第6章
whichtoldhowshehadwaitedforthismoment，repliedthat"Lilywasgoingtorecitetobeobliging，andtogiveotherchildrenachancetosing。"Asshedeliveredthisthrust，hereyesglitteredmorethantheAncientMariner’s，Theathought。Mrs。JohnsondisapprovedofthewayinwhichTheawasbeingbroughtup，ofachildwhosechosenassociateswereMexicansandsinners，andwhowas，asshepointedlyputit，"boldwithmen。"Shesoenjoyedanop—
portunitytorebukeThea，that，tightlycorsetedasshewas，shecouldscarcelycontrolherbreathing，andherlaceandhergoldwatchchainroseandfell"withshort，uneasymotion。"Frowning，Theaturnedawayandwalkedslowlyhomeward。Shesuspectedguile。LilyFisherwasthemoststuck—updollintheworld，anditwascertainlynotlikehertorecitetobeobliging。Nobodywhocouldsingeverrecited，becausethewarmestapplausealwayswenttothesingers。
However，whentheprogrammewasprintedintheMoon—
stoneGLEAM，thereitwas："Instrumentalsolo，TheaKronborg。Recitation，LilyFisher。"
Becausehisorchestrawastoplayfortheconcert，Mr。
Wunschimaginedthathehadbeenputinchargeofthemusic，andhebecamearrogant。HeinsistedthatTheashouldplaya"Ballade"byReinecke。WhenTheacon—
sultedhermother，Mrs。Kronborgagreedwithherthatthe"Ballade"would"nevertake"withaMoonstoneaudi—
ence。SheadvisedTheatoplay"somethingwithvaria—
tions，"or，atleast，"TheInvitationtotheDance。"
"Itmakesnomatterwhattheylike，"WunschrepliedtoThea’sentreaties。"Itistimealreadythattheylearnsomething。"
Thea’sfightingpowershadbeenimpairedbyanulcer—
atedtoothandconsequentlossofsleep，soshegavein。Shefinallyhadthemolarpulled，thoughitwasasecondtoothandshouldhavebeensaved。Thedentistwasaclumsy，ignorantcountryboy，andMr。KronborgwouldnothearofDr。Archie’stakingTheatoadentistinDenver，though
RayKennedysaidhecouldgetapassforher。Whatwiththepainofthetooth，andfamilydiscussionsaboutit，withtryingtomakeChristmaspresentsandtokeepupherschoolworkandpracticing，andgivinglessonsonSatur—
days，Theawasfairlywornout。
OnChristmasEveshewasnervousandexcited。Itwasthefirsttimeshehadeverplayedintheoperahouse，andshehadneverbeforehadtofacesomanypeople。
Wunschwouldnotletherplaywithhernotes，andshewasafraidofforgetting。Beforetheconcertbegan，allthepar—
ticipantshadtoassembleonthestageandsittheretobelookedat。Theaworeherwhitesummerdressandabluesash，butLilyFisherhadanewpinksilk，trimmedwithwhiteswansdown。
Thehallwaspacked。ItseemedasifeveryoneinMoon—
stonewasthere，evenMrs。Kohler，inherhood，andoldFritz。Theseatswerewoodenkitchenchairs，numbered，andnailedtolongplankswhichheldthemtogetherinrows。Asthefloorwasnotraised，thechairswereallonthesamelevel。Themoreinterestedpersonsintheaudiencepeeredovertheheadsofthepeopleinfrontofthemtogetagoodviewofthestage。FromtheplatformTheapickedoutmanyfriendlyfaces。TherewasDr。Archie，whoneverwenttochurchentertainments；therewasthefriendlyjewelerwhoorderedhermusicforher，——hesoldaccor—
dionsandguitarsaswellaswatches，——andthedruggistwhooftenlentherbooks，andherfavoriteteacherfromtheschool。TherewasRayKennedy，withapartyoffreshlybarberedrailroadmenhehadbroughtalongwithhim。
TherewasMrs。Kronborgwithallthechildren，evenThor，whohadbeenbroughtoutinanewwhiteplushcoat。AtthebackofthehallsatalittlegroupofMexicans，andamongthemTheacaughtthegleamofSpanishJohnny’swhiteteeth，andofMrs。Tellamantez’slustrous，smoothlycoiledblackhair。
Aftertheorchestraplayed"SelectionsfromErminie，"
andtheBaptistpreachermadealongprayer，TillieKron—
