A Nest of Linnets

ession. In short, she was disappointed with herself for awaking in disappointment. She should have felt gladness, only gladness, to think that the brother, who had ever been so dear to

should have produced

r happy. What more than this could she need? If he returned to her side safe and well, what could anything else matter? There was nothing else in the world of sufficient importance in comparison with

se with her. But from the moment that he had taken his violin out of its baize bag-he had nursed the instrument on his knees, as a mother carries her baby, during the entire journey from Italy-from the moment that she had

usic with the passionate devotion of a lover, while to her he could only give the cold, calculable affection of a brother. She felt all the sting of jealousy which an affectionate sister feels when her brother,

. But then it was her possession of this very sensitiveness that caused her to shrink from an audience. It was with real terror that she faced the thousands of people whom her singing delighted. The reflection that her singing delighted every one who heard her gave her no pleasure, and the tumult of applause which greeted her gave her no exultation; it

the matter was, that although without this sensitiveness she would never have been able to move the heart

this creature the divinest voice that ever made a mortal a little lower than the angels, and at the same time decree

ever painted by the hand of man. If the face of Miss Linley in Gainsborough's picture is divine, the face of Sir Joshua's

nature as hers, and she had this fact impressed upon her every day. He would tell her what Handel meant to accomplish in certain of his numbers, and she would listen as in a dream, and then sing the number in her own way, going to the very soul

pression that this daughter, whom he had taught the rudiments of his art, knew a great deal more about it than he did; and he only recovered his position as her master by pointing out her technical

lute to it. But the nightingale sang, in spite of his instruction; the nightingale sang, san

range light in his eyes she knew that she had nothing to hope for from him. And now she was putting on her clothes to begin another day which should be as all the weary days which had gone before-a day of t

ir falling over her shoulders, she heard the strains of her brother's violin floating from the room be

Joshua Reynolds, keeping the whole family in fits of laughter at Dr. Johnson's polysyllabic references to the industry of the spider, and then bringing tears to their eyes at his picture of the heartlessness of allowing a grey-haired spider to be cast upon the world in its declining years. Of course the children appreciated the ludicrous mistakes made by Sir Joshua, whose infirmity of deafness caused him to assume that Johnson had said exactly the opposite to w

upreme perfection that he displayed in the tragedy of Hamlet. Even Tom Linley, who was inclined to be coldly critical of such buffoonery, soon became aware of the difference betw

e difficulties which sent him to France. It seems that his chief creditor in Dublin actually petitioned the court to grant Tom exemption from any liability to pay what he owes. Is not th

mlet is superior to yours, Mr. Gar

, for he could persuade no one else in the world of it. Just now he was trying to persuade me t

unusual sparkle in them. He did not need to look at the girl again. He had learned enough to make him certain that she was interested in at least one of the Sheridan family. But he was left wondering which of them it was that interested her. He had sufficient experience of the world, a

ed in persuading

er father than Tom Sheridan that knows his own sons," said Garrick, giving another glance round the circle. This time

ive time to the consideration of what

n is the handmaid to elocution. He has morning prayer in his house, not only because he is a good Churchman, but because he is

. "By giving headlines of notable virtue, they inc

wo birds with the on

rs in his elocution-- Pray note that I say "errors," not "errurs"-and the only wonder is that any educated audience can follow the fellow. You perceive that I say "follow the fellow," not "folly the feller,"-to be sure, it is folly to follow the fellow, but that is a matter of taste, not truth. You mark me, Richard?' 'Faith, sir,' says Richard, 'I am thinking more of swallowing than of following at the present moment; but if you begin upon the rashers, I promise you that I shall follow and say in the purest English, "For these and all Thy mercies, make us to be truly thankful."' Thereat brother Charles shakes his head, and says, 'You were remarking, sir, that the English are most careless over their quantities.' 'That is because they have not had the privilege of being born Irishmen,' says Dick; 'but we

he circle. This magician carried them at will from world to world. They were powerless befor

long silence followed in the room. "'Tis a doubtful privilege

those of an angel-that he brings us food, in the strength of which we can face t

a genius have the qualities which have been ascribed to those of an angel. Now we shall begin our

ave been Mr. Foo

her. "Mr. Foote makes us laugh, and leaves us laughing

the lesso

her seemed especially exacting on this morning, but he was not so in reality; it was only that Betsy felt more weary of the constant references to the technicalities which her fine feeling now

e part of an air from Orféo, more a slave to precision than was her father. She had had some hope of Tom when he had begun to improvise that mysterious accompaniment to her singing on the previous evening. Surely any one who could so give himself up to his imagination a

njoyed only by a player on the violin, and that it would be the grossest presumption on the part of a vocalist

house in Pierrepont Street. Among them there was an elderly gentle

Betsy were alone, the former, after refe

gentleman whom yo

lar; that is why I am goi