"Oh, no," said Elma, "that’s one of the funny parts. Mr. Sturgis doesn’t approve of freehand drawing at all. He says it’s anything but freehand, he says it’s--it’s--oh! I mustn’t say it." "Say it," said Miss Annie cheerfully. "He says it’s rotten," said Elma. There was something of a pause after this. "And it’s so funny with Mabel," said Elma. "Mabel never practises a scale unless mamma goes right into the room and hears her do it. But Mabel can read off and play Chopin. And papa takes me to hear Liszt Concertos, and I can’t play one of them." "You can’t stretch the chords yet, dearie," said Miss Grace. "No, but it’s very demor--what was it I said?" she asked Miss Annie anxiously. "Demoralizing," said Miss Annie. "And there’s paralyzing too," said Elma gratefully. "That’s exactly how I feel." She sat nursing one of her knees in a hopeless manner, until it struck her that neither Miss Annie nor Miss Grace liked to see her in this attitude. Nothing was ever said on these occasions, but invariably one knew that in order not to get on the nerves of Miss Annie, one must sit straight and not fidget. Elma sat up therefore and resumed conversation. "Mabel says it is nothing to play a Liszt Concerto," said Elma hopelessly. "Is Mabel playing Liszt?" asked Miss Grace in astonishment. "Mabel plays anything," sighed Elma. "That is much better than being prettier than Miss Dudgeon," said Miss Annie. She took up a little book which lay near her. It was bound in white vellum and had little gold lines tooled with red running into fine gold clasps. Two angel heads on ivory were inserted in a sunk gold rim on the cover. Miss Grace saw a likeness in the blue eyes there to the round orbs fastened on it whenever Elma had to listen to the wisdom of the white book. The title, _The Soul’s Delineator_, fascinated her by its vagueness. She had never cared to let Miss Annie know that in growing from the days when she could not even spell, the word "delineator" had remained unsatisfactory as a term to be applied to the soul. There was The Delineator of fashions at home--a simple affair to understand, but that it should be applied to the "ivory thoughts" of Miss Annie seemed confusing. Miss Annie moved her white fingers, sparkling with the future duchess’s rings, in and out among the gilt-edged pages. Then she read. "The resources of the soul are quickened and enlivened, not so much by the education of the senses, as by the encouragement of the sensibilities, i.e. these elements which go to the making of the character gentle, chivalrous, kind; in short, the elements which provoke manners and good breeding." Miss Annie paused. Her voice had sustained a rather high and different tone, as it always did when she read from the white book. "Mabel has very nice manners, hasn’t she?" asked Elma anxiously.