The Whirlpool

o everything but the prospect of emancipation. The disaster that had befallen her life, the dishonour darkening upon her name, seemed for the moment merely a price paid for liberty. The

release from all duty and

ke care of herself. Unlike the representative English Fraulein, she did not reject friendly overtures from strangers; her German was lame, but she spoke it with enjoyment, laughing at her stumbles and mistakes. With her in the railway carriage she kept a violin-case. A professional musician? 'Noch nicht' was her answer, wi

f her own in a lodging-house; but the family life improved her command of German-something gained. To music, meanwhile, she gave very little attention, putting off with one excuse after another the beginning of her serious studies. She seemed to have quite forgotten that music was her 'religion', and, for the matter of that, appeare

her. She had suffered from bad colds, and, in short, was doing no good. At Munich lived an admirable violinist, a friend of Herr Wilenski's, who would be of great use to her. 'In short, dear Mamma, doesn't it seem to you rather humiliating that at the age of four-and-twenty I should be begging for permissio

d indignant clamour. Alma read, and tried to view the proceedings as one for whom they had no personal concern; but her sky darkened, her heart grew heavy. The name of Bennet Frothingham stood for

n a blue day of spring, when despondency lowered upon her, and all occupation, all amusements seemed a burden, she was driven

own who I was, and people would just come to stare at me-pleasant thought! And I have utterly lost confidence in myself. The difficulties are great, even where there is great talent, and I feel I have nothing of the kind. I might toil for years, and should do no good. I feel I am not an artist-I am be

eared a little boy, the child of her landlady, who sometimes ran

Deuts

ich, und ein schnurriges Deu

ed letter in the blotting-case, an

e? Ask him to gi

ad all but forgotten the man's existence. How came he here? What right had he to call? And yet she was glad-na

to the boy hurriedly, 'and ask

h very frank admiration. Frank, too, was his greeting-that of a very old and intimate friend, rather than of a drawing-room acquaintance. He came straight from England, he said; a spring holiday, warranted by the success of his song 'Margot', which the tenor, Topham, had sung at St James's Hall. A few days ago he had happened to see Miss Leach, who gave him Miss Frothingham's address, and he could not deny

you doing, Mis

ttle. But I haven'

n another sense you lo

an air, glancing

gh a complete melody. 'Came into my head last night. Wants rather sentimental words-the

his knowledge. His familiar stream of talk was very different: it discarded affectation, and had a directness, a vigour, which never left one in doubt as to his actual views of life. How melody of any kind could issue from a nature so manifestly ig

said when, with nodding head and waving arm,

aised his humming to a sentimental roa

id. 'Looks more business-like-as if you really

a fr

d her to add, 'A German girl, an art stude

lk about it. I wonder whether I could be

r vague projects, and reddened

informality, 'didn't you use to sing? Som

t was lo

u'd let me

don't sin

you were just cut out for that kind of singing. You have the face and the-you know-the refinem

o be lucrative. He had capital; nothing great, just a comfortable sum which he was bent on using to the best advantage. His songs would presently be bringing him in a few hundreds a year-so he declared-and his idea of

o see you again, after all this time. I shall be stay

ed at her unfinished letter, it seemed such a miserable whine that she tore it up in annoyance. Dymes's visit h

ctation. He entered humming an air-another new compositio

ather's fine. I say, you're looking much better today-decidedly more fit. What do you do he

tinised her rapidly, bit his lip, and looked round to the wi

u. I hadn't thought of coming to Germany till I met Miss Leach and heard about you. Now I'm

re, and his features worked as if with some em

n for music, art, and that ki

with a careless laugh, striking a finger across t

riage the ordinary kind of thing-of course, that's the deuce. But it needn't be. Lots of people marry nowadays and live in a rational way-no house, or bother of that kind; just going

paused. 'It all depends, as you sa

made her laugh, Dymes, not heeding her inquiry, jerked out the personal application of his abstract remarks. Yes, it was a proposal of marriage-marriage on

Alma replied, with humorous gravity, 'but

his hand as if to overcome an unwo

a b

-some day, you know-you may see the thing in

is rathe

idea. However, you know one thing-if I can be of use to you, I shall. I'll think it over-yo

to ho

can take my

eparted. No melodrama; a hand-grip, a signifi

ith civilisation. And really, if the worst come to the worst-but it's dangerous to joke about such things.' She touched lightly on the facts of her position. 'I'm afraid I have not been doing very much. Perhaps this is a fallow time with me; I may be gaining strength for great achievements. Unfortunately, I have a lazy companion. Miss Steinfeld (you kno

of the catastrophe in which she was involved told in her favour; possibly she excited much more interest than could ever have attached to her whilst her name was respected. There was new life in the thought. She wrote briefly to Dora Leach, giving an account of herself, which, though essentially misleading, was not composed in a spirit of conscious false

imes she spent the whole day in a dressing-gown, seated or reclining, with a book in her hand, or totally unoccupied. Sometimes the military bands in the public gardens tempted her to walk a little, or she strolled with Miss Steinfeld

ome, Alma went out alone one afternoon, purposing a trip by steam-tram to the gardens at Nymphenburg. She walked to the Stiglmeyerplatz, where the tram starts, and there stood waiting. A carriage drove past, with a sound of English voices, which drew her attention. She saw three children, a lady, and a gentleman. The last-me

uld not possibl

stopped for him to al

sed his pleasure at the meeting. 'You never met her. Her husband is in India, and you see me in

egant, a figure in society, who must necessarily regard her as banished from polite circles; and in her careless costume she fe

involuntary imitation of hauteur, made pathetic by

gart, and I happened to come over just in time to act as her courier on a journey to Salzburg. We got

' asked Alma, barely attentive to

rothingham was starting for the country, and I happened to be going to

humiliation of having been found standing in a public place, waiting for a tram-car. In Redgrave's manner no change was perceptible, unless, indeed, he spoke with more cordiality, which mus

trying to strike a light note. 'I'm a student now

my sister to speak to you; I knew you would dislike formalities. I'm afraid I was rather glad than otherwise to escape. We have been taking the children for a dr

y or two,' said Alma, more at her

; I might be able to pass your way, and I should so much like to have a talk with you-a real talk, about music and all sorts of things. Did I ever tell you of my little place at Riva, head of Lake

ege, and Alma without hesitation t

g too hard, I hope? I know you don't do things by halves. When I first heard you were

came elastic; she carried her head gallantly, a

d, bestowing a smile upon him. 'That's the first

I must say goodbye; that fellow yonder will take me back to the domesticities.' He h

tram for which she had been waiting passed by; she no longer cared to go out into the c

f speculation; just what she had desired, but had lost courage to believe. They expected great things of her; her personal popularity and her talents had prevailed against the most

pained more than it shamed her, and not a day passed but she sorrowed over the dishonour that darkened his memory. Yet were not these woes and disasters the beginning of a new life for her! In prosperity, what would she

reflect that, for all purposes of ambition, the past half-year h

d really I think I shall be obliged to go and live there again, for a time; so many things have to be seen to. It might be best, perhaps, if I took a small flat. I was going to say, however, that the last time I went up, I met Mr. Redgrave, and we had quite a long talk-about you. He was most sincerely interested in your future; indeed it quite surprised me, for I will confess that I had never ha

edgrave might not keep his promise of coming to see her at Bregenz, and in that event a ve

t; why, she was content t