She could not refrain from watching him furtively and trying to catch his
every look, word and tone.
After a little she stole quietly from the room and went up to her own.
"He will miss me presently," she thought, "remember about the lessons, and
come up to hear them, and I'll have him all to myself for at least a
little while."
He did not come, but at length Rosie looked in to say, "Won't you come
down to the music-room, Zoe? Miss Fleming is going to play for us, and she
is said to be quite a wonderful performer."
Zoe accepted the invitation; she was fond of music, and it wasn't Miss
Fleming who had robbed her of Edward. Yet, when she saw him standing
beside her, a rapt and delighted listener, and assiduously turning her
music, she began to almost hate her, too.
The advent of these two strangers seemed to have rendered ineffectual all
the efforts she had put forth that day to gratify her husband; of what
use was it that she had so carefully prepared the lessons he would not
trouble himself to hear? or that she had spent hours of patient practice
at the piano in learning the song she was given no opportunity to play and
sing?
But womanly pride was awaking within her, and she made a tolerably
successful effort to control and hide her feelings.
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