s she listened to the firm,
good touch. The girl was really quite musical. She perceived that
already, and if her choice of a song had been less wildly ambitious, or
better still, if she would go on playing and not sing at all, why----

[Illustration: "ELEANOR TURNED TO THE PIANO AND RAN HER FINGERS
LIGHTLY OVER THE KEYS."]

But at that moment Eleanor began to sing, and the look of kindly approval
which Lady Strangways' face had worn was swept away as by some magic
touch, for Signor Vanucci and Madame Martelli had made no mistake.
Eleanor had a great, a glorious voice; clear and sweet as a golden bell;
full, and deep, and rich; it was a voice which would one day add the
name of its owner to the list of the world's great singers.

Lady Strangways recognised the fact instantly. Though she neither played
nor sang, she was a capable judge of music, and she knew that this girl's
voice would carry her to the front rank. Of course, her rendering of the
song was far from perfect, her phrasing was often inaccurate, her voice
not under control, and its training unfinished; but what mattered those
details? Lady Strangways knew she was listening to a magnificent voice,
and sheer delight and amazement held her spellbound for some moments
after the last full, throbbing notes had died away into silence. Then she
rose impulsively and crossed to the piano.

"My dear," she said simply, "God has given you a great gift."

Eleanor nodded in a grave, almost abstracted manner.

"Yes," she said, in low, dreamy tones, "He has." Then suddenly her
tranquil mood changed, and she appeared to be swept by a sudden gust of
passion. "And sometimes," she added bitterly, "I wonder why, if it is
only by resorting to trickery and roguery that I can make use of it."

"My dear child, what do you mean?" Lady Strangways said in astonishment,
not unmixed with displeasure. "Those are strange words for a niece of
mine to apply to her own conduct."

"Are they?" said Eleanor; "but tell me, wouldn't you stoop to any
trickery--any meanness, if you had a voice like mine, and saw no chance
of getting it trained?"

Her face had grown very pale, but her eyes blazed into Lady Strangways as
she stood confronting her. The latter, seeing that the girl was literally
shaking with emotion, and not having the clue to her thoughts, supposed
that she was merely overwrought by her singing.

"But why should it be necessary to resort to meanness of any sort to
have your vo