Her educational advantages had been far above the average, and she had
improved them in a manner to gratify her friends and create for herself
abundant mental resources. She had taken the full classical course at
Harvard, carrying off several of the high prizes, had then enjoyed two
years of post-graduate work at Clark, and finally spent two more years in
foreign travel and study. As has been intimated, I had been over for her,
and we were now on our way home, expecting to land on the morrow or the
day after.

If you imagine that Margaret had lost anything by her education or was
less fitted to make a good home, it is because you never knew her. Instead
of being stunted in her growth, broken in constitution, round-shouldered,
pale-faced and weak-eyed, the development of her body had kept pace with
the expansion of her mind, and she was now in the perfect flower of young
womanhood, with body and soul both of generous mold. Her marvelous beauty
had been refined and heightened by her intellectual culture, and even her
manners, so charming before, were now more than ever the chaste and well-
ordered adornments of a noble character. She was as vivacious and
sparkling as if she had never known the restraints of school, but without
extravagance of any kind to detract from her self-poise. In short, she was
a symphony, a grand and harmonious composition, and still human enough to
love a mortal like me. Such was the woman who was trying to instill into
my wooing a little of the warmth and sympathy of her delightful nature. As
for myself, it will be necessary to mention only a single characteristic.
I had a remarkably good ear, as we say. Not only was my sense of hearing
unusually acute, but I had an almost abnormal appreciation of musical
sounds. Although without the ability to sing or play and without the habit
of application necessary to learn these accomplishments, I was, from my
earliest years, a great lover of music. People who are born without the
power of nicely discriminating between sounds often say they enjoy music,