid to not say anything [[strikethrough]] to [[/strikethrough]] at the end of a piece unless you have tears in your eyes I had some trouble to think out something appropriate but found it at last and told her that her voice would fill a large opera house & after turned to Mr Richards & assured him that I had heard many an opera