She never thought of disobeying a direct command like this; for it was true, as she had often said, that she never did a thing which she believed at the time to be wrong.

It would be clearly wrong to refuse to do her practising when Nurse and Gran'ma had decreed that it was to be done, and so she recognized that the hated ordeal must be faced.
She got out her "music", sheets covered with wicked-looking black notes, having figures and crosses marked above them in pencil to show her where to put her little fingers, which were always sure to get themselves in the wrong places.

Before descending to the large lonely drawing-room where the practising had to be done, Terry made one last appeal to fate by opening the door of Granny's bedroom ever so little and speaking in.

Granny might, after all, not be so severe in this matter as Nurse Nancy.
"Gran'ma, dear," said a little plaintive voice, "do you think I need go to my practising quite so soon in the holidays ?" "Yes, my darling," answered Madam from among the curtains of her bed.

"You know your mother will expect you to play something pretty for her as soon as she comes home." Then Terry strove no more against her doom, but went down to the drawing-room.
The drawing-room was a handsome old-fashioned apartment, but with that depressing atmosphere which gathers into rooms, especially large ones, which have ceased to be much lived in.