corsets that served to hide deformed hearts; they only
necessitated the spiritualisation of all contacts, the
elevation of all rapports, the aristocratisation of all
impressions.

But enough of this for the present.

A surer proof of Frederick's ability than the applause and favour
of the aristocracy was the impression he made on the celebrated
Catalani, who, in January, 1820, gave four concerts in the town-
hall of Warsaw, the charge for admission to each of which was, as
we may note in passing, no less than thirty Polish florins
(fifteen shillings). Hearing much of the musically-gifted boy,
she expressed the wish to have him presented to her. On this
being done, she was so pleased with him and his playing that she
made him a present of a watch, on which were engraved the words:
"Donne par Madame Catalani a Frederic Chopin, age de dix ans."

As yet I have said nothing of the boy's first attempts at
composition. Little Frederick began to compose soon after the
commencement of his pianoforte lessons and before he could handle
the pen. His master had to write down what the pupil played,
after which the youthful maestro, often dissatisfied with his
first conception, would set to work with the critical file, and
try to improve it. He composed mazurkas, polonaises, waltzes, &c.
At the age of ten he dedicated a march to the Grand Duke
Constantine, who had it scored for a military band and played on
parade (subsequently it was also published, but without the
composer's name), and these productions gave such evident proof
of talent that his father deemed it desirable to get his friend