THE RACE FOR FAME 35 



winter William, evidently to divert her mind from the 

 depressing home-sickness which weighed it down, gave 

 her lessons in astronomy, or amused her with dreams 

 that in a few years became waking realities. He was 

 running a hard race for daily bread, for the thirty-five 

 or thirty-eight lessons a week which he gave to music 

 pupils might be counted work enough for an ordinary 

 man, without reference to his duties as organist and 

 manager of concerts. But he had also entered the 

 arena of science in the race for lasting fame. A 

 holiday from teaching meant for him increased work 

 in the astronomical studies which were now absorbing 

 his time and thoughts. " It soon appeared," his sister 

 writes, " that he was not contented with knowing what 

 former observers had seen, for he began to contrive a 

 telescope eighteen or twenty feet long (I believe after 

 Huyghens' description)." Her help was continually 

 wanted in executing the various contrivances required. 

 Although the lenses were ordered from London, she 

 had to make the pasteboard tube they were fitted into, 

 and when the telescope was turned on Jupiter or 

 Saturn, she had to keep the paper tube straight till 

 her brother got a peep through it. We need not be 

 surprised to read her complaint that her music lessons 

 were much hindered by astronomy, housekeeping, and 

 indifferent servants. She was realising an old truth. 

 Her brother and she imagined that service to two or 

 three or even to four masters was possible. They 

 were finding out that they could really serve only one. 

 And slowly but surely William Herschel and his sister 

 were drifting into the service of the one master, not 

 the fleeting fame of a singer but the lasting fame of 

 a discoverer. But those days of singing were never 



