The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-02-18
suppose they were like brother and

pointing to where I stood, caressing the precious wood "he would sell his soul for that fiddle"
 ''Lady Greville took the hint. "Here, Anton," said she, "I cannot have Ninette here-you understand, once and for all. But will see that she is sent to kind home, where shs will want for nothing and be trained up as a servant. You need not bother about her. You will live. with me and be taught, and some day, if you are good and behave, you shall go and see Ninette."
 was irresolute, but l only said, doggedly, feeling what would be the end, "I do not want to come if Ninette may not"
 Then Lady Greville played her trump card.
 "Look, Anton," she said, "you see that violin. have no need, I see, to tell you it's value. If you will come with me and make no scene, you shall have it for your very own. Ninette will be perfectly happy. Do you agree?"
 I looked at my old fiddle lying on the floor. How yellow and trashy it looked beside the grand old Cremona, bedded in it's blue velvet!
 I will do as you like," l said.
 "Human nature is pretty much the same in geniuses and dullards," said Felix. "I congratulate you, auntie."
 And 80 the bargain was struck and the new life entered upon that very day. Lady Greville sought out Nj nette at once, though l was not al- lowed to accompany her.
 I never saw Ninette again. She made no opposition to Lady Greville's scheme She let herself be taken to the orphanage, and she never asked, so they said, to see me again.
 "She's stupid little thing" said Lady Greville to her nephew, on her return, "and as plain as possible but I suppose she was kind to the boy. They will forget each other now, hope. It is not as if they were re- lated"
 "In that case they would be hating each other like poison already. How ever, am quite sure your protege will forget soon enough; and, after all, you have nothing to do with the girl"
 I suppose I did not think very much of Ninette then; but what would you have? It was such change from the old vagrant days, that there is good deal to excuse me. l was absorbed, too, in the new and wonderful sym metry which music began to assume, as taught me by the master Lady Gre vile procured for me. When the news was broken to me, with great gentleness, that my little companion had run away from the sisters with whom she had been placed-run away and left no traces behind her-I hardly realized how completely she would have passed away from me. l thought of her for little while with some re- gret then remembered Stradivarius, and I could not be sorry long. So by degrees ceased to think of her.
 l lived on in Lady Grevillc's house, going with her, wherever she stayed London, Paris and Nice-until 1 was thirteen. Then she sent me away to study music at a small German cap ital, in the house of one of the few sur viving pupils of Weber. We parted, as we had lived together, without affection.
 Personally, Lady Greville did not like me if anything, she felt an act ual repugnance for me. All the care she lavished on me was for the sake of my talent, not for myself. She took a great deal of trouble in superintend- ing not only my musical education, but my general culture. She designed little medieval costumes for me and was indefatigable in her endeavors to impart to my manners that finish which a gutter education had denied me.
 There is charming portrait of me, by well-known English artist, that hangs now in her ladyship's drawing room. A pale boy of twelve, clad in an old fashioned suit of ruby velvet a boy with huge black eyes and long curls of the same color-is standing by an oak music stand, holding before him a Cremona violin, whose rich col bring is relieved admirably by the beautiful old point lace with which the boys doublet is slashed. It is a charming picture. The famous artist who painted it considers it his best portrait, and Lady Greville is proud of it.
 But her pride is of the same quality as that which made her value my presence. was, in her eyes, merely the compliment of her famous fiddle.
 heard her one day express cer- tain feeling of relief at my approach ing departure.
 "You regret having taken him up?" asked her nephew curiously,