"She is; but, as I told Calderwell, she's quite likely to bring up in
vaudeville."

"Calderwell! Do you mean--Hugh Calderwell?" Billy's cheeks showed a
deeper color.

The man gave an embarrassed little laugh. He had not meant to let that
name slip out just yet.

"Yes." He hesitated, then plunged on recklessly. "We tramped half over
Europe together last summer."

"Did you?" Billy left her seat at the piano for one nearer the fire.
"But this isn't telling me about your own plans," she hurried on a
little precipitately. "You've studied before, of course. Your voice
shows that."

"Oh, yes; I've studied singing several years, and I've had a year or two
of church work, besides a little concert practice of a mild sort."

"Have you begun here, yet?"

"Y-yes, I've had my voice tried."

Billy sat erect with eager interest.

"They liked it, of course?"

Arkwright laughed.

"I'm not saying that."

"No, but I am," declared Billy, with conviction. "They couldn't help
liking it."

Arkwright laughed again. Just how well they had "liked it" he did not
intend to say. Their remarks had been quite too flattering to repeat
even to this very plainly interested young woman--delightful and
heart-warming as was this same show of interest, to himself.

"Thank you," was all he said.

Billy gave an excited little bounce in her chair.

"And you'll begin to learn roles right away?"

"I already have, some--after a fashion--before I came here."

"Really? How splendid! Why, then you'll be acting them next right on the
Boston Opera House stage, and we'll all go to hear you. How perfectly
lovely! I can hardly wait."

Arkwright laughed--but his eyes glowed with pleasure.

"Aren't you hurrying things a little?" he ventured.

"But they do let the students appear," argued Billy. "I knew a girl last
year who went on in 'Aida,' and she was a pupil at the School. She sang
first in a Sunday concert, then they put her in the bill for a Saturday
night. She did splendidly--so well that they gave her a chance later at
a subscription performance. Oh, you'll be there--and soon, too!"

"Thank you! I only wish the powers that could put me there had your
flattering enthusiasm on the matter," he smiled.

"I don't worry any," nodded Billy, "only please don't 'arrive' too
soon--not before the wedding, you know," she added jokingly. "We shall
be too busy to give you proper attention until after that."

A peculiar look crossed Arkwright's face.