quartette is trying to sing, I shall make every one shut up to save
ourselves from disgrace. As for Mike, we'll give him the choice to sing
for us or to be killed."

Chester asked reprovingly:

"Why didn't you let us know about this before?"

"Ye didn't ask me, and what could be the difference if ye didn't find it
out? Ye wouldn't have larned the same if Nora and her mither hadn't
insisted that I should entertain them, as I tried to do."

"You are a queer make-up," replied Alvin, with a laugh.

"Since ye are the leader, Captain, of yer quartette at school, it's up to
ye to obleege the company wid something in their line."

Nora added her entreaties.

"We know you can do very well, Alvin, though of course not half so well
as Mike, for _nobody_ can do that," was the naive argument of the miss.

"No, sir," said Alvin emphatically, and, assuming deep solemnity, he
raised his hand. "I vow that I will never, never sing in Mike's presence.
I can stand a joke as well as most persons, but that is the limit. Here's
Chester, however. He will be glad to give Mike a few lessons."

The fun of it was that Chester could not sing the chromatic scale
correctly if his life were at stake. He was not rattled by the request.

"Mike, can you play the accompaniment to 'Greenville'?" he asked.

"How does it go? Hum the same fur me so I can catch it."

Chester stood up and "hummed," but without the slightest resemblance to
any tune that the others had ever heard.

"That gits me," commented Mike, "as Teddy O'Rourke said whin the
p'liceman grabbed him. If ye'll sthrike in I'll do my best to keep wid
ye."

"No, sir; I decline to play second fiddle to anyone," and Chester resumed
his seat as if in high dudgeon.

At this moment Nora asked of Mike:

"Did you ever make up music for yourself?"

"I have tried once or twice, but didn't do much."

"Oh, please sing us something of your own."

"A leddy on the steamer that brought me over give me some printed words
one day wid the requist that I should try to put some music to 'em. I
furgot the same till after she had gone, but I'll make the effort if ye
all won't be too hard on me."

(This was the only reference that Mike was ever heard to make to the
incidents recorded in the previous chapter.)

And then the Irish lad sang "The Sweet Long Ago."

CHAPTER XV

A KNOCK AT THE DOOR

Alvin easily caught the swing of the bass and sang when the chorus was
reached. Mike barely t