king girl, and very accomplished. Mr. Ryan and I have spared
nothing in her education--nothing. At Madame de Vivier's academy for
young ladies--one of the most select in the State--Madame's husband's
one of the French nobility, and she always had to support him--Genevieve
took every extra--music, languages, and drawing. Professor Rodriguez,
who taught her the guitar, said that never outside of Spain had he heard
such a touch. 'Senora,' he says to me--that's his way of expressing
himself, and it sounds real cute the way he says it--'Senora, is there
not some Spanish blood in this child? No one without Spanish blood
could touch the strings that way.' Afterwards when Demaroni taught her
the mandolin, it was just the same. He could not believe she had not had
teaching before. Then Madame Mezzenott gave her a term's lessons on the
bandurria, and she said there never was such talent; she might have made
a fortune on the concert stage."

"Yes, undoubtedly," Faraday squeezed in, as Mrs. Ryan drew a breath.

"Indeed, Mr. Faraday, everybody has remarked her talents. It isn't you
alone. All the Eastern gentlemen we have met have said that the musical
talents of the Californian young ladies were astonishing They all agree
that Genevieve's musical genius is remarkable. Everybody declares that
there is no one--not among the Spaniards themselves--who sings _La
Paloma_ as Gen does. Professor Spighetti instructed her in that. He was
a wonderful teacher. I never saw such a method. But we had to give him
up because he fell in love with Gen. That's the worst of it--the
teachers are always falling in love with her; and with her prospects and
position we naturally expect something better. Of course it's been very
hard to keep her. I say to Mr. Ryan, as each winter comes to an end,
'Well, popper, another season's over and we've still got our Gen.' We
feel that we can't be selfish and hope to keep her always, and, with so
many admirers, we realize that we must soon lose her, and try to get
accustomed to the idea."

"Of course, of course," murmured Faraday, sympathetically, mentally
picturing Mrs. Ryan keeping away the suitors as Rizpah kept the eagles
and vultures off her dead sons.

"There was a Mr. Courtney who was very attentive last year. His
grandfather was an English lord. We had to buy a _Peerage_ to find out
if he was genuine, and, as he was, we had him quite often to the house.
He paid Genevieve a good deal of attention, but toward