Vashti's Fate — page 139: what you’re looking at

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

134 4 NEW WARDROBE ‘There, I should like to see you fail! Don’t you dare doit. Are you ready to go in now?” ‘‘ Ves, sir, 1f I must; but what am I to sing? Oh, I never thought of that. What is it, sir?” ‘‘There, there; keep cool. It is only that little song about birds, and blossoms, and waterfalls. A moonish serenade, I believe, they call it. You'll find the music on the piano. I’ve heard you sing it often. Up with you, and if you fail, Vashti Everleigh, I'll cross you out of my book.” He handed her up the steps, led her to the piano, and seated her, keeping up a fire of low bantering words all the time to divert her attention from embarrassing thoughts. He placed the music before her. It was the wrong sheet, and she pointed out the mistake to him. Placing the right one before her, he said: “See how nervous I am lest you should fail, It would vex me terribly.” | ‘Would it, indeed 2” SOV ESE: He stepped to one side a little, and as her hand fell on the keys in a musical flutter of notes, the room was hushed in an instant to perfect quietness, and up through the — tender murmuring of the prelude stole a voice, at first faint and tremulous, but very sweet, and gathering strength and compass as it went. Not till she had finished, and the last breath of nilagts had floated away over the room, did she lift her eyes from the music. Then looking upon the throng fiom her elevated position, she felt faint, and swayed slightly in her seat. Professor Thorpe stepped quietly to her side, lifted the hand that lay as if paralyzed on the piano keys, and placing it on his arm, led her away.