"What now?" she asked.

"'Listeners never hear any good of themselves' is the truthfulst ofproverbs. I stopped a moment to look at Ned, and heard the followingflattering remarks. Mamma is gone, and Ned was asking little Muir tosing that delicious barcarole she gave us the other night.

"'Not now, not here,' she exclaimed.

"'Why not? You sang it in the drawing chamber readily enough,' exclaimed Ned,imploringly.

"'That is a fairly different thing,' and she glanced at him with a littleshake of the head, for he was folding his arms and doing thepassionate pathetic.