Oh yes, I love the theatre. I should
like to go with you driving. But I should forestall myself. Some persons
do and they are never successful. First of all, before anything, I must
appear."

"Oh my child," Lucy cried, "I cannot bear to hear of all this. You
should not calculate so at your age. And when you appear, as you call
it, what then, Bice? Nobody will take any particular notice, perhaps,
and you will be so disappointed you will not know what to do. Hundreds
of girls appear every season and nobody minds."

Bice took no notice of these subduing and moderating previsions. She
smiled and repeated what the Contessa said. "I must do the best for
myself, for I have no fortune."

No fortune! and to think that Lucy, with her mind directed to other
matters, never once realised that this was a state of affairs which she
could put an end to in a moment. It never occurred to her--perhaps, as
she certainly was matter of fact, the recollection that there was a sort
of stipulation in the will against foreigners turned her thoughts into
another channel.

It was, however, during this time of preparation and quiet that the
household in Park Lane one day received a visit from Jock, accompanied
by no less a person than MTutor, the leader of intellectual life and
light of the world to the boy. They came to luncheon by appointment, and
after visiting some museum on which Jock's mind was set, came to remain
to dinner and go to the theatre. MTutor had a condescending appreciation
of the stage. He thought it was an educational influence, not perhaps of
any great utility to the youths under such care as his own, but of no
small importance to the less fortunate members of society; and he liked
to encourage the efforts of conscientious actors who looked upon their
own calling in this light. It was rather for this purpose than with the
idea of amusement that he patronised the play, and Jock, as in duty
bound, though there was in him a certain boyish excitement as to the
pleasure itself, did his best to regard the performance in the same
exalted light. MTutor was a young man of about thirty, slim and tall. He
was a man who had taken honours at college, though his admirers said not
such high honours as he might have taken; "For MTutor," said Jock,
"never would go in for pot-hunting, you know. What he always wanted was
to cultivate his own mind, not to get prizes." It was with heartfelt
admiration that this feature in his character was dwel