At Love's Cost

"Quite a swell show, ain't it?" said Joseph, as he pushed his way into

the crowd and looked over his shoulder at the long line of carriages

setting down their occupants. "I'm glad you consented to come; it would

have been a pity if you'd missed it."

"I hope we shall be able to see the prince from our seats!" said

Isabel, whose eyes were more widely open than usual, and her mouth half

agape with excitement. "I'm always stuck in some corner where I can't

see them, when the royal family's present."

They succeeded in making their way into the hall, and after Joseph had

held a dispute with the man who had shown them into their place, and

who had muddled the tickets and their numbers, they settled down, and

Ida looked round.

Though their seats were in the third row, she could see nearly the

whole of the large hall, and she found the sight a novel and impressive

one. Her interest increased as the admirable band played the first

number with the precision and feeling for which the orchestra at the

Queen's Hall is famous. In the interval between the selection and the

song which was to follow, Joseph pointed out some of the celebrities

who were present, and whom he recognised by their portraits in the

illustrated papers.

"Regular swell mob, isn't it?" he said, exultingly; "there isn't a seat

in the house, excepting those three in the stalls, and I suppose

they'll be filled up presently by some swells or other; they always

come late. Aren't you glad you've come?" he added, with a languishing

glance.

Amidst a storm of welcome, Patti came forward to sing, and Ida,

listening with rapture, almost forgot her sorrow as she passed under

the spell of the magic voice which has swayed so many thousands of

hearts. During the cries of encore, and unnoticed by Ida, three

persons, a lady and two gentlemen, entered the stalls, and with a good

deal of obsequiousness, were shown by the officials into the three

vacant seats.

One great singer followed rapidly after another, and Ida, with slightly

flushed face and eyes that were dim with unshed tears--for the

exquisite music thrilled her to the core--leant back, with her hands

tightly clasped in her lap, her thoughts flying back to Herondale and

those summer evenings which, in some strange way, every song recalled.

She was unconscious of her surroundings, even of the objectionable

Joseph, who sat beside her as closely as he could; and she started

slightly as he whispered: "Those seats are filled up now. I wonder who they are? They look

classy--particularly so."