PARTIII
STUPIDFACES
I
Somanygrinning，stupidfaces！TheawassittingbythewindowinBowers’sstudio，waitingforhimtocomebackfromlunch。Onherkneewasthelatestnumberofanillustratedmusicaljournalinwhichmusiciansgreatandlittlestridentlyadvertisedtheirwares。Everyafternoonsheplayedaccompanimentsforpeoplewholookedandsmiledlikethese。Shewasgettingtiredofthehumancountenance。
TheahadbeeninChicagofortwomonths。Shehadasmallchurchpositionwhichpartlypaidherlivingex—
penses，andshepaidforhersinginglessonsbyplayingBowers’saccompanimentseveryafternoonfromtwountilsix。ShehadbeencompelledtoleaveheroldfriendsMrs。
LorchandMrs。Andersen，becausethelongridefromNorthChicagotoBowers’sstudioonMichiganAvenuetooktoomuchtime——anhourinthemorning，andatnight，whenthecarswerecrowded，anhourandahalf。Forthefirstmonthshehadclungtoheroldroom，butthebadairinthecars，attheendofalongday’swork，fatiguedhergreatlyandwasbadforhervoice。SincesheleftMrs。
Lorch，shehadbeenstayingatastudents’clubtowhichshewasintroducedbyMissAdler，Bowers’smorningac—
companist，anintelligentJewishgirlfromEvanston。
TheatookherlessonfromBowerseverydayfromeleven—thirtyuntiltwelve。ThenshewentouttolunchwithanItaliangrammarunderherarm，andcamebacktothestudiotobeginherworkattwo。Intheafternoon
Bowerscoachedprofessionalsandtaughthisadvancedpupils。ItwashistheorythatTheaoughttobeabletolearnagreatdealbykeepingherearsopenwhilesheplayedforhim。
Theconcert—goingpublicofChicagostillremembersthelong，sallow，discontentedfaceofMadisonBowers。Heseldommissedaneveningconcert，andwasusuallytobeseenloungingsomewhereatthebackoftheconcerthall，readinganewspaperorreview，andconspicuouslyignoringtheeffortsoftheperformers。Attheendofanumberhelookedupfromhispaperlongenoughtosweeptheap—
plaudingaudiencewithacontemptuouseye。Hisfacewasintelligent，withanarrowlowerjaw，athinnose，fadedgrayeyes，andaclose—cutbrownmustache。Hishairwasiron—gray，thinanddead—looking。Hewenttoconcertschieflytosatisfyhimselfastohowbadlythingsweredoneandhowgulliblethepublicwas。Hehatedthewholeraceofartists；theworktheydid，thewagestheygot，andthewaytheyspenttheirmoney。Hisfather，oldHiramBowers，wasstillaliveandatwork，agenialoldchoirmasterinBos—
ton，fullofenthusiasmatseventy。ButMadisonwasofthecolderstuffofhisgrandfathers，alonglineofNewHamp—
shirefarmers；hardworkers，closetraders，withgoodminds，meannatures，andflintyeyes。AsaboyMadisonhadafinebarytonevoice，andhisfathermadegreatsacrificesforhim，sendinghimtoGermanyatanearlyageandkeep—
inghimabroadathisstudiesforyears。Madisonworkedunderthebestteachers，andafterwardsanginEnglandinoratorio。Hiscoldnatureandacademicmethodswereagainsthim。Hisaudienceswerealwaysawareofthecontempthefeltforthem。Adozenpoorersingerssuc—
ceeded，butBowersdidnot。
Bowershadallthequalitieswhichgotomakeagoodteacher——exceptgenerosityandwarmth。Hisintelligencewasofahighorder，histasteneveratfault。Heseldomworkedwithavoicewithoutimprovingit，andinteach—
ingthedeliveryoforatoriohewaswithoutarival。Sing—
