MR. SMEETH GETS HIS RISE 287

lishman but a chap rather out of the common, a bit
cranky perhaps and fierce in his opinions.

This man, moving restlessly in the cramped space,
bumped against Mr. Smeeth and muttered an apology.

"Not much room, is there?" said Mr. Smeeth amiably.

"Never is here, sir," the man replied fiercely.

"Is that so," said Mr. Smeeth. "I don't often come
here." He felt it would not do to admit that this was
the very first time.

"Always crowded at these concerts, full up, packed
out, not an inch of spare room anywhere. And always
the same. What the devil do they mean when they
say they can't make these concerts pay? Whose fault
is it?" he demanded fiercely, just as if Mr. Smeeth were
partly responsible. "We pay what they ask us to pay.
We fill the place, don't we? What do they want? Do
they want people to hang down from the roof or sit on
the organ pipes? They should build a bigger hall or
stop talking nonsense."

Mr. Smeeth agreed, feeling glad therewas no necessity
for him to do anything else.

"Say that to some people," continued the fierce man,
who needed no encouragement, "and they say, 'Well,
what about the Albert Hall? That's big enough, isn't
it?' The Albert Hall! The place is ridiculous. I was
silly enough to go and hear Kreisler there, a few weeks
ago. Monstrous! They might as well have used a
racecourse and sent him up to play in a captive balloon.
If it had been a gramophone in the next house but one,
it couldn't have been worse. Here you do get the music,
I will say that. But it's damnably cramped up here/'

The orchestral players were now swarming in like
black beetles, and Mr. Smeeth amused himself trying