The Splendid Folly

and scraps of paper on his way and making them a torment to the passers-by, just as thou

e a tornado for a matter of fifty yards or so he paused, as if in search of some fresh devilment, and espied a girl beating her way up the street and carrying a roll of music rather loosely in the crook of

pursuit, while a small greengrocer's boy, whose time was his

t a tall man, who was rapidly advancing from the opposite direction, seeing the girl's predicament, came to her help and headed off the truant sheets. Within a few moments the combined efforts of the girl, the man, and the greengrocer

ained quite grave and unsmiling, exactly as though its owner had not been engaged, only two minutes before, in a wild

ercing quality which seems to read right into the secret places of one's mind. The features were clear-cut-straight nose, sq

rl fal

much," she mur

wept her from head to foot in

have been of servic

swiftly down the street, leaving her staring surprisedly

sly acknowledged her distinctly charming personality, but this one had marched away with uncompromising haste and as unconcernedly

ame back to her with a suddenly sobering effect and she hastened on her way up the street, pausing at last at No.

nels seemed to stare at her forbiddingly. She stared back at them, her heart sinking ever lower and lower the while, for behind those repellent portals dwelt the grea

only to descend the white-washed steps a brief hour later with the knowledge that from the standpoint of the musical profession the

. This was a bad preparation for the coming interview, and with an irritation born of despair she pressed the bell-button t

rvant, with the face of

ed, then, moistening her l

or Ba

, and Diana could well imagine how inexorably the grea

mered. "For three o'clo

later she found herself following him through a narrow hall to the door of

e door and announced her name, an

ally Italian in appearance; indeed, his big frame and finely-shaped head with its massive, Beethoven brow reminded one forcibly of the fact that his mother had been of German origin. But the heavy-lidded, prominent eyes, neither brown nor hazel but a mixture of the two, and the sallow skin and long, mobile lips-these were unmistakably It

still continuing to play with one hand, ges

he said, speaking with a strong, foreign acc

ry had interrupted-"we will haf this through once mor

e voice declaimed that reverently, and from a great way off, he venture

s singing seemed so finished, the fervour of his passion was so vehemently rendered, that she humbly wond

he singer with such an eloquent mixture of disgust and bitter contemp

ms and most furious reproofs were always delivered in a low, half-whispering tone that fairly seared the victim. "That is your idea, then-to shout, and yell, and bellow your love like a caged bull? When will you learn that music is not noise, and that l

foot to the other. With a swift motion Baroni swept up the music f

re a voice-just a voice-and nothing more. You will

st Diana, overcome with sympathy and horror at his abrupt dismiss

sked suddenly round, and following the young m

t time and we will go through it again. But do not be discouraged-no, for ther

pushed the young man affectionately through

a breathed a sigh of relief, and, looking up, found Sign

e said placidly. "But no. He is like iron

ity. She glanced anxiously at Baroni to see if he had resented her remark, only to find

all get on. And now-who are you? I do not remember names"-with a terrific roll

more overpowering her as she realised that the moment of he

k from his table, turning over th

ne-my old pupil sent you. She has

a no

m her, and she hoped that possib

actual presence of the great man himself, seemed n

e was a story told of him that, on one occasion, a girl with an exceptionally fine voice had been brought to him, some wealthy patroness having promised to defray the expenses of her training if Baroni would accept her as a pupil. Unfortunately, the girl was distinctly plain, wi

me, she is of an ugliness! And I cannot teach ugly peo

hair, was as vivid as a flower-its clear pallor serving but to emphasise the beauty of the straight, dark brows and of the scarlet mouth with its ridiculously short upper-lip. Her eyes were of that peculia

artist nature-all these, and more, Baroni's experienced eye read in Diana's upt

said non-committally. "I

ed to seek refuge in immediate flight rather than remain to face

s by turning on her with the lightning-like change of mood

gs?" He held out his hand

rough the roll of mus

ting himself at the piano-"open your

tedly while he made the notes speak, and sing, and melt into each other with his short

hen. B

her throat had suddenly closed up, and only a faint, quavering n

stopped

her shoulder. "But do not be frightened, my dear. You haf a pree-ty f

en more angry at Baroni's speech, in which she sensed a suggestion of the

ce!" she broke out, passionately.

her mouth-and her throat with it this time?-and let out th

pages of the song, and turning on his st

passionately. "It is certa

t the brief speech, that she felt she would have been eternally grateful now could she on

the maestro. "This that sounds like the rumblings of a sub

ng way beneath her, sank into the nearest ch

t take me as a pupil

not hear her, for

your time, and she will rob you of your pleasures, and for her sake you will haf to take care of your body-to guard your physical health-as tho

stonishment. "If my voice is no

in a man of his size and bulk. "Gran Dio! No good, did you say? But, my child, you haf a voice of go

y to the door an

came hurrying downstairs in answer to his call. "Signora Evanci, my sister," he said, nodding to Diana. "This, Giulia, is a new pupil, and I

i testing the full compass of her voice until q

ra Evanci, began talking to her in an excited jumble of Engl

compass which will grow beeger yet. . .

é. She was a comfortable feather-bed of a woman, whose mission in life it seemed to be to fend off from her brother all sharp corners, and

dulgently. "To bee-gin with, you will put away all your songs-every one. There will be nothing but exercises for months yet. And you will come for your first lesson on Thursday. Mondays and Thursdays I will teach you, but you m

aken to the disappointing reality of things. Hardly able to believe the evidence of her senses, she found herself once again in the narrow hall, shepher

Mees Quentin. But you will play for her-many times yet." Then, turning to Dia

ter-looking mouth that hardly troubled itself to smile in salutation, and, above all, of a pair of queer green eyes, which,

old aloofness in her bearing-a something defiantly repellent-which filled Diana with a sudden

on her ears, and the dis

singing-bird. On Thur

-the dark, satirical face of Olga Lermontof-and Diana found herself once agai