She was trying to learn the piano, as yet with small success; but Alexander who had studied music concurrently with medicine, and to better result, was able to furnish accompaniments.

The concert began, and Piers, who had felt misgivings, was most agreeably surprised.

Not only had Bridget a voice, a very sweet mezzo-contralto, but she sang with remarkable feeling.

More than once the listener had much ado to keep tears out of his eyes; they were at his throat all the time, and his heart swelled with the passionate emotion which had lurked there to the ruin of his peace.

But music, the blessed, the peacemaker (for music called martial is but a blustering bastard), changed his torments to ecstasy; his love, however hopeless, became an inestimable possession, and he seemed to himself capable of such great, such noble things as had never entered into the thought of man.
The crying of her baby obliged Bridget to withdraw for a little.
Alexander, who had already made a gallant inroad on the whisky bottle, looked almost fiercely at his brother, and exclaimed: "What do you day to _that_?
Isn't that a woman?
Isn't that a wife to be proud of ?" Piers replied with enthusiasm.
"Not long ago," proceeded the other, "when we were really hard up, she wanted me to let her try to earn money with her voice.