made me see. I know my own mind, now."

She did not note the pathetic tenderness of Cyrilla's face as she said,
"Good night, Mildred." But she did note the use of her first name--and
her own right first name--for the first time since they had known each
other. She embraced and kissed her again. "Good night, Cyrilla," she
said gratefully.

As she entered Jennings's studio the next day he looked at her; and
when Jennings looked, he saw--as must anyone who lives well by playing
upon human nature. He did not like her expression. She did not
habitually smile; her light-heartedness, her optimism, did not show
themselves in that inane way. But this seriousness of hers was of a
new kind, of the kind that bespeaks sobriety and saneness of soul. And
that kind of seriousness--the deep, inward gravity of a person whose
days of trifling with themselves and with the facts of life, and of
being trifled with, are over--would have impressed Jennings equally had
she come in laughing, had her every word been a jest.

"No, I didn't come for a lesson--at least not the usual kind," said she.

He was not one to yield without a struggle. Also he wished to feel his
way to the meaning of this new mood. He put her music on the rack.
"We'll begin where we--"

"This half-hour of your time is mine, is it not?" said she quietly.
"Let's not waste any of it. Yesterday you told me that I could not
hope to make a career because my voice is unreliable. Why is it
unreliable?"

"Because you have a delicate throat," replied he, yielding at once
where he instinctively knew he could not win.

"Then why can I sing so well sometimes?"

"Because your throat is in good condition some days--in perfect
condition."

"It's the colds then--and the slight attacks of colds?"

"Certainly."

"If I did not catch colds--if I kept perfectly well--could I rely on my
voice?"

"But that's impossible," said he.

"Why?"

"You're not strong enough."

"Then I haven't the physical strength for a career?"

"That--and also you are lacking in muscular development. But after
several years of lessons--"

"If I developed my muscles--if I became strong--"

"Most of the great singers come from the lower classes--from people who
do manual labor. They did manual labor in their youth. You girls of
the better class have to overcome that handicap."

"But so many of the great singers are fat."

"Yes, and under that fat you'll find great ropes of muscle--