When Miss Etherington, as she was in those days, came for her first interview with the maestro (having arrived from a convent in France only a few days before), she was wearing a very tight-fitting dress of Stuart tartan, cut in the Princess style, which showed off her figure to advantage and drew attention to the nineteen-inch waist of which she was the proud possessor. Garcia raised his eyebrows when he saw his prospective pupil step forward from the group of girls who were waiting their turn to be heard. However, nothing was said until her song, an Italian "aria," had been brought to a close. Then came a pause, while Marie Tempest tremblingly awaited the verdict on her voice. At last the oracle spoke. "Thank you, Miss Etherington; will you please go home at once, take off that dress, rip off those stays, and let your waist out to at least twenty-five inches! When you have done so you may come back and sing to me, and I will tell you whether you have any voice." The assembled girls tittered audibly, and the unfortunate victim slunk out of the room with flaming cheeks. "He was quite right, though," Miss Tempest concluded; "no one can sing when laced in as tightly as that. I went home, and--well, I've never had a nineteen-inch waist since." The other episode concerned the Academy weekly concerts. Garcia generally had a pupil singing at these, and would sit in front, nodding, waving his hand, and generally doing his best to establish telepathic communication with the vocalists, that he might inspire them with his spirit. At one of these Marie Tempest was due to sing with orchestra an air from "Ernani," which had been carefully studied under her master. The conductor waved his hand and the aria was commenced. After a few bars Manuel Garcia began to fidget in his seat, then to frown, and to beat time with his feet. At last the veteran could stand it no longer. He rose from his seat, leapt on to the platform--approaching his eightieth year as he was,--and seized the baton from the conductor's hand, exclaiming, "Mon Dieu! you are ruining my pupil's song. I will conduct it myself." Shortly after this episode Miss Tempest, as a member of the operatic class, took part in a mixed performance which included an act from "Carmen" and another from the "Mock Doctor." Alberto Randegger was present at this, and came up to her afterwards, saying, "Miss Etherington, you must undoubtedly go on the stage." "After that," said Miss Tempest, "I seemed to be on the boards before I knew where I was." "The first piece in which I appeared was 'Boccacio,' at the Comedy Theatre; from that I went to the Opéra Comique for 'Fay o' Fire,' and then came 'Dorothy,' and--the rest." What a record it has been, that series of triumphs in light opera, concert, and comedy, thus dismissed with a smile and a characteristic shrug of the shoulders as--"the rest"! Another pupil of Garcia at the Academy about this time was Madame Agnes Larkcom.