borgcameonwithahighlycoloredrecitation，"ThePolishBoy。"Whenitwasovereveryonebreathedmorefreely。
NocommitteehadthecouragetoleaveTillieoffapro—
gramme。Shewasacceptedasatryingfeatureofeveryentertainment。TheProgressiveEuchreClubwastheonlysocialorganizationinthetownthatentirelyescapedTillie。
AfterTilliesatdown，theLadies’Quartettesang，"Beloved，itisNight，"andthenitwasThea’sturn。
The"Ballade"tooktenminutes，whichwasfiveminutestoolong。Theaudiencegrewrestiveandfelltowhispering。
TheacouldhearMrs。LiveryJohnson’sbraceletsjanglingasshefannedherself，andshecouldhearherfather’snerv—
ous，ministerialcough。Thorbehavedbetterthananyoneelse。WhenTheabowedandreturnedtoherseatatthebackofthestagetherewastheusualapplause，butitwasvigorousonlyfromthebackofthehousewheretheMexi—
canssat，andfromRayKennedy’sCLAQUEURS。Anyonecouldseethatagood—naturedaudiencehadbeenbored。
BecauseMr。Kronborg’ssisterwasontheprogramme，ithadalsobeennecessarytoasktheBaptistpreacher’swife’scousintosing。Shewasa"deepalto"fromMcCook，andshesang，"ThySentinelAmI。"AfterhercameLilyFisher。Thea’srivalwasalsoablonde，butherhairwasmuchheavierthanThea’s，andfellinlongroundcurlsoverhershoulders。Shewastheangel—childoftheBaptists，andlookedexactlylikethebeautifulchildrenonsoapcalen—
dars。Herpink—and—whiteface，hersetsmileofinnocence，weresurelybornofacolor—press。Shehadlong，droopingeyelashes，alittlepursed—upmouth，andnarrow，pointedteeth，likeasquirrel’s。
Lilybegan：——
"ROCKOFAGES，CLEFTFORME，carelesslythemaidensang。"
Theadrewalongbreath。Thatwasthegame；itwasarecitationandasonginone。Lilytrailedthehymn
throughhalfadozenverseswithgreateffect。TheBaptistpreacherhadannouncedatthebeginningoftheconcertthat"owingtothelengthoftheprogramme，therewouldbenoencores。"ButtheapplausewhichfollowedLilytoherseatwassuchanunmistakableexpressionofenthusi—
asmthatTheahadtoadmitLilywasjustifiedingoingback。ShewasattendedthistimebyMrs。LiveryJohnsonherself，crimsonwithtriumphandgleaming—eyed，nerv—
ouslyrollingandunrollingasheetofmusic。ShetookoffherbraceletsandplayedLily’saccompaniment。Lilyhadtheeffronterytocomeoutwith，"ShesangthesongofHome，SweetHome，thesongthattouchedmyheart。"ButthisdidnotsurpriseThea；asRaysaidlaterintheevening，"thecardshadbeenstackedagainstherfromthebegin—
ning。"ThenextissueoftheGLEAMcorrectlystatedthat"unquestionablythehonorsoftheeveningmustbeac—
cordedtoMissLilyFisher。"TheBaptistshadeverythingtheirownway。
AftertheconcertRayKennedyjoinedtheKronborgs’
partyandwalkedhomewiththem。Theawasgratefulforhissilentsympathy，evenwhileitirritatedher。Shein—
wardlyvowedthatshewouldnevertakeanotherlessonfromoldWunsch。Shewishedthatherfatherwouldnotkeepcheerfullysinging，"WhenShepherdsWatched，"ashemarchedahead，carryingThor。ShefeltthatsilencewouldbecometheKronborgsforawhile。Asafamily，theysomehowseemedalittleridiculous，troopingalonginthestarlight。Thereweresomanyofthem，foronething。
ThenTilliewassoabsurd。ShewasgigglingandtalkingtoAnnajustasifshehadnotmade，asevenMrs。Kronborgadmitted，anexhibitionofherself。
Whentheygothome，RaytookaboxfromhisovercoatpocketandslippeditintoThea’shandashesaidgood—
night。Theyallhurriedintotheglowingstoveintheparlor。Thesleepychildrenweresenttobed。Mrs。Kron—
borgandAnnastayeduptofillthestockings。
"Iguessyou’retired，Thea。Youneedn’tstayup。"
Mrs。Kronborg’sclearandseeminglyindifferenteyeusu—
