and gazed at Marie, and wrestled with the devil within him.  He never doubted that it was the devil.  There was no awkwardness to him in sitting thus silent; it was the habit of his life:  he spoke when he had occasion to say anything; for the rest, he considered over-much speech as one of the curses of our fallen state.  But Abby “felt as if she should fly,” as she expressed it to herself, while he sat there.  A pall of silence seemed to descend upon the room, generally so cheerful:  the French girl cowered under it, and seemed to shrink visibly, like a dumb creature in fright.  And when he was gone, she would spring up and run like a deer to her own little room, and seize her violin, and play passionately, the instrument crying under her hands, like a living creature, protesting against grief, against silence and darkness, and the fear of something unknown, which seemed to be growing out of the silence.  Sometimes Abby thought the best thing to do would be to open the door of the cage, and let the little stray bird flutter out, as she had fluttered in those few days ago, by chance—­was it by chance?

But the bird was so willing to stay; was so happy, except when that silent shadow fell upon the cheerful house; so sweet, so grateful for little kindnesses (and who would not be kind to her, Abby thought!); such a singing, light, pretty creature to look at and listen to! and the house had been so quiet since mother died; and after all, it was pleasant to have some one to do for and “putter round.”  The neighbours said, There! now Abby Rock was safe to live, for she had got another baby to take care of; she’d ha’ withered up and blown away if she had gone on living alone, with no one to make of.

And what talks they had, Abby and Marie!  The latter told all about her early childhood with the good old woman whom she called Mere Jeanne, and explained how she came to have the Lady, and to play as she did.  The Countess, it appeared, lived up at the castle; a great lady, oh, but very great, and beautiful as the angels.  She was alone there, for the Count was away on a foreign mission, and she had no child, the Countess.  So one day she saw Marie, when the latter was bringing flowers to the gardener’s wife, who was good to her; and the Countess called the child to her, and took her on her knee, and talked with her.  Ah, she was good, the Countess, and lovely!  After that Marie was brought to the castle every day, and the Countess played to her of the violin, and Marie knew all at once that this was the best thing in the world, and the dearest, and the one to die for, you understand. (But Abby did not understand in the least.) So when Madame the Countess saw how it was, she taught Marie, and got her the Lady, the violin which was Marie’s life and soul; and she let come down from Paris a great teacher, and they all played together, the Countess his friend, for many years his pupil, and the great violinist, and Marie, the little peasant girl in her blue gown