His Other Wife: A Novel — page 374: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

366 “TEARS, IDLE TEARS!” said the old lady, not liking to seem unwilling to accept the proffered help, though much she marveled at it. Warren gave no sign of having heard, but took care to pass through the dining-room on his way out, and, stop- ping a minute in front of Leda, said: ‘You've no idea how the little household toils become a woman; they beautify an ugly one, and enhance a beautiful one. Eh, mother?” ‘‘T don’t know about that, my son; but it’s natural and pleasant, I think, to see a woman always busy at something useful.” The words were too mild and kind to give offense, or even rebuke. Some days later Warren, contrary to his habit, remained at home for a little while after dinner. He waited in the sitting-room until Mrs. Warren found something to call her away, and then said to Leda, in his gentle way : ‘‘] have thought of and arranged something for you which will, I hope, be both agreeable and _ profitable. Instead of allowing your elegant piano to remain boxed up in a warehouse, where it now lies, and your skill asa musician to deteriorate from want of practice, why not have a music-class, and, at the same time that you increase your slender income, you will have an oceupation con- genial to your tastes and not unbecoming to yourself. What do you say?” - Leda’s face had grown scarlet at the bare idea of teach- ing the daughters of parvenu trades-people for hire, or, Eomicbooks: (0)