The Magic Violin

It was a bitterly cold Christmas day. In one of the narrow streets along the Thames stood an old blind man, his fingers blue with cold, playing on a cheap violin. Two gentlemen passed by and stopped to look at the old man. One of them, a thin, tall man, said in broken Englosh, "No luck, eh? Nobody gives you money? Bad day?"
"Christmas is a good enough day, Sir", the old man said. "But it is so cold that the people don´t want to open their windows."
"Make them open the windows," the gentleman said. "Play until they have to open."
"Oh, if only I could," the blind man said.
"Let me play," the gentleman said, taking the violin. He started to play. Now the cheap violin came to life. A window opened, and a shilling was thrown down. Another window opened, and another. Money began to fall like rain into the hat of the second gentleman. Men and women listened, and children came out of the houses to watch.
Then the music stopped and the gentleman who had collected the coins put them into the blind man´s pockets.
"It is a Holy Day", sad the one who had played. "There! Go home now. Buy yourself something good to eat. Make a Christmas feat for yourself".
"Your name - your name?" asked the old man.
There was no answer, then the other gentleman said, "He is called - Paganini".