red again:

"But your Aunt _Julia_----"

"There she is now," said Florence, pointing to the window nearest them.
"They've stopped dancing for a while so's that ole Mister Clairdyce can
get a chance to sing somep'n. Mamma told me he was goin' to."

Dashing chords sounded from a piano invisible to Noble and his
companion; the windows exhibited groups of deferentially expectant young
people; and then a powerful barytone began a love song. From the yard
the singer could not be seen, but Julia could be: she stood in the
demurest attitude; and no one needed to behold the vocalist to know that
the scoundrel was looking pointedly and romantically at her.

"Dee-urra-face that holds soswee tasmile for me,
Wairyew nah tmine how darrrk the worrrl dwooed be!"

To Noble, suffering at every pore, this was less a song than a
bellowing; and in truth the confident Mr. Clairdyce did "let his voice
out," for he was seldom more exhilarated than when he shook the ceiling.
The volume of sound he released upon his climaxes was impressive, and
the way he slid up to them had a great effect, not indoors alone, but
upon Florence, enraptured out under the trees.

"Oh, isn't it be-_you_-tiful!" she murmured.

Her humid eyes were fixed upon Noble, who was unconscious of the honour.
Florence was susceptible to anything purporting to be music, and this
song moved her. Throughout its delivery from Mr. Clairdyce's unseen
chest, her large eyes dwelt upon Noble, and it is not at all impossible
that she was applying the tender words to him, just as the vehement
Clairdyce was patently addressing them to Julia. On he sang, while
Noble, staring glassily at the demure lady, made a picture of himself
leaping unexpectedly through the window, striding to the noisy barytone,
striking him down, and after stamping on him several times, explaining:
"There! That's for your insolence to our hostess!" But he did not
actually permit himself these solaces; he only clenched and unclenched
his fingers several times, and continued to listen.

"Geev a-mee yewr ra-smile,
The luv va-ligh TIN yew rise,
Life cooed not hold a fairrerr paradise.
Geev a-mee the righ to luv va-yew all the wile,
My worrlda for AIV-vorr,
The sunshigh NUV vyewr-ra-smile!"

The conclusion was thunderous, and as a great noise under such
circumstances is an automatic stimulant of enthusiasm, the applause was
thunderous too. Several girls were unable to subdu