allymeasuredTheaprettyaccurately。
Theahesitated。Sheglancedatthepresentslaidoutonthedining—roomtable，buttheylookedunattractive。EventhebrownplushmonkeyshehadboughtforThorwithsuchenthusiasmseemedtohavelosthiswiseandhumorousexpression。Shemurmured，"Allright，"tohermother，litherlantern，andwentupstairs。
Ray’sboxcontainedahand—paintedwhitesatinfan，withpondlilies——anunfortunatereminder。Theasmiledgrimlyandtosseditintoherupperdrawer。Shewasnottobeconsoledbytoys。Sheundressedquicklyandstoodforsometimeinthecold，frowninginthebrokenlooking—
glassatherflaxenpig—tails，atherwhiteneckandarms。
Herownbroad，resolutefacesetitschinather，hereyesflashedintoherowndefiantly。LilyFisherwaspretty，andshewaswillingtobejustasbigafoolaspeoplewantedhertobe。Verywell；TheaKronborgwasn’t。Shewouldratherbehatedthanbestupid，anyday。Shepoppedintobedandreadstubbornlyataqueerpaperbookthedrug—storemanhadgivenherbecausehecouldn’tsellit。Shehadtrainedherselftoputhermindonwhatshewasdoing，otherwiseshewouldhavecometogriefwithhercomplicateddailyschedule。Sheread，asintentlyasifshehadnotbeenflushedwithanger，thestrange"MusicalMemories"oftheReverendH。R。Haweis。Atlastsheblewoutthelan—
ternandwenttosleep。Shehadmanycuriousdreamsthatnight。InoneofthemMrs。TellamantezheldhershelltoThea’sear，andsheheardtheroaring，asbefore，anddis—
tantvoicescalling，"LilyFisher！LilyFisher！"
IX
Mr。KronborgconsideredTheaaremarkablechild；
butsowereallhischildrenremarkable。Ifoneofthebusinessmendowntownremarkedtohimthathe"hadamightybrightlittlegirl，there，"headmittedit，andatoncebegantoexplainwhata"longheadforbusiness"
hissonGushad，orthatCharleywas"anaturalelectri—
cian，"andhadputinatelephonefromthehousetothepreacher’sstudybehindthechurch。
Mrs。Kronborgwatchedherdaughterthoughtfully。Shefoundhermoreinterestingthanherotherchildren，andshetookhermoreseriously，withoutthinkingmuchaboutwhyshedidso。Theotherchildrenhadtobeguided，di—
rected，keptfromconflictingwithoneanother。CharleyandGuswerelikelytowantthesamething，andtoquarrelaboutit。Annaoftendemandedunreasonableservicefromherolderbrothers；thattheyshouldsitupuntilaftermid—
nighttobringherhomefrompartieswhenshedidnotliketheyouthwhohadofferedhimselfasherescort；orthattheyshoulddrivetwelvemilesintothecountry，onawinternight，totakehertoaranchdance，aftertheyhadbeenworkinghardallday。Gunneroftengotboredwithhisownclothesorstiltsorsled，andwantedAxel’s。ButThea，fromthetimeshewasalittlething，hadherownroutine。Shekeptoutofeveryone’sway，andwashardtomanageonlywhentheotherchildreninterferedwithher。Thentherewastroubleindeed：burstsoftemperwhichusedtoalarmMrs。Kronborg。"YououghttoknowenoughtoletTheaalone。Sheletsyoualone，"sheoftensaidtotheotherchildren。
Onemayhavestaunchfriendsinone’sownfamily，butoneseldomhasadmirers。Thea，however，hadoneinthe
personofheraddle—patedaunt，TillieKronborg。Inoldercountries，wheredressandopinionsandmannersarenotsothoroughlystandardizedasinourownWest，thereisabeliefthatpeoplewhoarefoolishaboutthemoreobviousthingsoflifeareapttohavepeculiarinsightintowhatliesbeyondtheobvious。Theoldwomanwhocanneverlearnnottoputthekerosenecanonthestove，mayyetbeabletotellfortunes，topersuadeabackwardchildtogrow，tocurewarts，ortotellpeoplewhattodowithayounggirlwhohasgonemelancholy。Tillie’smindwasacuriousmachine；whenshewasawakeitwentroundlikeawheelwhenthebelthasslippedoff，andwhenshewasasleepshedreamedfollies。Butshehadintuitions。Sheknew，forinstance，thatTheawasdifferentfromtheotherKron—
