rst
attempts on the stage were humiliating failures. She had no health, no
endurance, nothing but a small voice of rare quality." Cyrilla held up
the paper. "This tells how she became one of the surest and most
powerful dramatic sopranos that ever lived."

"She must have been a dull person to have been able to lead the kind of
life that's described there," said Mildred.

"Only two kinds of persons could do it," replied Cyrilla--"a dull
person--a plodder--and a genius. Middling people--they're the kind that
fill the world, they're you and I, my dear--middling people have to
fuss with the trifles that must be sacrificed if one is to do anything
big. You call those trifles your freedom, but they're your slavery.
And by sacrificing them the Lucia Rivis buy their freedom." Cyrilla
looked at the paper with a heavy sigh. "Ah, I wish I had seen this
when I was your age. Now, it's too late."

Said Mildred: "Would you seriously advise me to try that?"

Cyrilla came and sat beside her and put an arm around her. "Mildred,"
she said, "I've never thrust advice on you. I only dare do it now
because you ask me, and because I love you. You must try it. It's
your one chance. If you do not, you will fail. You don't believe me?"

In a tone that was admission, Mildred said: "I don't know."

"Keith has given you there the secret of a successful career. You'll
never read it in any book, or get it from any teacher, or from any
singer or manager or doctor. You must live like that, you must do
those things or you will fail even in musical comedy. You would fail
even as an actress, if you tried that, when you found out that the
singing was out of the question."

Mildred was impressed. Perhaps she would have been more impressed had
she not seen Keith and Mrs. Brindley in the taxi, Keith talking
earnestly and Mrs. Brindley listening as if to an oracle. Said she:
"Perhaps I'll adopt some of the suggestions."

Cyrilla shook her head. "It's a route to success. You must go the
whole route or not at all."

"Don't forget that there have been other singers besides Rivi."

"Not any that I recall who weren't naturally powerful in every way. And
how many of them break down? Mildred, please do put the silly nonsense
about nerves and temperament and inspiration and overwork and weather
and climate--put all that out of your head. Build your temple of a
career as high and graceful and delicate as you like, but build it on
the coar