Yes, he would leave Tishy to Georgy; all but her
voice; in that, as an artist, he still retained an interest, the
interest of the _impresario_, whose search for stars is as
absorbing as is that of the astronomer in pursuits of new worlds.
The passion and energy of the promoter are, it may be supposed, born
in human beings in a certain proportion to those who are to become
their victims. In Larry, both qualities were highly developed, and in
no way did he prove the genuineness of his heaven-given _flair_
more surely than in his discovery and annexation of Christian, as that
rare and precious thing, a sympathetic and capable accompanist.
But although the thought of dwelling upon this and other of the
details of the Cluhir concert, is appealing, it must be dismissed. So
much has already been said in the hope that some further indications
as to the character and conduct of some of our young friends may have
been deduced; but now, certain glossings upon the household of Mount
Music must be inflicted, since it is with it, rather than with the
capabilities of young Mr. Coppinger's troupe, that we are mainly
occupied.
It is not easy to say whether the process of emergence from the sheath
of childhood, a condition that has characteristics more or less common
to us all, is more interesting to feel than to observe. In Christian's
case, the interest was felt exclusively by herself, her family being
healthily absorbed in the conjugation of the three primary verbs, to
be, to do, and to have, in relation, exclusively, to themselves, and
that merely from the skin outwards. Soul-processes and developments
were unknown to them in life, and were negligible in books. Lady
Isabel pursued her blameless way, doing nothing in particular,
diligently and unpunctually, and spending much time in writing long
and loving letters to those of her family who were no longer beneath
her wing, in that particular type of large loose handwriting whose
indefinite spikes stab to the heart any hope of literary interest. Who
shall say that she did not do her duty according to her lights? But
she was certainly quite unconscious of such matters as soul-processes.
Alone of the Mount Music children, Christian was aware of an inner
personality to be considered, some spirit that heard and responded to
those voices and intimations that, as a little child, she had accepted
as a commonplace of every day. By the time that she was sixteen the
voices had been discouraged, if not stilled, their intimations dulled;
but she had discovered her soul, and had discovered also, that it had
been born on the farther side of the river of life from the souls of
her brethren, and that although, for the first stages, the stream was
narrow, and the way on one bank very like that on the other, the two
paths were divided by deep water, and the river widened with the
passing years.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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