borgs，worthythoughtheyallwere。Herromanticim—
aginationfoundpossibilitiesinherniece。Whenshewassweepingorironing，orturningtheice—creamfreezeratafuriousrate，sheoftenbuiltupbrilliantfuturesforThea，adaptingfreelythelatestnovelshehadread。
Tilliemadeenemiesforhernieceamongthechurchpeoplebecause，atsewingsocietiesandchurchsuppers，shesometimesspokevauntingly，withatossofherhead，justasifThea’s"wonderfulness"wereanacceptedfactinMoonstone，likeMrs。Archie’sstinginess，orMrs。LiveryJohnson’sduplicity。Peopledeclaredthat，onthissubject，Tilliemadethemtired。
Tilliebelongedtoadramaticclubthatonceayearper—
formedintheMoonstoneOperaHousesuchplaysas"AmongtheBreakers，"and"TheVeteranof1812。"Tillieplayedcharacterparts，theflirtatiousoldmaidorthespitefulINTRIGANTE。Sheusedtostudyherpartsupintheatticathome。Whileshewascommittingthelines，shegotGunnerorAnnatoholdthebookforher，butwhenshebegan"tobringouttheexpression，"asshesaid，sheused，verytimorously，toaskTheatoholdthebook。
Theawasusually——notalways——agreeableaboutit。Her
motherhadtoldherthat，sinceshehadsomeinfluencewithTillie，itwouldbeagoodthingforthemallifshecouldtoneherdownashadeand"keepherfromtakingonanyworsethanneedbe。"TheawouldsitonthefootofTillie’sbed，herfeettuckedunderher，andstareatthesillytext。
"Iwouldn’tmakesomuchfuss，there，Tillie，"shewouldremarkoccasionally；"Idon’tseethepointinit"；or，"Whatdoyoupitchyourvoicesohighfor？Itdon’tcarryhalfaswell。"
"Idon’tseehowitcomesTheaissopatientwithTil—
lie，"Mrs。Kronborgmorethanonceremarkedtoherhus—
band。"Sheain’tpatientwithmostpeople，butitseemslikeshe’sgotapeculiarpatienceforTillie。"
TilliealwayscoaxedTheatogo"behindthescenes"
withherwhentheclubpresentedaplay，andhelpherwithhermake—up。Theahatedit，butshealwayswent。Shefeltasifshehadtodoit。TherewassomethinginTillie’sadorationofherthatcompelledher。TherewasnofamilyimproprietythatTheawassomuchashamedofasTillie’s"acting"andyetshewasalwaysbeingdraggedintoassisther。Tilliesimplyhadher，there。Shedidn’tknowwhy，butitwasso。TherewasastringinhersomewherethatTilliecouldpull；asenseofobligationtoTillie’smisguidedaspirations。Thesaloon—keepershadsomesuchfeelingofresponsibilitytowardSpanishJohnny。
ThedramaticclubwastheprideofTillie’sheart，andherenthusiasmwastheprincipalfactorinkeepingittogether。
Sickorwell，Tilliealwaysattendedrehearsals，andwasalwaysurgingtheyoungpeople，whotookrehearsalslightly，to"stopfoolingandbeginnow。"Theyoungmen——bankclerks，groceryclerks，insuranceagents——playedtricks，laughedatTillie，and"putituponeachother"
aboutseeingherhome；buttheyoftenwenttotiresomerehearsalsjusttoobligeher。Theyweregood—naturedyoungfellows。Theirtrainerandstage—managerwasyoungUpping，thejewelerwhoorderedThea’smusicforher。
Thoughbarelythirty，hehadfollowedhalfadozenpro—
fessions，andhadoncebeenaviolinistintheorchestraoftheAndrewsOperaCompany，thenwellknowninlittletownsthroughoutColoradoandNebraska。
ByoneamazingindiscretionTillieverynearlylostherholdupontheMoonstoneDramaClub。Theclubhadde—
