h was an awful disappointment.

"All my hopes of getting my voice trained vanished, and it seems as if
what Miss McDonald said were true, and that I have no chance of being
anything but a teacher all my life. To have had so much almost in my
grasp, and then to have had it snatched away, was rather hard luck," she
ended gloomily. "However, I simply would not let myself despond. For one
thing, I hadn't time; I was being worked to death. One or two of the
governesses were down with influenza, including the music mistress, and I
took her singing class, and, I promise you, I made them sit up. I told
them I had never yet heard them sing five consecutive bars in tune, and
then I imitated them in rather an exaggerated way, and even the big ones
who adored Miss Marvel and detested me could not help laughing. But on
the whole I was glad when Miss Marvel was well again and could take over
her own class, and within two days they were singing as flat as ever.
Then I filled up any spare moments I had during the day by studying on my
own account. One of the things Signor Vanucci had impressed on me was
that if I wanted to be a great artist instead of merely being a great
singer, I must not be content with training my voice only, but must
educate my mind, and that nothing in the way of learning would ever come
amiss, for I could put it all in my music. So though I could not get the
singing lessons I pined for, I remembered his advice and set to work to
learn all I could. Among other things, he had asked me if I knew Italian,
and had seemed sorry when I said 'No, and very little French or German
either.' So as a beginning I bought an Italian grammar and a dictionary,
and started to study the language. There they are now," she said, nodding
towards the two books with which she had been so busy a short time
before. "It is wonderful what a lot one can get done in odd moments, if,"
she added with a smile, "one is not led away to waste one's time, and
other people's too, by detailing to them at great length one's life's
history."

"You know you are not wasting my time," Margaret replied with great
earnestness, "and I am most grateful to you for telling me about
yourself. I shall never, never forget it or you," she added wistfully;
"but I shall remember every word you have said, long after you have
forgotten you ever met me."

"But I am not going to forget you either," Eleanor said, and was touched
to see the quick look of almost pathetic g