d first. But Camilla, poor child, was going
out. Perhaps she would have a supper at the friend's house where she was
to play. And perhaps not. Besides, she had eaten nothing since morning.
She might faint before the supper hour came. She could not give it up
and go to bed as her brothers had done. In their perplexity and trouble
Aunt Caroline came with the joyful news that she had found a sou in an
old coat pocket. Only a sou--a copper cent. Camilla dressed hastily, and
with her father set out for the private concert where she was to play.
As they walked through the streets they stopped at one of the little
cooking stands that are so common in Paris. With the one cent they
bought a paper bag holding perhaps a pint of fried potatoes. M. Urso
carried the violin and Camilla took the bag and ate her supper as she
passed along. Franklin's breakfast of rolls in the streets of
Philadelphia was a royal feast beside Camilla's supper. Using her
handkerchief for a napkin she finished the meal and throwing the paper
bag away entered the grand mansion as the honored little guest and
artist. As for her father he had no supper at all.

It is always darkest just before dawn. They struggled through a few more
days of bitter poverty and then came a sudden burst of wealth and good
fortune that fairly took their breath away. It seemed as if a shower of
gold actually rained down upon them and a new and most remarkable
experience came in the history of the Urso family.

The last term at the Conservatory was nearly finished. She must give her
whole energies to her studies. The Directors had given out the piece of
music that was to be played by the pupils at the examination in July and
she must go to work upon it. Eight weeks was little enough time to give
to such a piece of music. It was the 24th Concerto in B Minor for violin
by Viotti. Besides being a work of great difficulty it began with one
short note followed by a longer one. They must all get that place right,
if nothing else. The jury would not forgive them if they slighted the
first note in the piece. How they did try over that one passage. The
two notes echoed from every room in the Conservatory all day long. The
boys tried it over at every spare moment and it did seem to Camilla as
if those were the only notes in the piece. For herself she practiced it
carefully and very slowly, feeling sure it was better to trust to her
own coolness and steadiness at the trial than to go over it s