erscamefromfarandneartostudyBachandHandelwithhim。EventhefashionablesopranosandcontraltosofChicago，St。Paul，andSt。Louis（theywereusuallyladieswithveryrichhusbands，andBowerscalledthemthe"pamperedjadesofAsia"）humblyenduredhissardonichumorforthesakeofwhathecoulddoforthem。Hewasnotatallabovehelpingaverylamesingeracross，ifherhusband’scheck—bookwarrantedit。Hehadawholebagoftricksforstupidpeople，"life—preservers，"hecalledthem。"Cheaprepairsforacheap’un，"heusedtosay，butthehusbandsneverfoundtherepairsverycheap。
Thosewerethedayswhenlumbermen’sdaughtersandbrewers’wivescontendedinsong；studiedinGermanyandthenfloatedfromSANGERFESTtoSANGERFEST。Choralso—
cietiesflourishedinalltherichlakecitiesandrivercities。
ThesoloistscametoChicagotocoachwithBowers，andheoftentooklongjourneystohearandinstructachorus。
Hewasintenselyavaricious，andfromthesesemi—profes—
sionalshereapedagoldenharvest。Theyfedhispocketsandtheyfedhisever—hungrycontempt，hisscornofhim—
selfandhisaccomplices。Themoremoneyhemade，themoreparsimonioushebecame。Hiswifewassoshabbythatsheneverwentanywherewithhim，whichsuitedhimexactly。Becausehisclientswereluxuriousandextrava—
gant，hetookarevengefulpleasureinhavinghisshoeshalf—
soledasecondtime，andingettingthelastwearoutofabrokencollar。HehadfirstbeeninterestedinTheaKron—
borgbecauseofherbluntness，hercountryroughness，andhermanifestcarefulnessaboutmoney。ThementionofHarsanyi’snamealwaysmadehimpullawryface。ForthefirsttimeTheahadafriendwho，inhisowncoolandguardedway，likedherforwhateverwasleastadmirableinher。
Theawasstilllookingatthemusicalpaper，hergrammarunopenedonthewindow—sill，whenBowerssaunteredin
alittlebeforetwoo’clock。Hewassmokingacheapcigar—
etteandworethesamesoftfelthathehadwornalllastwinter。Henevercarriedacaneorworegloves。
Theafollowedhimfromthereception—roomintothestudio。"Imaycutmylessonoutto—morrow，Mr。Bowers。
Ihavetohuntanewboarding—place。"
Bowerslookeduplanguidlyfromhisdeskwherehehadbeguntogooverapileofletters。"What’sthematterwiththeStudioClub？Beenfightingwiththemagain？"
"TheClub’sallrightforpeoplewholiketolivethatway。Idon’t。"
Bowersliftedhiseyebrows。"Whysotempery？"heaskedashedrewacheckfromanenvelopepostmarked"Minneapolis。"
"Ican’tworkwithalotofgirlsaround。They’retoofamiliar。Inevercouldgetalongwithgirlsofmyownage。It’salltoochummy。Getsonmynerves。I
didn’tcomeheretoplaykindergartengames。"Theabeganenergeticallytoarrangethescatteredmusiconthepiano。
Bowersgrimacedgood—humoredlyatheroverthethreecheckshewaspinningtogether。Helikedtoplayataroughgameofbanterwithher。Heflatteredhimselfthathehadmadeherharsherthanshewaswhenshefirstcametohim；thathehadgotoffalittleofthesugar—coatingHarsanyialwaysputonhispupils。
"Theartofmakingyourselfagreeablenevercomesamiss，MissKronborg。Ishouldsayyouratherneedalittlepracticealongthatline。Whenyoucometomarket—
ingyourwaresintheworld，alittlesmoothnessgoesfartherthanagreatdealoftalentsometimes。Ifyouhap—
