sia.

"Here beginneth the sea,
That ends not till the world ends,"

thrilled the great ship's cabins from end to end. The captain was
within the door before the first verse was finished. There was a crowd
at the doors; all the servants in the lower saloon had ceased work to
listen. Song after song was called for. Perhaps, indeed, Denasia had a
sweeter taste of her power that night than she had ever felt in halls
crowded with strangers who had paid a shilling to be amused by her.

The listener most interested in this performance said the least at the
time; but he never took his eyes off the singer, and his private
decision was, "That young woman is a public singer. Her voice has not
been trained for parlours; she has been used to fling its volume
through the larger space of halls or theatres. I must look after her."
He approached Roland the next day and spoke in guarded terms about
Mrs. Tresham's voice. Roland was easily induced to talk, and the
result was an offer which was really--if they had known it--the open
door to fortune. But it is the fatality of the unlucky to have the
spirit of recklessness in their veins and the weakness of prudence in
their hearts. Instead of letting events guide them, they have the
presumption to think they can guide events. Roland received the offer
coolly, and said he would consult Mrs. Tresham on the matter. But,
instead of consulting with his wife, he dictated to her after the
fashion of the suspicious:

"This man is the manager of a company, I think. He is very anxious for
you to sign an agreement. His offer appears to be good, but we know
nothing of affairs in New York; it may be a very poor offer. If you
have made such an impression on him, you may make a much more
pronounced one on others. We will not think of this proposal at all,
except as the straw which shows us what a great wind is going to
blow."

Denasia was extremely opposed to this view. She quoted the old proverb
of "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." She said it would be
a sure living during the time they were learning the new country and
its opportunities. She begged Roland to let her accept the offer. When
he refused, she said that they would live to regret the folly.

The manager thought so also. "For you must understand," he said to
Roland, "that I was desirous to engage Mrs. Tresham, not for what she
is--which is ordinary--but for the possible extraordinary I see in her
if she could have the pr