ists do. You must hear the Cicogna quietly some day;
such a voice, nothing like it."

Madame S---------, who, since she had learned that there was no cause to
apprehend that Isaura might become her professional rival, conceived
for her a wonderful affection, and willingly contributed her magnificent
gifts of song to the charms of Isaura's salon, now began a fragment from
I Puritani, which held the audience as silent as the ghosts listening
to Sappho, and when it was over, several of the guests slipped away,
especially those who disliked music, and feared Madame S--------- might
begin again. Enguerrand was not one of such soulless recreants, but he
had many other places to go to. Besides, Madame S-------- was no novelty
to him.

De Mauleon now approached Isaura, who was seated next to Valerie, and
after well-merited encomium on Madame S------'s performance, slid into
some critical comparisons between that singer and those of a former
generation, which interested Isaura, and evinced to her quick
perceptions that kind of love for music which has been refined by more
knowledge of the art than is common to mere amateurs.

"You have studied music, Monsieur de Mauleon," she said. "Do you not
perform yourself?"

"I? No. But music has always had a fatal attraction for me. I ascribe
half the errors of my life to that temperament which makes me too
fascinated by harmonies--too revolted by discords."

"I should have thought such a temperament would have led from
errors--are not errors discords?"

"To the inner sense, yes; but to the outer sense not always. Virtues
are often harsh to the ear--errors very sweet-voiced. The sirens did not
sing out of tune. Better to stop one's ears than glide on Scylla or be
merged into Charybdis."

"Monsieur," cried Valerie, with a pretty brusquerie which became her
well, "you talk like a Vandal."

"It is, I think, by Mademoiselle Duplessis that I have the honour to be
rebuked. Is Monsieur your father very susceptible to music?"

"Well, I cannot say that he cares much for it. But then his mind is so
practical--"

"And his life so successful. No Scylla, no Charybdis for him. However,
Mademoiselle, I am not quite the Vandal you suppose, I do not say
that susceptibility to the influence of music may not be safe, nay,
healthful, to others it was not so to me in my youth. It can do me no
harm now."

Here Duplessis came up and whispered his daughter "it was time to leave;
they had promised t