Follow a Stranger

Kate smiled at her when she had finished. She knew very

well that Pallas had chosen that particular piece in order to

startle her by her technical brilliance, and, she had to admit,

it was very clever. But there had been something lacking.

She could not quite put her finger on what that was, but she

said nothing, except to ask Pallas to sing for her.

The girl looked a little cross. Sullenly she chose a song,

Kate played the introduction on the piano, and Pallas sang.

Kate’s fingers almost halted in amazement as the clear,

sweet notes spilled out. She looked round and saw a dreamy

expression stealing into the girl’s face.

Afterwards, she closed the piano lid with a gesture of

finality. “You don’t need me to tell you that you have a very

lovely voice,” she said, smiling at Pallas. “I shall arrange for

our specialist violin teacher to come in and teach you. Your

voice is really almost beyond me. You need serious training.”

“When I am eighteen Marc will let me go to a college of

music,” said the girl. “But he has no intention of letting me

take up a professional career. So what does it matter?”

Kate leaned back and stared at her. “Why won’t he let you

become a musician?”

“He wants me to marry,” said Pallas, “as I’m sure you

know!” And her eyes bit contemptuously at Kate.

“How should I know? I’ve never met him. Why shouldn’t

you marry and still have a career?”

Pallas shrugged, without answering.

Kate waited, then changed the subject. “I’m sure Miss

Carter could arrange to have someone really good to come in

and teach you singing. Madame Liovitch lives twenty miles

away—she might accept you as a pupil.”