ovinezza
Isaotta Blanzesmano,
Dice: Tutto al mondo a vano:
Nell'amore ogni dolcezza."

When the last note died away she looked towards the sofa. Lady
Cardington was gone. Lady Holme leaned her arm on the piano and put her
chin in her hand.

"How awful to be old!" she thought.

Half aloud she repeated the last words of the refrain: "Nell'amore ogni
dolcezza." And then she murmured:

"Poor Sir Donald!"

And then she repeated, "Poor--" and stopped. Again the faint cloud of
fear was in her eyes.

CHAPTER XV

THE Charity Concert was to be given in Manchester House, one of the
private palaces of London, and as Royalty had promised to be present,
all the tickets were quickly sold. Among those who bought them were most
of the guests who had been present at the Holmes' dinner-party when Lady
Holme lost her temper and was consoled by Robin Pierce. Robin of course
was in Rome, but Lady Cardington, Lady Manby, Mrs. Wolfstein, Sir
Donald, Mr. Bry took seats. Rupert Carey also bought a ticket. He was
not invited to great houses any more, but on this public occasion no one
with a guinea to spend was unwelcome. To Lady Holme's surprise the day
before the concert Fritz informed her that he was going too.

"You, Fritz!" she exclaimed. "But it's in the afternoon."

"What o' that?"

"You'll be bored to death. You'll go to sleep. Probably you'll snore."

"Not I."

He straddled his legs and looked attentively at the toes of his boots.
Lady Holme wondered why he was going. Had Miss Schley made a point of
it? She longed to know. The cruel curiosity which the angel was ever
trying to beat down rose up in her powerfully.

"I say--"

Her husband was speaking with some hesitation.

"Well?"

"Let's have a squint at the programme, will you?"

"Here it is."

She gave it to him and watched him narrowly as he looked quickly over
it.

"Hulloa!" he said.

"What's the matter?"

"Some Imitations," he said. "What's that mean?"

"Didn't you know Miss Schley was a mimic?"

"A mimic--not I! She's an actress."

"Yes--now."

"Now? When was she anythin' else?"

"When she began in America. She was a mimic in the music-halls."

"The deuce she was!"

He stood looking very grave and puzzled for a minute, then he stared
hard at his wife.

"What did she mimic?"

"I don't know--people."

Again there was a silence. Then he said--

"I say, I don't know that I want you to sing at that affair to-morrow."