Few concert-givers visited our town, which offered but small inducements to them; my opportunities for getting acquainted with the outside musical world were therefore very restricted. I remember, however, the visits of two talented French children of little more than my own age, Louis Lacombe and his sister, both pupils of the Conservatoire, and very clever pianists. The remarkable finish of their execution impressed me greatly, and never did I practise so diligently as after hearing them.