astonished look from the Senator checked her. Nevertheless, he felt
relieved, and rising, motioned her to a chair with a heartiness he would
have scarcely shown to a Parisian toilleta. And when, with two or three
quick, long steps, she reached his side, and showed, a frank, innocent,
but strong and determined little face, feminine only in its flash of eye
and beauty of lip and chin curves, he put down the pamphlet he had taken
up somewhat ostentatiously, and gently begged to know her business.
I think I have once before spoken of her voice,--an organ more often
cultivated by my fair country-women for singing than for speaking,
which, considering that much of our practical relations with the sex are
carried on without the aid of an opera score, seems a mistaken notion of
theirs,--and of its sweetness, gentle inflexion, and musical emphasis.
She had the advantage of having been trained in a musical language, and
came of a race with whom catarrhs and sore throats were rare. So that
in a few brief phrases she sang the Senator into acquiescence as she
imparted the plain libretto of her business,--namely, a "desire to see
some of his rare engravings."
Now the engravings in question were certain etchings of the early Great
Apprentices of the art, and were, I am happy to believe, extremely rare.
From my unprofessional view they were exceedingly bad,--showing the mere
genesis of something since perfected, but dear, of course, to the
true collector's soul. I don't believe that Carmen really admired them
either. But the minx knew that the Senator prided himself on having
the only "pot-hooks" of the great "A," or the first artistic efforts of
"B,"--I leave the real names to be filled in by the connoisseur,--and
the Senator became interested. For the last year, two or three of these
abominations had been hanging in his study, utterly ignored by the
casual visitor. But here was appreciation! "She was," she added, "only a
poor young artist, unable to purchase such treasures, but equally unable
to resist the opportunity afforded her, even at the risk of seeming
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