pentobecursedwitharealtalent，thenyou’vegottobeverysmoothindeed，oryou’llnevergetyourmoneyback。"
Bowerssnappedtheelasticbandaroundhisbank—book。
Theagavehimasharp，recognizingglance。"Well，that’sthemoneyI’llhavetogowithout，"shereplied。
"Justwhatdoyoumean？"
"Imeanthemoneypeoplehavetogrinfor。Iusedtoknowarailroadmanwhosaidtherewasmoneyineveryprofessionthatyoucouldn’ttake。He’dtriedagoodmanyjobs，"Theaaddedmusingly；"perhapshewastooparticularaboutthekindhecouldtake，forheneverpickedupmuch。Hewasproud，butIlikedhimforthat。"
Bowersroseandclosedhisdesk。"Mrs。Priestislateagain。Bytheway，MissKronborg，remembernottofrownwhenyouareplayingforMrs。Priest。Youdidnotre—
memberyesterday。"
"Youmeanwhenshehitsatonewithherbreathlikethat？Whydoyoulether？Youwouldn’tletme。"
"Icertainlywouldnot。ButthatisamannerismofMrs。Priest’s。Thepubliclikeit，andtheypayagreatdealofmoneyforthepleasureofhearingherdoit。Theresheis。Remember！"
Bowersopenedthedoorofthereception—roomandatall，imposingwomanrustledin，bringingwithheraglowofanimationwhichpervadedtheroomasifhalfadozenpersons，alltalkinggayly，hadcomeininsteadofone。Shewaslarge，handsome，expansive，uncontrolled；onefeltthisthemomentshecrossedthethreshold。Sheshonewithcareandcleanliness，maturevigor，unchallengedauthority，graciousgood—humor，andabsoluteconfidenceinherper—
son，herpowers，herposition，andherwayoflife；aglowing，overwhelmingself—satisfaction，onlytobefoundwherehumansocietyisyoungandstrongandwithoutyesterdays。
Herfacehadakindofheavy，thoughtlessbeauty，likeapinkpeonyjustatthepointofbeginningtofade。Herbrownhairwaswavedinfrontanddoneupbehindinagreattwist，heldbyatortoiseshellcombwithgoldfili—
gree。Sheworeabeautifullittlegreenhatwiththreelonggreenfeathersstickingstraightupinfront，alittlecapemadeofvelvetandfurwithayellowsatinroseonit。Hergloves，hershoes，herveil，somehowmadethemselvesfelt。
Shegavetheimpressionofwearingacargoofsplendidmerchandise。
Mrs。PriestnoddedgraciouslytoThea，coquettishlytoBowers，andaskedhimtountieherveilforher。Shethrewhersplendidwraponachair，theyellowliningout。
Theawasalreadyatthepiano。Mrs。Prieststoodbehindher。
"`RejoiceGreatly’first，please。Andpleasedon’thurryitinthere，"sheputherarmoverThea’sshoulder，andindicatedthepassagebyasweepofherwhiteglove。Shethrewoutherchest，claspedherhandsoverherabdomen，liftedherchin，workedthemusclesofhercheeksbackandforthforamoment，andthenbeganwithconviction，"Re—jo—oice！Re—jo—oice！"
Bowerspacedtheroomwithhiscatliketread。WhenhecheckedMrs。Priest’svehemenceatall，hehandledherroughly；pokedandhammeredhermassivepersonwithcoldsatisfaction，almostasifheweretakingoutagrudgeonthissplendidcreation。Suchtreatmenttheimposingladydidnotatallresent。Shetriedharderandharder，hereyesgrowingallthewhilemorelustrousandherlipsredder。
Theaplayedonasshewastold，ignoringthesinger’sstruggles。
WhenshefirstheardMrs。Priestsinginchurch，Theaadmiredher。Sinceshehadfoundouthowdullthegood—
