Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1897-01-14

By Barry Pain.
Chapter Ill.

we sat very ldlS lIstI might, N>I1ENAAAo
and when we separated We mutually
agreed that ten o'clock or there's bouts
would be the right hour for breakfast.
However, | woke at SiX-went 10 sleep
and woke again once every ten i,
utes until shortly after seven-and then
rang my bell and got up. When l
was dressed, | went down stairs and
out into the garden. l found Wilmay
there, she had come up to look after
me. She shook hands, and asked me
if | wouldn't like to have breakfast
at once.
No, thanks | said. The excellent
Garter has just asked me the same
question, but as l have had some tea,
I'd rather wait until your father
comes down. Have you had break
FAST"
Not yet, l thought | would have
breakfast with you two this morn
ing"
| said that would be charming.
She took me off to see the garden
and the stables. On the way it oc-
Cured to her that it would be pleasant
to have breakfast on the lawn.
We do sometimes when it's a good
morning Hike this.
l thought the idea capital. She
called up an undergardener and said
with much dignity
Would you kindly go up to the
house, and let Carter know we should
like breakfast on the lawn this morn
ing"
1t was very quaint was amused,
While she was showing me her own
pony, she suddenly asked if l con-
sidered that music was as difficult to
learn as writing.
l said that it was more difficult
more heart breaking. ought really
in self-defense to have put it much
stronger than this. had guessed
want to learn music, and she would
learn it-and this was the horror of
it-I was to give her her first lessons.
| had always been in the habit Of
saying that | believed there must be
special reward hereafter for music
to suffer more than other men.
1t was at breakfast time that the
moment arrived when | felt that | had
either to consider myself a brute or
to offer to teach Wilmay the piano. |
set my teeth and made the offer. She
thanked me and said that it would be
lovely, but that she must not bother
me and take up my time. That, of
course, finished it. By the end of
breakfast | was imploring as a privi-
lege to be allowed to teach Wilmay
the piano, and Wilmay was sweetly
and lgraciously c0nsenting | told
Philip afterwards that l thought that
in common decency he ought to have
protested and said firmly that he
would not allow any guest OF his to
be turned into a mdsic-maSter in his
house. lie smiled and said that he
could not see it,
Very well, then | answered, Il
will have regular hours for those les
sons, and keep to them, and
up your g0-asy you please system.
At this he only smiled again. viii
may and | decided upon regular hours,
and sometimes we kept them. | may,
perhaps have forgotten about them
three or four times-not more. AS
pointed out to Philip it was better
than not ever attempting to be regu
lar
Wilmay was an excellent pupil. She
learned very quickly, but then she
worked under compulsion. | do not
pretend that these lessons were an un-
mixed joy to me. | doubt if elemen-
tary lessons on the piano to a child
often are ever an unmixed joy to amy
body But | had expected that they
would be very much worse. Wflmay
really loved music. AS a reason for
my existence, music seemed TO be even
better than chocolates, though prob
ably those four boxes helped to solve
the problem.
l chaffed with Philip occasionally
about his system of educating a child
by leaving out the education and al
lowing her to do as she liked. But,
speaking seriously, that system had
answered admirably with Wilmay. 1t
seemed to have given her a spirit, an
independence, a readiness of initiative,
that one rarely finds in children Of
that age. She knew what to do. And,
confess it, she was not spoiled. She
seemed to have an innate sweetness,
tenderness and ,unselfishness OF nature
that was proof against spelling. She
gave orders TO the servants just as
Philip would have done, and the SER
wants were apparently instructed to
take her orders as his own, but
lever heard her give a dictatorial or
unreasonable order or omit TO thank
a servant who had done anything for
her. Her own woman, Mrs. Biayd was
a blend Of nurse, goyerness and lady's
maid and also rather gave one the
impression that she was lady her
self. She was a middle aged woman
very quiet and reserved. Philip told
me that she had been with Wilmsy
ever since her birth,