Stories by English Authors: Germany (Selected by Scribners)

At a modest hotel salon high in the Swiss Alps, a drenched young girl slips in at four o’clock, laughing off the absence of luggage or companions. She settles by the fire, coaxing a melancholy melody from an out‑of‑tune piano, and the elderly lady who offers her a smile quickly becomes entranced by the child’s uncanny talent. When the girl produces a tuning hammer from an empty knapsack and begins to work, the room’s murmurs turn to awe, hinting at a purpose she barely explains.

The guests—an impatient hostess, a nervous gentleman, and a brusque tennis player—react with a mixture of curiosity and bemusement, each projecting their own expectations onto the enigmatic tuner. As the piano’s notes fall back into harmony, the scene swells with gentle humor and subtle commentary on gender roles and the odd occupations people pursue. In this light‑hearted opening, the girl’s quiet determination sketches a portrait of independence that will ripple through the rest of the tale.