"With the lovely voice? Oh! I should never know _her_ if I wished it." "You need not wish it; but even if you did, she would never become troublesome in any respect. She is too calm, too modest." "And pray, tell me, sir, is she to be a dancer too?" "No, oh, no! She will decidedly become one of the finest singers in England, but I believe she will not go upon the stage." "You call the theatre the stage, sir, don't you?" "Yes, in this instance." "But why won't she go upon the stage? Cannot she act?" "She does not think she is called to it by any special gift." "Did she say those words, sir?" "Those very words." "I thought she would just say them, sir. Does she know you very well?" "She is my own pupil." "Oh! out of the class, sir, I suppose?" "Yes, I teach her in my house." "Sir, I wish you taught me in your house." "I should say, too, that I wished it," answered Davy, sweetly; "but you have a sister to teach you at home, and Clara Benette has no one." "I should like to have no one--to teach me, I mean,--if you would teach me. If my mother said yes, would you, sir?" "For a little while I would with pleasure." "Why not long, sir? I mean, why only for a little while?" "Because there are others of whom you ought to learn, and _will_ learn, I am persuaded," he added, almost dreamingly, as he turned me to the moonlight, now overspread about us, and surveyed me seriously. "The little violin-face,--you know, Charles, I cannot be mistaken in those lines." "I would rather sing, sir." "Ah! that is because you have not tried anything else." "But, sir, _you_ sing." "I suppose that I must say, as Miss Benette does, 'I have a special gift' that way," replied Davy, laughing. "You have a special gift all the ways, I think, sir," I cried as I ran into our house. I told Millicent all he had said, except that Laura was to be a dancer; and yet I cannot tell why I left this out, for there was that about her fairly repelling me, and at the same time I felt as if exposed to some power through her, and could not restrain myself from a desire to see her again. Millicent told my mother all that I had said to _her_ the next morning at breakfast. My mother, who had as much worldliness as any of us, and that was just none, was mightily amused at my new interests. She could not make up her mind about the private lessons yet; she thought me too young, and that I had plenty of time before me,--at present the class was sufficient excitement, and gave me enough to do. Clo quite coincided here; she, if anything, thought it rather too much already, though a very good thing indeed. FOOTNOTE: