- description
- # Hautboy's Return and Invitation
## Overview
This is a subsection titled "Hautboy's Return and Invitation" extracted from the text file [billy_budd.txt](arke:01KG89J1FFTGRE9J93Z3K29NGY). It is part of the section titled [THE FIDDLER](arke:01KG8AKG134XQNJQR2GMS7CJ2F) within the [Melville Complete Works](arke:01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW) collection. The subsection appears between "Observation of Hautboy at Taylor's" and "The Fiddle Performance and Revelation".
## Context
This subsection is part of a larger section that introduces the character Hautboy and explores his musical talent and mysterious past. The file [billy_budd.txt](arke:01KG89J1FFTGRE9J93Z3K29NGY) was processed by a structure-extraction-lambda function to identify structural elements such as sections and subsections.
## Contents
The subsection describes Hautboy's return and invitation to the narrator and Standard to visit his rooms. Standard accepts the invitation on the condition that Hautboy will play the fiddle for them. The narrator expresses disdain for fiddlers but agrees to go along. They arrive at Hautboy's fifth-story apartment in a lateral street off Broadway, which is furnished with odd pieces obtained from auctions, but is clean and cozy.
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- 2026-01-30T20:49:33.339Z
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- description_title
- Hautboy's Return and Invitation
- end_line
- 7160
- extracted_at
- 2026-01-30T20:48:22.050Z
- extracted_by
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- start_line
- 7139
- text
- A sudden noise at my side attracted my ear. Turning, I saw Hautboy
again, who very blithely reseated himself on the chair he had left.
‘I was behind time with my engagement,’ said Hautboy, ‘so thought I
would run back and rejoin you. But come, you have sat long enough here.
Let us go to my rooms. It is only a five-minutes’ walk.’
‘If you will promise to fiddle for us, we will,’ said Standard.
Fiddle! thought I--he’s a jigembob _fiddler_, then? No wonder genius
declines to measure its pace to a fiddler’s bow. My spleen was very
strong on me now.
‘I will gladly fiddle you your fill,’ replied Hautboy to Standard. ‘Come
on.’
In a few minutes we found ourselves in the fifth story of a sort of
storehouse, in a lateral street to Broadway. It was curiously furnished
with all sorts of odd furniture which seemed to have been obtained,
piece by piece, at auctions of old-fashioned household stuff. But all
was charmingly clean and cosy.
- title
- Hautboy's Return and Invitation