While I listened to the gladsome music, my glance strayed to Milly, but she was almost hidden by the curtains of the tepee; and then to Ned, who sat with his face turned partly away from us. I noticed that he looked gaunt, and I found a bitter satisfaction in the thought that, perhaps, in Helen's "three-four months" he had not seen, until that night, either of the women with whose lives his own had been entangled. "Just one more," begged Kitty, when Helen stopped. "You're my only hope; do sing, Helen." Dropping the mandolin, Helen began without accompaniment "The King of Thule:"-- "'There stood the old carouser, And drank the last life glow; And hurled the hallowed goblet Into the tide below. "He saw it plunging and filling, And sinking deep in the sea; Then fell his eyelids forever, And never more drank he!'" It was the ballad she had sung at Christmas--in what different mood! Then her voice had been as carefree as a bird's carol, but now it lent to the limpid simplicity of the air a sobbing, shuddering sweetness--an almost weird intensity that strangely affected her listeners. When she had finished, something like a gasp went through the room. With a heart-breaking coldness I felt that I was her only unmoved auditor, or--no; Ned seemed studying with weary disapproval the pattern of his shoes. "Love and death; and at a wedding!" Mrs. Van Dam shivered. "Something more cheerful, Helen." "Let's go--let's go and eat up Cadge's spread; that'd be cheerful," sniffed Kitty, her hot, nervous hand patting Helen's shoulder. "The Princess's tired. But we must do something." "Eat the wedding supper before the wedding. Original, I must say!" But the General willingly enough helped Kitty to marshal us into the crowded little dining-room; where Helen and I found ourselves beside Mr. Winship and Ethel. Her father accepted Helen's music with as little surprise as he had shown at her beauty. "Comin' home pretty soon, ain't ye," he asked, "to give us some hymn tunes Sunday evenings? W'at'll I git for ye? Must be hungry after so much singing." "I'm afraid I wasn't in voice to-night," said she rather wearily. "Not in voice!" protested Ethel with shy enthusiasm; "why, Nelly, I never before heard even you sing like that; it was-it was-oh, it was wonderful!" I dared not look at her, yet I saw every movement of the slight little figure--saw the blush of eagerness that mounted even to the blonde little curls about her forehead; and, retreating impatiently, I tried to follow Mr. Winship's example, as he waited on the company with a quaintly fine courtesy. Indeed, he made quite a conquest of the General, who presently, after chatting with him for some time with keen interest, asked abruptly:-- "Why haven't we had him here before? So interesting, such an original! Room here for you, Milly. Some salad, please, Mr. Hynes."