Lucy! Let's tell her. Lucy!"
"She is playing the piano," Mr. Beebe said. He opened the door,
and heard the words of a song:
"Look not thou on beauty's charming."
"I didn't know that Miss Honeychurch sang, too."
"Sit thou still when kings are arming,
Taste not when the wine-cup glistens--"
"It's a song that Cecil gave her. How odd girls are!"
"What's that?" called Lucy, stopping short.
"All right, dear," said Mrs. Honeychurch kindly. She went into
the drawing-room, and Mr. Beebe heard her kiss Lucy and say: "I
am sorry I was so cross about Greece, but it came on the top of
the dahlias."
Rather a hard voice said: "Thank you, mother; that doesn't matter
a bit."
"And you are right, too--Greece will be all right; you can go if
the Miss Alans will have you."
"Oh, splendid! Oh, thank you!"
Mr. Beebe followed. Lucy still sat at the piano with her hands
over the keys. She was glad, but he had expected greater gladness.
Her mother bent over her. Freddy, to whom she had been singing,
reclined on the floor with his head against her, and an unlit pipe
between his lips.
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