"Lord, no." The idea seemed to amuse him. "Fact of the matter is this: my friend, Maurice Haines, wrote to me the other day—here’s his letter—asking me to find him a likely girl for a sketch he has booked at the Palace. He’d engaged some one, but she’s just gone in for appendicitis. Funny thing, appendicitis. Has it ever occurred to you—" The blank look in Alexandra’s face constrained him to keep to business. "So he appeals to me, thinking that as a singer I might know some one likely. But I didn’t—not until I saw you. If you can sing it’s a sure thing." He read from the letter he had been searching for. "’She must be tall and dark and a lady. Youth essential. Of course she must have a well-trained voice, but previous experience doesn’t matter. I’ll look in next week, and if you know a girl who will do, for heaven’s sake have her round. The sketch is booked for the next six months, first here and then in the leading provincial towns. I’ll pay ten pounds a week for the right woman.’ "What do you think of that?" "It seems to me it depends on my voice," said Alexandra. "That’s it. Do you mind singing me something? Here’s a pile of songs. Pick out one you know." She found a song. Norburton played the accompaniment. She had an idea she was singing well and hoped he would think so. When she finished, she had the impression that he was not satisfied. "I’m afraid you’re disappointed," she said, with foreboding. "No, not exactly. You’ve a nice voice. You want to know how to pitch it better. As it is it won’t carry. I believe I could teach you in five days, before Haines comes round." "I couldn’t expect you to do that." "But I _do_ teach," he laughed. "Do you doubt my capability? I assure you that besides being a public singer I get three guineas for every half-hour lesson I give." "What I meant was," said Alexandra, "that I couldn’t expect you to coach me for nothing, and I couldn’t pay enough to make it worth your while." He appeared to think. "I want to do my best for Haines," he said. "Look here. I’ll give you five lessons—one every day for ten minutes—and you can pay me what you can afford, five shillings a lesson, say." She colored. "That’s charity." "No. I really want to help Haines." Now Alexandra had little more than five shillings in her purse. The next quarterly payment of her annuity would not be due for a fortnight. In the meantime all she possessed was some old jewelry that had belonged to her mother. There was the money Maggy had left behind her, but she was not going to touch that. "I should like you to teach me. It’s very good of you," she said. "Would you take this instead of money? It’s worth a little more than five five-shilling lessons." She tendered him a ring with a single pearl in an antique setting. A pawnbroker would have lent her five pounds on it. She was anxious that he should take the ring. It would make her feel less under an obligation to him.