kindly, refined face of M. Thillard beamed with enjoyment; an
occasional cry of admiration escaping his lips, at some exquisite touch
from the master.

The time slipped by, with bewildering rapidity.

Monsieur Thillard asked if they might be allowed to hear some of
Madame's compositions--those which she had already been so amiable as to
play to him.

Jouffroy settled himself to listen; his shaggy eyebrows lowering over
his eyes, not in severity but in fixity of attention. Hadria trembled
for a moment, as her hands touched the keys. Jouffroy gave a nod of
satisfaction. If there had been no such quiver of nerves he would have
doubted. So he said afterwards to M. Thillard and Madame Vauchelet.

After listening, for a time, without moving a muscle, he suddenly sat
bolt upright and looked round at the player. The character of the music,
always individual, had grown more marked, and at this point an effect
was produced which appeared to startle the musician. He withdrew his
gaze, after a moment, muttering something to himself, and resumed his
former attitude, slowly and gravely nodding his head. There was a long
silence after the last of the lingering, questioning notes had died
away.

"Is Madame prepared for work, for hard, faithful work?"

The answer was affirmative. She was only too glad to have the chance to
work.

"Has Madame inexhaustible patience?"

"In this cause--yes."

"And can she bear to be misunderstood; to be derided for departure from
old rules and conventions; to have her work despised and refused, and
again refused, till at last the dull ears shall be opened and all the
stupid world shall run shouting to her feet?"

The colour rushed into Hadria's cheeks. "_Voila!_" exclaimed Madame
Vauchelet. M. Thillard beamed with satisfaction. "Did I not tell you?"

Jouffroy clapped his friend on the back with enthusiasm. "_Il faut
travailler_," he said, "_mais travailler!_" He questioned Hadria
minutely as to her course of study, approved it on the whole, suggesting
alterations and additions. He asked to look through some more of her
work.

"_Mon Dieu_," he ejaculated, as his quick eye ran over page after page.

"If Madame has a character as strong as her genius, her name will one
day be on the lips of all the world." He looked at her searchingly.

"I knew it!" exclaimed M. Thillard. "_Madame, je vous felicite._"

"Ah!" cried Jouffroy, with a shake of his black shaggy head, "this is
not a fate to be en