my daughter Miss Edith," and as Halfdan
sprang to his feet and bowed with visible
embarrassment, she continued:

"Edith, this is Mr. Daniel Birch, whom your
father has sent here to know if he would be
serviceable as a music teacher for Clara. And
now, dear, you will have to decide about the
merits of Mr. Birch. I don't know enough
about music to be anything of a judge."

"If Mr. Birch will be kind enough to play,"
said Miss Edith with a languidly musical
intonation," I shall be happy to listen to him."

Halfdan silently signified his willingness and
followed the ladies to a smaller apartment which
was separated from the drawing-room by folding
doors. The apparition of the beautiful
young girl who was walking at his side had
suddenly filled him with a strange burning and
shuddering happiness; he could not tear his
eyes away from her; she held him as by a powerful
spell. And still, all the while he had a
painful sub-consciousness of his own unfortunate
appearance, which was thrown into cruel relief
by her splendor. The tall, lithe magnificence of
her form, the airy elegance of her toilet, which
seemed the perfection of self-concealing art, the
elastic deliberateness of her step--all wrought