to _that_ she'll go on fur ever."

Lavinia sprang out of bed and hurried over her toilet. She presented
herself quite flushed and flustered. Gay received her with a smile and
noted her animation with pleasure. He unrolled a number of sheets of
music. The paper was rough and the notes, engraved and not printed as
to-day, were cramped and scratchy.

"You know some of these tunes may be, Polly; those you don't know you'll
soon learn. I'm going to speak to Mr. Palmer about your singing two or
three just to see how the people take 'em. The words will be the old
ones, not my new verse. You won't have to trouble about my words yet
awhile."

Gay ran over the titles of the old ballads--Purcell's "What shall I do
to show how much I love her?" "Grim King of the Ghosts," "Thomas I
cannot," "Now ponder well ye parents dear," "Pretty parrot say," "Over
the hills and far away," "Gin thou wert my ain thing," "Cease your
funning," "All in the Downs."

"Those are the principal songs," went on Gay.

"Yes, I know a few, but I've never heard of the others," cried Lavinia a
little dismayed. "How shall I learn the tunes?"

"You must come to my lodgings in the village and I'll play them over to
you on the flute. My friend, Dr. Arbuthnot, will be pleased to hear you
sing 'em. It will do him good--perhaps charm away his gout. The doctor
knows you."

"Does he, sir? I don't remember him."

"He was at Mr. Pope's villa the day you sang to us. I must have a
harpsichord and we must have Dr. Pepusch to tell us what he thinks."

Lavinia heard all this with great delight. She felt she was really not
only on the ladder of success but was climbing upwards safely.

Gay then fell to talking of other matters, and incidentally mentioned
that John Rich was back from Bath where he had been taking the waters,
and that he must be talked into engaging Lavinia permanently when the
season opened in October.

"It won't be singing yet awhile Polly, so don't be disappointed if you
have to continue to walk on the stage and come off again. I'm told his
'Harlequin' hasn't finished its run so he'll open with that and go on
till my opera's ready. I'm all impatience to see you in it."

Then patting her cheek and chucking her under the chin Gay took his
leave.

It would have been hard for Lavinia to say how the day passed. She
walked on the heath for no other purpose, so she said, save to revel in
the sunshine and pure air. She had a secret hope that she might