thing about compliments as
she released her hand from his grasp. Mr. Browne extended his open
hand towards her and said to those who were near him in the manner of a
showman introducing a prodigy to an audience:

"Miss Julia Morkan, my latest discovery!"

He was laughing very heartily at this himself when Freddy Malins turned
to him and said:

"Well, Browne, if you're serious you might make a worse discovery. All
I can say is I never heard her sing half so well as long as I am coming
here. And that's the honest truth."

"Neither did I," said Mr. Browne. "I think her voice has greatly
improved."

Aunt Julia shrugged her shoulders and said with meek pride:

"Thirty years ago I hadn't a bad voice as voices go."

"I often told Julia," said Aunt Kate emphatically, "that she was simply
thrown away in that choir. But she never would be said by me."

She turned as if to appeal to the good sense of the others against a
refractory child while Aunt Julia gazed in front of her, a vague smile
of reminiscence playing on her face.

"No," continued Aunt Kate, "she wouldn't be said or led by anyone,
slaving there in that choir night and day, night and day. Six o'clock on
Christmas morning! And all for what?"

"Well, isn't it for the honour of God, Aunt Kate?" asked Mary Jane,
twisting round on the piano-stool and smiling.

Aunt Kate turned fiercely on her niece and said:

"I know all about the honour of God, Mary Jane, but I think it's not at
all honourable for the pope to turn out the women out of the choirs that
have slaved there all their lives and put little whipper-snappers of
boys over their heads. I suppose it is for the good of the Church if the
pope does it. But it's not just, Mary Jane, and it's not right."

She had worked herself into a passion and would have continued in
defence of her sister for it was a sore subject with her but Mary Jane,
seeing that all the dancers had come back, intervened pacifically:

"Now, Aunt Kate, you're giving scandal to Mr. Browne who is of the other
persuasion."

Aunt Kate turned to Mr. Browne, who was grinning at this allusion to his
religion, and said hastily:

"O, I don't question the pope's being right. I'm only a stupid old woman
and I wouldn't presume to do such a thing. But there's such a thing as
common everyday politeness and gratitude. And if I were in Julia's place
I'd tell that Father Healey straight up to his face..."

"And besides, Aunt Kate," said Mary Jane,