y part of the evening; it was rather a musical
company, and Betty's favourite amusement was often interrupted; for the
music was too good, and the people present too well-bred, to allow of
that jumble of sounds musical and unmusical which is so distressing,
and alas! not so rare.

Several bits of fine, old-fashioned music had been given, from Mozart
and Beethoven and Handel; and Betty had got into full swing of
conversation again, when a pause around her gave notice that another
performer was taking her seat at the piano. Betty checked her speech
with a little impulse of vexation, and cast her eyes across the room.

'Who is it now?' she asked.

There was a little murmur of question and answer, for the gentlemen
immediately at hand did not know; then she was told, 'It is a Miss
Gainsborough.'

'Gainsborough!' Betty's eyes grew large, and her face took a sudden
gravity. 'What Gainsborough?'

Nobody knew. 'English, I believe,' somebody said.

All desire to talk died out of Betty's lips; she became as silent as
the most rigid decorum could have demanded, and applied herself to
listen, and of course those around her were becomingly silent also.
What was the astonishment of them all, to hear the notes of a hymn, and
then the hymn itself, sung by a sweet voice with very clear accent, so
that every word was audible! The hymn was not known to Miss Frere; it
was fine and striking; and the melody, also unfamiliar, was exceedingly
simple. Everybody listened, that was manifest; it was more than the
silence of politeness which reigned in the rooms until the last note
was ended. And Betty listened more eagerly than anybody, and a strange
thrill ran through her. The voice which sang the hymn was not finer,
not so fine as many a one she had heard; it was thoroughly sweet and
had a very full and rich tone; its power was only moderate. The
peculiarity lay in the manner with which the meaning was breathed into
the notes. Betty could not get rid of the fancy that it was a spirit
singing, and not a woman. Simpler musical utterance she had never
heard, nor any, in her life, that so went to the heart. She listened,
and wondered as she listened what it was that so moved her. The voice
was tender, pleading, joyous, triumphant. How anybody should dare sing
such words in a mixed company, Betty could not conceive; yet she envied
the singer; and heard with a strange twinge at her heart the words of
the chorus, which was given with the most pe