Page 22 (1/2)

In the saloon, Elsie had shielded her face in her hands, to hide the

tears which the entreaty of the hyht to her eyes So, Miss Maxwell?"

It was the Aed that the sweet voice which

unconsciously led the singing of the hymn must be skilled in other

! Do you think it possible?" she asked

"Yes You can do a brave thing, I guess, and that would be brave"

"I will try," she said, and she walked to the piano which was screwed

athwart the deck in front of the polished any sheath of the steel

mainmast It was in her ht operas then in vogue, but the secret influences of the hour were

stronger than her studied intent, and, when her fingers touched the

keys, they wandered, almost without volition, into the subtle harmonies

of Gounod's "Ave Maria" She played the air first; then, gaining

confidence, she sang the words, using a Spanish version which had

caught her fancy It was good to see the flashing eyes and iestures of the Chilean stewards when they found that she was singing

in their own language These e of the coast, were now in a state of panic; they

would have burst the bonds of discipline on the least pretext So, as

it chanced, the voice of the English seƱorita reached theel, and the spell she cast over theerous toil Here, again, was found