naturedsopranoreallywas，shefeltadeepcontemptforher。ShefeltthatMrs。Priestoughttobereprovedandevenpunishedforhershortcomings；thatsheoughttobeexposed，——atleasttoherself，——andnotbepermittedtoliveandshineinhappyignoranceofwhatapoorthingitwasshebroughtacrosssoradiantly。Thea’scoldlooksofreproofwerelostuponMrs。Priest；althoughtheladydidmurmuronedaywhenshetookBowershomeinhercarriage，"Howhandsomeyourafternoongirlwouldbeifshedidnothavethatunfortunatesquint；itgivesherthatvacantSwedelook，likeananimal。"Thatamused
Bowers。Helikedtowatchthegerminationandgrowthofantipathies。
OneofthefirstdisappointmentsTheahadtofacewhenshereturnedtoChicagothatfall，wasthenewsthattheHarsanyiswerenotcomingback。TheyhadspentthesummerinacampintheAdirondacksandweremovingtoNewYork。AnoldteacherandfriendofHarsanyi’s，oneofthebest—knownpianoteachersinNewYork，wasabouttoretirebecauseoffailinghealthandhadarrangedtoturnhispupilsovertoHarsanyi。AndorwastogivetworecitalsinNewYorkinNovember，todevotehim—
selftohisnewstudentsuntilspring，andthentogoonashortconcerttour。TheHarsanyishadtakenafurnishedapartmentinNewYork，astheywouldnotattempttosettleaplaceoftheirownuntilAndor’srecitalswereover。
ThefirstofDecember，however，TheareceivedanotefromMrs。Harsanyi，askinghertocallattheoldstudio，whereshewaspackingtheirgoodsforshipment。
Themorningafterthisinvitationreachedher，Theaclimbedthestairsandknockedatthefamiliardoor。Mrs。
Harsanyiherselfopenedit，andembracedhervisitorwarmly。TakingTheaintothestudio，whichwaslitteredwithexcelsiorandpacking—cases，shestoodholdingherhandandlookingatherinthestronglightfromthebigwindowbeforesheallowedhertositdown。Herquickeyesawmanychanges。Thegirlwastaller，herfigurehadbe—
comedefinite，hercarriagepositive。Shehadgotusedtolivinginthebodyofayoungwoman，andshenolongertriedtoignoreitandbehaveasifshewerealittlegirl。
Withthatincreasedindependenceofbodytherehadcomeachangeinherface；anindifference，somethinghardandskeptical。Herclothes，too，weredifferent，liketheattireofashopgirlwhotriestofollowthefashions；apurplesuit，apieceofcheapfur，athree—corneredpurplehatwithapomponstickingupinfront。Thequeercountryclothes
sheusedtowearsuitedhermuchbetter，Mrs。Harsanyithought。Butsuchtrifles，afterall，wereaccidentalandremediable。Sheputherhandonthegirl’sstrongshoulder。
"Howmuchthesummerhasdoneforyou！Yes，youareayoungladyatlast。Andorwillbesogladtohearaboutyou。"
Thealookedaboutatthedisorderofthefamiliarroom。
Thepictureswerepiledinacorner，thepianoandtheCHAISELONGUEweregone。"IsupposeIoughttobegladyouhavegoneaway，"shesaid，"butI’mnot。It’safinethingforMr。Harsanyi，Isuppose。"
Mrs。Harsanyigaveheraquickglancethatsaidmorethanwords。"IfyouknewhowlongIhavewantedtogethimawayfromhere，MissKronborg！Heisnevertired，neverdiscouraged，now。"
Theasighed。"I’mgladforthat，then。"Hereyestraveledoverthefaintdiscolorationsonthewallswherethepictureshadhung。"Imayrunawaymyself。Idon’tknowwhetherIcanstanditherewithoutyou。"
"WehopethatyoucancometoNewYorktostudybeforeverylong。Wehavethoughtofthat。AndyoumusttellmehowyouaregettingonwithBowers。Andorwillwanttoknowallaboutit。"
