," she said, more with the movement of her lips than with any sound.

"Why not? You can't want to play those old pieces just at this moment.
You will have plenty of time to play them to-morrow."

She said "No" again, with a little impatient movement of her hands on
the keys and a look towards the others.

"You are listening to what they are saying? Why should you? They don't
want you to hear. Come along, Elinor. It's far better for you not to
listen to what is not intended----"

"Oh, go away, John."

"I must say no in my turn. Leave the tunes till to-morrow, and come out
with me."

"I thought," she said, roused a little, "that you were fond of music,
John."

This brought John up suddenly in an unexpected way. "Oh, as for
that,"--he said, in a dubious tone. Poor Elinor's tunes were not music
in his sense, as she very well knew.

She laughed in a forlorn way. "I know what you mean; but this is quite
good enough for what I shall want. I am going down, you know, to a
different level altogether. Oh, you can hear for yourself what mamma and
Mr. Lynch are saying."

"Going up you mean, Elinor. I thought them both very complaisant over
all those titles."

"Ah," she said, "they say that mocking. They think I am going down; so
do you, too, to the land of mere fast people, people with no sense.
Well; there is nothing but the trial will teach any of us. We shall
see."

"It is rather a dreadful risk to run, if it's only a trial, Elinor."

"A trial--for you, not for me--I am not the one that thinks so, except
so far as the tunes are concerned," she said with a laugh. "I confess so
far as that Lady Mariamne is fond of a comic song. I don't think she
goes any further. I shall be good enough for them in the way of music."

"I should be content never to hear another note of music all my life,
Elinor, if----"

"Ah, there you begin again. Not you, John, not you! I can't bear any
more. Neither stars, nor walks, nor listening; no more! This rather,"
and she brought down her hands with a great crash upon the piano, making
every one start. Then Elinor rose, having produced her effect. "I think
it must be time to go to bed, mamma. John is talking of the stars, which
means that he wants his cigar, and Mr. Lynch must want just to look at
the tray in the dining-room. And you are tired by all this fuss, all
this unnatural fuss about me, that am not worth---- Come, mother, to
bed."

CHAPTER VII.

The days in the cottage