This obtained the attention of the assembly, while Canby, at the
other end of the room, sat back in his chair with the
unenthusiastic air of a man being served with papers.

"Yes, Miss Cornish."

Miss Cornish cleared her throat, not practically, but with culture,
as preliminary to an address. "I was saying, Mr. Canby," she began,
"that I had a suggestion to make which may not only interest you,
but certain others of us who do not enjoy equal opportunities in
some matters--as--as others of us who do. Indeed, I believe it will
interest all of us without regard to--to--to this. What I was about
to suggest was that since today you have had a very interesting
experience, not only interesting because you have entered into a
professional as well as personal friendship with one of our foremost
artists--an artist whose work is cultivated always--but also
interesting because there are some of us here whose more practical
occupations and walk in life must necessarily withhold them
from--from this. What I meant to suggest was that, as this prevents
them from--from this--would it not be a favourable opportunity for
them to--to glean some commentary upon the actual methods of a field
of art? Personally, it happens that whenever opportunities and
invitations have been--have been urged, other duties intervened, but
though, on that account never having been actually present, I am
familiar, of course, through conversation with great artists and
memoirs and--and other sources of literature--with the procedure and
etiquette of rehearsal. But others among us, no doubt through lack
of leisure, are perhaps less so than--than this. What I wished to
suggest was that, not now, but after dinner, we all assemble
quietly, in the large parlour upstairs, of which Mrs. Reibold has