d to herself as she
made the preparation. "There'll be the dear old governor, and the
governor that isn't dear. If I were left quite to myself, I think I
could do it easier. But then it might come to sticking a knife into
him."

"Father," she said, during breakfast, "I'm going to practise for half
an hour before this man comes."

"That means that I'm to go away."

"Not in the least. I shall go into the next room where the piano
lives, and you can come or not just as you please. I shall be
squalling all the time, and as we do have the grandeur of two rooms
for the present, you might as well use them. But when he comes we
must take care and see that matters go right. You had better leave
us alone at first, that I may sing to him. Then, when that's over,
do you be in waiting to be called in. I mean to have a little bit
of business with my trusted agent, manager, and parent in music,
'Mahomet M. M.'"

She went to the instrument, and practised there till half-past
eleven, at which hour Mr. Moss presented himself. "You'll want
to hear me sing of course," she said without getting up from the
music-stool.

"Just a bar or two to know how you have improved. But it is hardly
necessary. I see from the motion of your lips that you have been
keeping your mouth open. And I hear from the tone of your voice, that
it is all there. There is no doubt about you, if you have practised
opening your mouth."

"At any rate you shall hear, and if you will stand there you shall
see."

Then the music lesson began, and Mr. Moss proved himself to be an
adept in his art. Rachel did not in the least doubt his skill, and
obeyed him in everything as faithfully as she would have done, had he
been personally a favourite with her. "Allow me to express my great
delight and my strong admiration for the young debutante. As far as
Miss O'Mahony is concerned the word failure may be struck out of the
language. And no epithet should be used to qualify success, but one
in the most superlative degree. Allow me to--" And he attempted to
raise her hand to his lips, and to express his homage in a manner
certainly not unusual with gentlemen of his profession.

"Mr. Moss," said the young lady starting up, "there need be nothing
of that kind. There had better not. When a young woman is going to
be married to a young man, she can't be too careful. You don't know,
perhaps, but I'm going to be Mrs. Jones. Mr. Jones is apt to dislike
such things. If you'll wait h