It was enough.
"Your highness has played a fine jest this day.

Where does madame your guest sing, in Berlin or Vienna ?" "In neither," answered her highness, mightily gratified with Gretchen's success.

"She lives in Dreiberg, and till this morning I doubt if I ever saw her before." The Herr Direktor stared blankly from her highness to Gretchen, and back to her highness again.

Then he grasped it.

Here was one of those moments when the gods make gifts to mortals.
"Can you read music ?" he asked.
"No, Herr," said Gretchen.
"That is bad.