Amabel.

'His music! oh, his music!' said Laura.

'Philip,' said Charlotte, earnestly, 'you really should learn to like
him.'

'Learn, impertinent little puss?' said Philip, smiling, 'why should I
not like him?'

'I was sure you would try,' said Charlotte, impressively.

'Is it hard?' said Amy. 'But, oh, Philip! you could not help liking
his singing.'

'I never heard such a splendid voice,' said Laura; 'so clear and
powerful, and yet so wonderfully sweet in the low soft notes. And a
very fine ear: he has a real talent for music.'

'Ah! inherited, poor fellow,' said Philip, compassionately.

'Do you pity him for it?' said Amy, smiling.

'Do you forget?' said Philip. 'I would not advise you to make much of
this talent in public; it is too much a badge of his descent.'

'Mamma did not think so,' said Amy. 'She thought it a pity he should
not learn regularly, with such a talent; so the other day, when Mr.
Radford was giving us a lesson, she asked Guy just to sing up and down
the scale. I never saw anything so funny as old Mr Radford's surprise,