impossible, so it's not an atom of use thinking about it.
It's Beata's turn for music, and she's to begin the violin with Madame
Bertier next term. Don't look distressed! I'll just squall on to please
myself. Nobody else cares to hear me, I'm sure."

"It's a pity to waste a talent," said Rosemary.

Claudia shrugged her shoulders.

"It isn't wasted; it comes in handy to croon the babies to sleep," she
answered humorously. "And as I'm going to stay at home for the present
it will most probably be wanted."

Rosemary went home with her head in a whirl. A voice like that to be
devoted to crooning children to sleep! It seemed wicked. Her experience
at the college had taught her enough to make her realize how much might
be made of Claudia's voice with proper training. Oh! if she could only
have exchanged places with Claudia! For a moment a flood of wild, bitter
jealousy swept over her. This girl had all the qualifications for the
want of which she herself had failed. Why had not Providence, who gave
her the keen enthusiasm for music, also gifted her with that throat and
voice?

"It's not fair!" raged Rosemary, wiping away very salt tears. "Some
people have all the luck in life. I'd give worlds for a strong voice,
instead of my wretched little drawing-room twitter."

From her sister she enquired whether Claudia could dance.

"Dance!" echoed Lorraine eloquently. "You should just see her! I wish
you'd been at the rhythmic dancing display last Christmas. Her
forget-me-not dance was simply a dream. Everybody said they never saw
anything quite so beautiful. Miss Leighton was tremendously proud of
her. She said that Claudia was the only girl in the whole school who
took to the poses absolutely naturally. She fell into them as easily as
easily, while all the rest of us had to practise no end."

"She's a very graceful girl, as well as immensely pretty."

There was a terrific struggle raging in Rosemary's heart. She knew that
Signor Arezzo was always on the look-out for really suitable sopranos to
train for opera. A girl who fulfilled his critical conditions would be
awarded entirely free tuition, with a maintenance-scholarship in
addition at the College of Music. If Claudia could be coached a little
in Signor Arezzo's particular method of voice production, so that no
glaring faults should offend him, it was highly probable that, if she
were to sing before him, he would decide to give her a training.

"After two terms with hi