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‘Will you post this letter; please, Miss?”

Why had God spared her life that day—her use-
less life? Surely for some purpose. She was very
thankful to Him, and she would try to find it out.

Was it little Marie pining to be ‘a lady,’ as she
thought, but in reality wishing to be that something
better than a milliner’s girl she felt she could be?

If so, could Violet help her to it, and so make her-
self of a little use in this busy world? She would
try, and as a first step she got her London music-
master to sound the depths of her little protégée’s
musical powers,

The scheme was successful. Herr Spieler pushed
his spectacles up in the air and pronounced the little
milliner a true genius, only she must work—work
many years at music—only music—and then

Poor Mary! her dark eyes looked alternately
delight and despair. What about Miss Nash? How
was she to give those long days of pins, and seams,
and chatter, to her dear music? .

 

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She went home half crying. She did not wish te
be a lady now, she knew—only a musician.

Aunt Hodge now came forward; she would be
responsible for Mary’s ‘keep,’ if kind Miss Dorning
would get her into the great London music school
they talked of. Marie was all amazed gratitude.
The family had hitherto only laughed at her music,
and her flowers, and her fancies. ‘And I owe it
all to you,’ she said, gratefully, to Miss Dorning.
‘ How kind ladies can be! That is all I envy them
now!’

Poor Violet! she crimsoned with shame. In all
her twenty-one years of life, this had been her first
effort to benefit a fellow-creature. Only this one
girl in all Rockborough had reason to bless her.
And she was rich, young, and healthy; surely she
could have made more people happy if she had tried.

Little Marie Holmes fulfilled the promise of her
youth, and became a great musician, a great singer,

Sra