y _a pleine voix_. Besides, Mr. Torrens was not in force, on that
score. In fact, at the end of this one song he dropped his fingers on
his knees from the keyboard, and said in a tone that professed amusement
at his own exhaustion: "That's all I'm good for. Funny, isn't it?"

CHAPTER XXI

BOTHER MRS. BAILEY! A GOOD CREATURE. MARCUS CURTIUS AND
UNMAIDENLINESS. THE DREAM WITCH AND HER DAUGHTERS. HOW GWEN TOLD OF
HER TRICK, AND MR. TORRENS OF HOW HE WAKED UP TO HIS OWN BLINDNESS.
THE PECULIARITIES OF DOWAGER-DUCHESSES. CAN GRIGS READ DIAMOND
TYPE? THE HYPOTHESIS MR. TORRENS WAS AFFIANCED TO. ADONIS, AND THAT
DETESTABLE VENUS. EARNESTNESS AND A CLIMAX. AN EARTHQUAKE, OR
HEARTQUAKE

The Philosopher may see absurdity in the fact that, when two persons
make concordant consecutive noises for ten minutes, the effect upon
their relativities is one that without them might not have come about in
ten weeks. We are not prepared to condemn the Philosopher, for once. He
is prosy, as usual; but what he says refers to an indisputable truth.
Nothing turns diversity into duality quicker than Music.

Gwen did not think the breakdown of the tenor at all funny, and was
rather frightened, suggesting Mrs. Bailey. "Bother Mrs. Bailey!" said
Adrian. "Only it's very ungrateful of me to bother Mrs. Bailey." Said
Gwen:--"She really is a good creature." He replied:--"That's what she is
precisely. A good creature!" Gwen interpreted this as disposing of Mrs.
Bailey. Acting as her agent, she piloted the blind man through the
perils of the furniture to a satisfactory sofa, but could not prevail on
him to lie down on it. He seemed determined to assert his claim to a
discharge cured; allowing a small discount, of course, in respect of
this plaguy eye-affection. In defence of his position that it was a
temporary inconvenience, sure to vanish with returning vigour, he simply
nailed his colours to the mast--would hear of no surrender.

Tea was negotiated, as customary at the Towers, and he made a parade of
his independence over it. No great risks were involved, the little
malachite table placed as a cup-haven being too heavy to knock over
easily. He was able, too, to make a creditable show of eyesight over the
concession of little brown biscuits to Achilles; only really Achilles
did all the seeing. A certain pretence of vision was possible too, in
the distinguishing of those biscuits which were hard from a softer