"IguessIgetonmoreorless。ButIdon’tlikemyworkverywell。ItneverseemsseriousasmyworkwithMr。
Harsanyidid。IplayBowers’saccompanimentsintheafternoons，youknow。IthoughtIwouldlearnagooddealfromthepeoplewhoworkwithhim，butIdon’tthinkIgetmuch。"
Mrs。Harsanyilookedatherinquiringly。Theatookoutacarefullyfoldedhandkerchieffromthebosomofherdressandbegantodrawthecornersapart。"Singingdoesn’tseemtobeaverybrainyprofession，Mrs。Har—
sanyi，"shesaidslowly。"ThepeopleIseenowarenotabitliketheonesIusedtomeethere。Mr。Harsanyi’spupils，eventhedumbones，hadmore——well，moreof
everything，itseemstome。ThepeopleIhavetoplayaccompanimentsforarediscouraging。Theprofessionals，likeKatharinePriestandMilesMurdstone，areworstofall。IfIhavetoplay`TheMessiah’muchlongerforMrs。
Priest，I’llgooutofmymind！"Theabroughtherfootdownsharplyonthebarefloor。
Mrs。Harsanyilookeddownatthefootinperplexity。
"Youmustn’twearsuchhighheels，mydear。Theywillspoilyourwalkandmakeyoumincealong。Can’tyouatleastlearntoavoidwhatyoudislikeinthesesingers？I
wasneverabletocareforMrs。Priest’ssinging。"
Theawassittingwithherchinlowered。Withoutmov—
ingherheadshelookedupatMrs。Harsanyiandsmiled；
asmilemuchtoocoldanddesperatetobeseenonayoungface，Mrs。Harsanyifelt。"Mrs。Harsanyi，itseemstomethatwhatIlearnisjustTODISLIKE。Idislikesomuchandsohardthatittiresmeout。I’vegotnoheartforany—
thing。"Shethrewupherheadsuddenlyandsatindefi—
ance，herhandclenchedonthearmofthechair。"Mr。
Harsanyicouldn’tstandthesepeopleanhour，Iknowhecouldn’t。He’dputthemrightoutofthewindowthere，frizzesandfeathersandall。Now，takethatnewsopranothey’reallmakingsuchafussabout，JessieDarcey。She’sgoingontourwithasymphonyorchestraandshe’swork—
ingupherrepertorywithBowers。She’ssingingsomeSchumannsongsMr。Harsanyiusedtogooverwithme。
Well，Idon’tknowwhatheWOULDdoifheheardher。"
"Butifyourownworkgoeswell，andyouknowthesepeoplearewrong，whydoyouletthemdiscourageyou？"
Theashookherhead。"That’sjustwhatIdon’tunder—
standmyself。Only，afterI’veheardthemallafternoon，I
comeoutfrozenup。Somehowittakestheshineoffofeverything。PeoplewantJessieDarceyandthekindofthingshedoes；sowhat’stheuse？"
Mrs。Harsanyismiled。"Thatstileyoumustsimplyvaultover。Youmustnotbegintofretaboutthesuc—
cessesofcheappeople。Afterall，whathavetheytodowithyou？"
"Well，ifIhadsomebodylikeMr。Harsanyi，perhapsI
wouldn’tfretaboutthem。Hewastheteacherforme。
Pleasetellhimso。"
ThearoseandMrs。Harsanyitookherhandagain。"I
amsorryyouhavetogothroughthistimeofdiscourage—
ment。IwishAndorcouldtalktoyou，hewouldunder—
standitsowell。ButIfeellikeurgingyoutokeepclearofMrs。PriestandJessieDarceyandalltheirworks。"
Thealaugheddiscordantly。"Nouseurgingme。Idon’tgetonwiththemATALL。Myspinegetslikeasteelrailwhentheycomenearme。Ilikedthematfirst，youknow。Theirclothesandtheirmannersweresofine，andMrs。PriestIS
handsome。ButnowIkeepwantingtotellthemhowstupidtheyare。Seemsliketheyoughttobeinformed，don’tyouthinkso？"TherewasaflashoftheshrewdgrinthatMrs。Harsanyiremembered。Theapressedherhand。
