complained Esther one day.

"They make the house pretty," urged Angela, always ready to defend her
room-mate, "and they make our room so sweet and pretty."

"But she should try to sell them," argued Esther, "or--or do something.
She seems to have forgotten all about helping Cousin Charlotte."

"She doesn't get much time," pleaded Angela, "by the time her lessons are
done, and her organ lesson, and the practice, and her reading--she always
reads for an hour a day, sometimes more. And--and there isn't any one
here to sell flowers to--"

At that moment Penelope herself dashed in on them, her eyes dancing, her
face glowing. "Oh, girls, what _do_ you think?" she cried, as she flung
her music-case on to one chair, her hat on another, and herself on a
third.

"What?" asked Esther, as she picked up the music-case and straightened the
cushion it had knocked over.

"Oh, _do_ tell, do tell quick," urged Angela.

"Well!" sitting up and clasping her hands tight in an ecstasy of pleasure,
"you know Miss Row has friends staying with her."

"Yes; but I don't see much in that to be excited about," said Esther.

"Well, one of them is called Mr. Somerset, and he is a musician, and he--
he heard me sing. Miss Row made me sing on purpose. I was awfully
frightened, but I got through all right, and--and what _do_ you think he
said?"

Esther felt the old demon jealousy clutching at her heart at once.
"I don't know, I'm sure," she said coldly. "Do tell if you are going to,
Penelope. I am too busy to wait."

"Oh, what?" gasped Angela, with eager, questioning eyes.

"He said,"--in an impressive, almost awed voice--"he said I had the
promise of a very fine voice, and--and no expense ought to be spared in
training it!" Penelope repeated the words slowly, like one in a dream.

"Oh, Pen!" Angela gasped, almost speechless with delight, "did he really?"

Pen nodded.

"What nonsense!" said Esther, in a strained voice, quite unlike her usual
tones.

Angela turned on her reproachfully. "Essie, aren't you glad?"

"Of course I am," snapped Esther shortly; "but it is so silly to put such
things into people's heads when there _is_ no money. I suppose he thinks we
all ought to give up everything for this, and--and never thinks that the
rest of us might like to--to have lessons--"

Esther really did not mean a tenth of the hard things she was saying, and
she hated herself for saying them, but that wretched temper of hers got
the u