erself compensated the domestic
shortcoming. Of course, she was not a model of the home-keeping
virtues; who expected an artist to be that? But Harvey denied this
claim; and of all the motives contributing to her aspiration, none had
such unfailing force as the vehement resolve to prove him wrong.

Next morning the weather was so bad that Harvey asked whether she had
not better give up her expedition to the Crystal Palace. Alma smiled
and shook her head.

'You think I go only for amusement. It's so difficult to make you
understand that these things are serious.'

'Congestion of the lungs is serious. I don't think Mrs. Frothingham
will face it. There'll probably be a telegram from her.'

But by midday the fierce wind and driving sleet had abated, though the
outlook remained cheerless enough. After an early lunch, Alma set
forth. Dora Leach joined her in the train, and thus they travelled,
through sooty gloom, under or above ground, from the extreme north to
the farthest south of London; alighting at length with such a ringing
of the ears, such an impression of roar and crash and shriek, as made
the strangest prelude to a feast of music ever devised in the world's
history. Their seats having been taken in advance, they entered a few
moments before the concert began, and found themselves amid a scanty
audience; on either side of them were vacant places. Alma did not dare
to glance round about. If Redgrave were here, and looked for her, he
would have no difficulty in discovering where she sat; probably, too,
he could manage to take possession of the chair at her side. And this
was exactly what happened, though not until the first piece had been
performed.

'I congratulate you on your zeal,' spoke the voice which always put her
in mind of sunny mountains and a blue lake.

'Inviting a compliment in return,' said Alma, with a sudden
illumination of her features. 'Are you one of the regular attendants?'

'Don't you remember?' His voice dropped so low that he hardly seemed to
address her. 'I promised myself the pleasure----'

Alma pretended not to hear. She turned to her companion, spoke a word,
and renewed the very slight acquaintance which had existed a few years
ago between Redgrave and Miss Leach. Then the sound of an instrument
imposed silence.

It was not the first time that Alma affected to be absorbed in music
when not consciously hearing it at all. Today the circumstances made
such distraction pardonable; but