"Imustgonow。Ihadtogivemylessonhourthismorn—
ingtoaDuluthwomanwhohascomeontocoach，andI
mustgoandplay`OnMightyPens’forher。PleasetellMr。HarsanyithatIthinkoratorioisagreatchanceforbluffers。"
Mrs。Harsanyidetainedher。"Buthewillwanttoknowmuchmorethanthataboutyou。Youarefreeatseven？
Comebackthisevening，then，andwewillgotodinnersomewhere，tosomecheerfulplace。Ithinkyouneedaparty。"
Theabrightened。"Oh，Ido！I’lllovetocome；thatwillbelikeoldtimes。Yousee，"shelingeredamoment，soft—
ening，"Iwouldn’tmindiftherewereonlyONEofthemI
couldreallyadmire。"
"HowaboutBowers？"Mrs。Harsanyiaskedastheywereapproachingthestairway。
"Well，there’snothingheloveslikeagoodfakir，andnothinghehateslikeagoodartist。Ialwaysremember
somethingMr。Harsanyisaidabouthim。HesaidBowerswasthecoldmuffinthathadbeenleftontheplate。"
Mrs。Harsanyistoppedshortattheheadofthestairsandsaiddecidedly："IthinkAndormadeamistake。I
can’tbelievethatistherightatmosphereforyou。Itwouldhurtyoumorethanmostpeople。It’sallwrong。"
"Something’swrong，"Theacalledbackassheclattereddownthestairsinherhighheels。
II
DURINGthatwinterThealivedinsomanyplacesthatsometimesatnightwhensheleftBowers’sstudioandemergedintothestreetshehadtostopandthinkforamomenttorememberwhereshewaslivingnowandwhatwasthebestwaytogetthere。
Whenshemovedintoanewplacehereyeschallengedthebeds，thecarpets，thefood，themistressofthehouse。Theboarding—houseswerewretchedlyconductedandThea’scomplaintssometimestookaninsultingform。
Shequarreledwithonelandladyafteranotherandmovedon。Whenshemovedintoanewroom，shewasalmostsuretohateitonsightandtobeginplanningtohuntanotherplacebeforesheunpackedhertrunk。Shewasmoodyandcontemptuoustowardherfellowboarders，excepttowardtheyoungmen，whomshetreatedwithacarelessfamiliaritywhichtheyusuallymisunderstood。
Theylikedher，however，andwhensheleftthehouseafterastorm，theyhelpedhertomoveherthingsandcametoseeheraftershegotsettledinanewplace。Butshemovedsooftenthattheysoonceasedtofollowher。Theycouldseenoreasonforkeepingupwithagirlwho，underherjocularity，wascold，self—centered，andunimpression—
able。Theysoonfeltthatshedidnotadmirethem。
Theausedtowakenupinthenightandwonderwhyshewassounhappy。ShewouldhavebeenamazedifshehadknownhowmuchthepeoplewhomshemetinBowers’sstudiohadtodowithherlowspirits。Shehadneverbeenconsciousofthoseinstinctivestandardswhicharecalledideals，andshedidnotknowthatshewassufferingforthem。Sheoftenfoundherselfsneeringwhenshewasonastreet—car，orwhenshewasbrushingoutherhairbefore
hermirror，assomeinaneremarkortoofamiliarmanner—
ismflittedacrosshermind。
Shefeltnocreaturekindness，notolerantgood—willforMrs。PriestorJessieDarcey。AfteroneofJessieDar—
cey’sconcertstheglowingpressnotices，andtheadmiringcommentsthatfloatedaboutBowers’sstudio，causedTheabitterunhappiness。Itwasnotthetormentofper—
