She played on more than one instrument with more than boarding-school skill; and though she sang in no language but her own, few could hear her sweet voice without being deeply touched.

Her music, her songs, had a wondrous effect on me.

Thus, altogether, a kind of dreamy yet delightful melancholy seized upon my whole being; and this was the more remarkable because contrary to my early temperament, which was bold, active, and hilarious.

The change in my character began to act upon my form.

From a robust and vigorous infant, I grew into a pale and slender boy.