Nickie 046

The lady opened her eyes. She looked disappointed but not shocked.

"I thought so. What went wrong? Can I go back?"

"Yes, you can. In a minute. But hand me the pince-nez first and I will hand you your own glasses"

"Please take it from my nose yourself. I don't want to damage or drop it"

"With pleasure. Here are your own glasses"

"Thank you. They are far more comfortable than your pince-nez. Now tell me what went wrong"

"Ah, that was my fault and not yours. You closed your eyes when you started humming. I should have told you about that"

"And that's what brought me back to the present? Do I have to keep looking through your glasses to keep the magic working?"

"Exactly. I told you to take off the glasses in case of discomfort or an emergency"

"You did. And I followed that instruction when the dog came my way. But this was different, now I think of it. The transition in the sounds from the park was gradual and I was fully concentrated on your humming, or lilting as you call it"

"Isn't it the way with all the music people?"

"Absolutely. Now tell me more about the rag. Do you know the name of it?"

"I'm not entirely sure. But the composer was Joseph Lamb. He met Joplin several times and they admired each other's work. Joseph recorded this rag shortly before he died. And guess what, he played it in the same slogging style that I heard in your humming"

"Now we are getting somewhere. Any chance the rag was called Cleopatra?"

"That was one of three names I had in mind"

"Can I give the pince-nez another try? I'd like to hold the little loop if you don't mind"

"Sure. Allow me to put it on your nose. There you go. I will take a picture, if you don't mind"

The lady did not answer. She looked as if she was already halfway both worlds. The present and the past.