She was surprised when Mrs. Potter took me to hear Melba. I heard Melba. I don't remember hearing her. English opera houses are small; there are fine things all over the world. If you see them all you can compare one with the other; but then you don't see or hear anything at all. It seems strange to be American and at the same time stout and middle-aged. It would have got more and more difficult with all those people. The dreadful way the Americans got intimate and then talked or hinted openly everywhere about intimate things. No one knew how intimate Miss O'Veagh was. I shall remember. There is something about being Irish Roman Catholic that makes _happiness_. She did not seem to think the George Street room awful. She was _surprised_ when I talked about the hole in the wall and the cold and the imbecile servant and the smell of ether. "We are brought up from the first to understand that we must never believe anything a man says." She _came_ and sat and talked and wrote after she had gone ... "goodbye--sweet blessed little rose of Mary" ... she tried to make me think I was young and pretty. She was sorry for me without saying so. I should never have gone to Mornington Road unless I had been nearly mad with sorrow ... if Miss Thomas disapproved of germs and persons who let apartments why did she come and take a room at George Street? She must have seen she drove me nearly mad with sorrow. The thought of Wales full of Welsh people like her, makes one mad with sorrow.... Did she think I could get to know her by hearing all her complaints? She's somewhere now, sending someone mad. I was mad already when I went to Mornington Road. "You'll be all right with Mrs. Swanson" ... the awful fringes, the _horror_ of the ugly clean little room, the horror of Mrs. Swanson's heavy old body moving slowly about the house, a heavy dark mountain, fringes, bulges, slow dead eyes, slow dead voice, slow grimacing evil smile ... housekeeper to the Duke of Something and now moving slowly about heavy with disapproval. She thought of me as a business young lady. 7