The Splendid Folly

unmistakable ill-humour this morning, and he had detained the pupil whose lesson preceded her own far beyond the allotted tim

ial study of oratorio-and that it was profanation, for any one with so incalculably little idea of the very first principles of art to attempt to in

welcomed her with a smile. "I am seek of that young man with his voice of an archangel and his brains o

atically, fondly hoping to pave the way for more lenient treatm

onally treats us. Baroni frankly detested cold weather-it upset both his nerves and his tempe

nded Baroni, an

ly, but at the end of the

e-r-r-rump . . . be-r-r-rump . . . be-r-r-rump . . .

e was genuinely out of practice, and the nervousness with whic

his odd, husky voice fierce with annoyance. "There is no ease--no flexibility. Y

with a swift change to a more

ens' Amour, viens aider. Perhap

happy Joan stumbling through the accompaniment. She began to sing, her mind occupied with quite other matters than Delilah's passion of vengeanc

s Quentin," he said scathingly. "

by the biting scorn in his tones, she made a gallant effort to throw herself more effectually into the song, but the memory of Errington's grave, intent

i was on his feet, lite

y has the good God given you eyes and a mouth? That they may express no

raight at her, and the two of them stood glaring at each other for a few moments in silence.

that

coolly, her small f

ly threw the n

ever, in their opinion, to be regarded from much the same viewpoint as a thunderbolt, and that any one of his pupils should dare to defy him was unheard-of. In the same situation as that in which Diana found herself,

," repeated B

You threw it there, and you can pick it up. I'm going home."

n Baroni's eyes. With unaccustom

ot, come back, then, and we

d and stood

up that music?" she d

ecause it is true that professors should not throw music at their pupils, n

d, immediate

y. "I was being abominably inattenti

and obstinate when she thought she was wronged and unjustly trea

d her hand a

s-grained, ugly old man, a

mazement of the other two pupils, at the sa

back at her

at one, as master and pupi

, amusement

you are about to accomplish. Can you not picture her to yourself-beautiful, sinister, like a snake that winds itself about the body"-his

or the moment of all else except Delilah's passionate thirst for vengeance, she sang with her whole soul, so that

intelligence allied to the voice of

had been softly unlatched from outside and held ajar, and now, just as Diana was somewhat blushingly extr

nced with outstretched hands,

nt, Mees de Gervais, to hear this pupil of mine who

e Gervais

g, Baroni. She has

pleasantly-"we are nei

where we have just ta

bl

iling," replied Dia

ing outside a cottage, and singing to yourself. I noticed the quali

, with placid cont

ck to Diana with a

Miss Quentin, we ought to be friends in

at her house she might again encounter Errington. And though Diana told herself that he was nothing to her-in fact, that she disliked him rather than ot

o come very much

a with me to-morrow-no

e say T

ich Diana took to be Russian. Baroni replied in the same language, frowningly, and although she could not understand the tenor

Gervais and with Errington, and at her next lesson she ventured to comment on the for

, 'The Grey Gown,' and I haf always coached her in her song

nged to see Max Errington again, she felt that the first meeting after that last episode of t

und the actress and her chaperon the only occupants of the f

been longing to meet you, Miss Quentin. Adrienne calls you the 'girl with

the conversation then drifted naturally to Crailing and to the lucky chance which had brought Errington past Culver Point the day Diana was marooned there,

nne l

n's. He declared he was not satisfied about something in the staging of 'The Grey Gown,' and of course we must needs all rush up to town

elderly person like me from one end of England to the other ju

o Diana that to both these women Max Errington's word was l

little place, and I am going to regard Red Gables as a haven of refuge from the storms of professiona

d out from amongst her songs one or two which were known to Diana, a

reparing to leave, a maid thr

Errin

nd of his voice, as he greeted Adrienne and Mrs. Ad

Adrienne was speaking to her. "Max, here is Miss Qu

r had even laughingly declared it her firm belief that his journey to town the next day partook more of the nature of flight than anything else. To all of which Errington had submitted co

na, but he betrayed no pleasure at seeing her again. His face showed nothi

u sing, I'm afraid," he said, shaking hands. "

" she answered. "I ha

er day, and it was th

vai

ntercepted a swift gla

ien

arse my song in 'The Grey Gown' with him. He wa

iled in

s de Gervais," she observed, "you can p

rienne, laughing. "Every one s

ied Diana, wi

ould have thought he would have found it somewha

d the familiar flavour of

ntly found it perfectly sim

he indulged in upon the subject of your voice after

ice to him-nothing

ing on earth," observed Errington. "I believe he would imperil hi

rienne. "You talk as if he we

is conscience assumes the form of sheer idolatry. I believe

ing, and again Diana thought she detected a glance of mutu

come to see Miss de Gervais about some business matter in connection with the play he had written, and was only awaiting her departure to discuss it.

ame, and at the first opportunity she rose to go. This time, Adrienne made no e

outcome of her meeting with Max Errington. It had been so utterly different from anything she had expected

the circumstances demanded. But, notwithstanding the assurance she gave herself that this was the common-sense view to take of the matter, she had an instinctive feeling that, even had there been no one else to consider, Errington's manner wou

merely a chance incident in this world where one amuses oneself as occasion offers. Presumably he feared that, not being a woman of

shouldn't allow myself to become too interested in him, if I were you." Surely she had intended thi

in the future; she had learned her less