cidedtoputon"TheDrummerBoyofShiloh，"averyambitiousundertakingbecauseofthemanysupersneededandthescenicdifficultiesoftheactwhichtookplaceinAndersonvillePrison。ThemembersoftheclubconsultedtogetherinTillie’sabsenceastowhoshouldplaythepartofthedrummerboy。Itmustbetakenbyaveryyoungperson，andvillageboysofthatageareself—consciousandarenotaptatmemorizing。Thepartwasalongone，andclearlyitmustbegiventoagirl。SomemembersoftheclubsuggestedTheaKronborg，othersadvocatedLilyFisher。Lily’spartisansurgedthatshewasmuchprettierthanThea，andhadamuch"sweeterdisposition。"No—
bodydeniedthesefacts。ButtherewasnothingintheleastboyishaboutLily，andshesangallsongsandplayedallpartsalike。Lily’ssimperwaspopular，butitseemednotquitetherightthingfortheheroicdrummerboy。
Upping，thetrainer，talkedtooneandanother："Lily’sallrightforgirlparts，"heinsisted，"butyou’vegottogetagirlwithsomegingerinherforthis。Thea’sgotthevoice，too。Whenshesings，`JustBeforetheBattle，Mother，’she’llbringdownthehouse。"
Whenallthemembersoftheclubhadbeenprivatelyconsulted，theyannouncedtheirdecisiontoTillieatthefirstregularmeetingthatwascalledtocasttheparts。
TheyexpectedTillietobeovercomewithjoy，but，onthecontrary，sheseemedembarrassed。"I’mafraidTheahasn’tgottimeforthat，"shesaidjerkily。"Sheisalwayssobusywithhermusic。Guessyou’llhavetogetsomebodyelse。"
Theclublifteditseyebrows。SeveralofLilyFisher’s
friendscoughed。Mr。Uppingflushed。ThestoutwomanwhoalwaysplayedtheinjuredwifecalledTillie’sattentiontothefactthatthiswouldbeafineopportunityforherniecetoshowwhatshecoulddo。Hertonewasconde—
scending。
Tilliethrewupherheadandlaughed；therewassome—
thingsharpandwildaboutTillie’slaugh——whenitwasnotagiggle。"Oh，IguessTheahasn’tgottimetodoanyshowingoff。Hertimetoshowoffain’tcomeyet。Iexpectshe’llmakeusallsitupwhenitdoes。Nouseaskinghertotakethepart。She’dturnhernoseupatit。Iguessthey’dbegladtogetherintheDenverDramatics，iftheycould。"
Thecompanybrokeupintogroupsandexpressedtheiramazement。OfcourseallSwedeswereconceited，buttheywouldneverhavebelievedthatalltheconceitofalltheSwedesputtogetherwouldreachsuchapitchasthis。
TheyconfidedtoeachotherthatTilliewas"justalittleoff，onthesubjectofherniece，"andagreedthatitwouldbeaswellnottoexciteherfurther。Tilliegotacoldreceptionatrehearsalsforalongwhileafterward，andTheahadacropofnewenemieswithoutevenknowingit。
X
WunschandoldFritzandSpanishJohnnycele—
bratedChristmastogether，soriotouslythatWunschwasunabletogiveTheaherlessonthenextday。
InthemiddleofthevacationweekTheawenttotheKohl—
ers’throughasoft，beautifulsnowstorm。Theairwasatenderblue—gray，likethecoloronthedovesthatflewinandoutofthewhitedove—houseonthepostintheKohl—
ers’garden。Thesandhillslookeddimandsleepy。Thetamariskhedgewasfullofsnow，likeafoamofblossomsdriftedoverit。WhenTheaopenedthegate，oldMrs。
Kohlerwasjustcominginfromthechickenyard，withfivefresheggsinherapronandapairofoldtop—bootsonherfeet。ShecalledTheatocomeandlookatabantamegg，whichsheheldupproudly。Herbantamhenswereremissinzeal，andshewasalwaysdelightedwhentheyaccom—
plishedanything。ShetookTheaintothesitting—room，verywarmandsmellingoffood，andbroughtheraplatefuloflittleChristmascakes，madeaccordingtooldandhal—
lowedformulae，andputthembeforeherwhileshewarmedherfeet。Thenshewenttothedoorofthekitchenstairsandcalled："HerrWunsch，HerrWunsch！"
Wunschcamedownwearinganoldwaddedjacket，withavelvetcollar。Thebrownsilkwassowornthatthewad—
dingstuckoutalmosteverywhere。HeavoidedThea’seyeswhenhecamein，noddedwithoutspeaking，andpointeddirectlytothepianostool。Hewasnotsoinsistentuponthescalesasusual，andthroughoutthelittlesonataofMozart’sshewasstudying，heremainedlanguidandabsent—minded。Hiseyeslookedveryheavy，andhekeptwipingthemwithoneofthenewsilkhandkerchiefsMrs。