sonaljealousy。ShehadneverthoughtofherselfasevenapossiblerivalofMissDarcey。Shewasapoormusicstudent，andJessieDarceywasapopularandpettedprofessional。Mrs。Priest，whateveroneheldagainsther，hadafine，big，showyvoiceandanimpressivepresence。
Shereadindifferently，wasinaccurate，andwasalwaysputtingotherpeoplewrong，butsheatleasthadthematerialoutofwhichsingerscanbemade。ButpeopleseemedtolikeJessieDarceyexactlybecauseshecouldnotsing；because，astheyputit，shewas"sonaturalandunprofessional。"Hersingingwaspronounced"artless，"
hervoice"birdlike。"MissDarceywasthinandawkwardinperson，withasharp，sallowface。Theanoticedthatherplainnesswasaccountedtohercredit，andthatpeoplespokeofitaffectionately。MissDarceywassing—
ingeverywherejustthen；onecouldnothelphearingabouther。Shewasbackedbysomeofthepacking—housepeopleandbytheChicagoNorthwesternRailroad。Onlyonecriticraisedhisvoiceagainsther。TheawenttoseveralofJessieDarcey’sconcerts。Itwasthefirsttimeshehadhadanopportunitytoobservethewhimsofthepublicwhichsingerslivebyinteresting。ShesawthatpeoplelikedinMissDarceyeveryqualityasingeroughtnottohave，andespeciallythenervouscomplacencythatstampedherasacommonplaceyoungwoman。TheyseemedtohaveawarmerfeelingforJessiethanforMrs。
Priest，anaffectionateandcherishingregard。ChicagowasnotsoverydifferentfromMoonstone，afterall，andJessieDarceywasonlyLilyFisherunderanothername。
TheaparticularlyhatedtoaccompanyforMissDarceybecauseshesangoffpitchanddidn’tminditintheleast。
Itwasexcruciatingtosittheredayafterdayandhearher；
therewassomethingshamelessandindecentaboutnotsingingtrue。
OnemorningMissDarceycamebyappointmenttogoovertheprogrammeforherPeoriaconcert。Shewassuchafrail—lookinggirlthatTheaoughttohavefeltsorryforher。True，shehadanarch，sprightlylittlemanner，andaflashofsalmon—pinkoneitherbrowncheek。Butanar—
rowupperjawgaveherfaceapinchedlook，andhereye—
lidswereheavyandrelaxed。Bythemorninglight，thepurplishbrowncirclesunderhereyeswerepatheticenough，andforetoldnolongorbrilliantfuture。Asingerwithapoordigestionandlowvitality；sheneedednoseertocastherhoroscope。IfTheahadevertakenthepainstostudyher，shewouldhaveseenthat，underallhersmilesandarchness，poorMissDarceywasreallyfrightenedtodeath。
ShecouldnotunderstandhersuccessanymorethanTheacould；shekeptcatchingherbreathandliftinghereye—
browsandtryingtobelievethatitwastrue。Herloqua—
citywasnotnatural，sheforcedherselftoit，andwhensheconfidedtoyouhowmanydefectsshecouldovercomebyherunusualcommandofheadresonance，shewasnotsomuchtryingtopersuadeyouastopersuadeherself。
Whenshetookanotethatwashighforher，MissDarceyalwaysputherrighthandoutintotheair，asifshewereindicatingheight，orgivinganexactmeasurement。Someearlyteacherhadtoldherthatshecould"place"atonemoresurelybythehelpofsuchagesture，andshefirmlybelievedthatitwasofgreatassistancetoher。（Evenwhenshewassinginginpublic，shekeptherrighthanddownwithdifficulty，nervouslyclaspingherwhitekidfingerstogetherwhenshetookahighnote。Theacouldalwaysseeherelbowsstiffen。）Sheunvaryinglyexecutedthisgesturewithasmileofgraciousconfidence，asifshewere