Sealed Lips — page 45: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

SHALED LIPS, 3” years. Her revenues now consisted of vegetables, afew bags of corn, two acres of grapes that every third year gave atrocious wine. As for her capital, the notary had just given her the last cent of it. Madame Sauval had heard it repeated a hundred times that Jenny’s throat concealed a voice above the ordinary, and that even without hearing the young girl sing a man must indeed be hard to please who did not take pleasure in looking at her. When Godefroid first heard her sing he was so charmed that he thought that the Conservatory cage did not often hold such nightingales. Upon one word from him the Conservatory’s doors were opened to the one in whom the composer saw in advance a future diva for himself and his operettas. But he did not count upon Madame Sauval. “My daughter sing in comic opera! The Opera may be well enough, and yet——” She nourished this thought, and while the others taught young Jenny vocalization, she taught Gode- froid to be ambitious in his profession. He was much astonished at first, and also a little obstinate, but the young man was soon grateful to his friend, because she did not think the Opera stage too large for him—thatis to say for the young girl—for she counted upon one to tow the other along. This strong-minded woman did so well that “Constantin” was written, received by the directors, and the parts distributed to the artists. It goes without saying that Jenny had arole, and that this part, Eomicbooks (Cl @)