KohlerhadgivenhimforChristmas。Whenthelessonwas
overhedidnotseeminclinedtotalk。Thea，loiteringonthestool，reachedforatatteredbookshehadtakenoffthemusic—restwhenshesatdown。ItwasaveryoldLeipsiceditionofthepianoscoreofGluck’s"Orpheus。"Sheturnedoverthepagescuriously。
"Isitnice？"sheasked。
"Itisthemostbeautifuloperaevermade，"Wunschde—
claredsolemnly。"Youknowthestory，eh？How，whenshedie，Orpheuswentdownbelowforhiswife？"
"Oh，yes，Iknow。Ididn’tknowtherewasanoperaaboutit，though。Dopeoplesingthisnow？"
"ABERJA！Whatelse？Youliketotry？See。"Hedrewherfromthestoolandsatdownatthepiano。Turningovertheleavestothethirdact，hehandedthescoretoThea。
"Listen，IplayitthroughandyougettheRHYTHMUS。EINS，ZWEI，DREI，VIER。"HeplayedthroughOrpheus’lament，thenpushedbackhiscuffswithawakeninginterestandnoddedatThea。"Now，VOMBLATT，MITMIR。"
"ACH，ICHHABESIEVERLOREN，ALL’MEINGLUCKISTNUNDAHIN。"
Wunschsangtheariawithmuchfeeling。Itwasevidentlyonethatwasverydeartohim。
"NOCHEINMAL，alone，yourself。"Heplayedtheintro—
ductorymeasures，thennoddedathervehemently，andshebegan：——
"ACH，ICHHABESIEVERLOREN。"
Whenshefinished，Wunschnoddedagain。"SCHON，"hemutteredashefinishedtheaccompanimentsoftly。HedroppedhishandsonhiskneesandlookedupatThea。
"Thatisveryfine，eh？Thereisnosuchbeautifulmelodyintheworld。Youcantakethebookforoneweekandlearnsomething，topassthetime。Itisgoodtoknow——always。
EURIDICE，EU——RI——DI——CE，WEHDASSICHAUFERDENBIN！"hesangsoftly，playingthemelodywithhisrighthand。
Thea，whowasturningoverthepagesofthethirdact，
stoppedandscowledatapassage。TheoldGerman’sblurredeyeswatchedhercuriously。
"Forwhatdoyoulookso，IMMER？"puckeringuphisownface。"Youseesomethingalittledifficult，may—be，andyoumakesuchafacelikeitwasanenemy。"
Thealaughed，disconcerted。"Well，difficultthingsareenemies，aren’tthey？Whenyouhavetogetthem？"
Wunschloweredhisheadandthrewitupasifhewerebuttingsomething。"Notatall！Bynomeans。"Hetookthebookfromherandlookedatit。"Yes，thatisnotsoeasy，there。Thisisanoldbook。Theydonotprintitsonowanymore，Ithink。Theyleaveitout，may—be。Onlyonewomancouldsingthatgood。"
Thealookedathiminperplexity。
Wunschwenton。"Itiswrittenforalto，yousee。A
womansingsthepart，andtherewasonlyonetosingthatgoodinthere。Youunderstand？Onlyone！"Heglancedatherquicklyandliftedhisredforefingeruprightbeforehereyes。
Thealookedatthefingerasifshewerehypnotized。
"Onlyone？"sheaskedbreathlessly；herhands，hangingathersides，wereopeningandshuttingrapidly。
Wunschnoddedandstillheldupthatcompellingfinger。
Whenhedroppedhishands，therewasalookofsatisfac—
tioninhisface。
"Wassheverygreat？"
Wunschnodded。
"Wasshebeautiful？"
"ABERGARNICHT！Notatall。Shewasugly；bigmouth，bigteeth，nofigure，nothingatall，"indicatingaluxuriantbosombysweepinghishandsoverhischest。"Apole，apost！Butforthevoice——ACH！Shehavesomethinginthere，behindtheeyes，"tappinghistemples。
Theafollowedallhisgesticulationsintently。"WassheGerman？"
"No，SPANISCH。"Helookeddownandfrownedfora
moment。"ACH，Itellyou，shelookliketheFrauTella—
mantez，some—thing。Longface，longchin，anduglyal—so。"
"Didshediealongwhileago？"
"Die？Ithinknot。Ineverhear，anyhow。Iguesssheisalivesomewhereintheworld；Paris，may—be。Butold，ofcourse。IhearherwhenIwasayouth。Sheistoooldtosingnowanymore。"