water-color exhibition. As they walked about the rooms, expressing their
admiration of the profusion of pretty things which filled the cabinets
and encumbered the tables, in words equally pretty and profuse, Sleeny
listened to their voices as if it were music played to cheer him at his
work. He knew nothing of the things they were talking about, but their
tones were gentle and playful; the young lady's voice was especially
sweet and friendly. He had never heard such voices before; they are
exceptional everywhere in America, and particularly in our lake
country, where the late springs develop fine high sopranos, but leave
much to be desired in the talking tones of women. Alice Belding had
been taught to use her fine voice as it deserved and Cordelia's
intonations could not have been more "soft, gentle, and low,--an
excellent thing in woman."

After awhile, the voices came nearer, and he heard Farnham say:

"Come in here a moment, please, and see my new netsukes; I got them at
a funny little shop in Ostend. It was on a Sunday afternoon, and the
man of the house was keeping the shop, and I should have got a great
bargain out of him, but his wife came in before we were through, and
scolded him for an imbecile and sent him into the back room to tend the
baby, and made me pay twice what he had asked for my little monsters."

By this time they were all in the library, and the young lady was
laughing, not loudly, but musically, and Mrs. Belding was saying:

"Served you right for shopping on Sunday. But they are adorable little
images, for all that."

"Yes," said Farnham, "so the woman told me, and she added that they