The pathetic gaze of appeal produced no effect.

‘Did Harvey ask you to talk about it, Mamma?’

’No.  He takes it in the kindest way.  But, Alma, you surely see that it pains him?’

’Pains him?  That shows you don’t understand us, dear Mamma.  We could neither of us possibly do anything that would pain the other.  We are in perfect harmony, yet absolutely independent.  It has all been talked over and settled.  You must have misunderstood Harvey altogether.’

From this position Alma could not be moved, and Mrs. Frothingham, too discreet to incur the risk of interference, spoke no more of the matter as it concerned man and wife.  But another objection she urged with almost tearful earnestness.  Did Alma forget that her appearance in public would give occasion to most disagreeable forms of gossip?  And even if she disregarded the scandal of a few years ago, would not many of her acquaintances say and believe that necessity had driven her into a professional career?

‘They may say what they like, and think what they like,’ was Alma’s lofty reply.  ’If artists had always considered such trivial difficulties, where should we have been?  Suppose gossip does its worst —­ it’s all over in a few months; then I stand by my own merit.  Dear Mamma, don’t be old fashioned!  You look so young and so charming —­ indeed you do —­ that I can’t bear to hear you talk in that early Victorian way.  Art is art, and all these other things have nothing whatever to do with it.  There, it’s all over.  Be good, and amuse yourself whilst you are with us.  I assure you we are the most reasonable and the happiest people living.’

Mrs. Frothingham smiled at the compliment to herself; then sighed, and held her peace.

CHAPTER 10

So day by day Alma’s violin sounded, and day after day Harvey heard it with a growing impatience.  As is commonly the case with people of untrained ear, he had never much cared for this instrument; he preferred the piano.  Not long ago he would have thought it impossible that he could ever come to dislike music, which throughout his life had been to him a solace and an inspiration; but now he began to shrink from the sound of it.  As Alma practised in the morning, he was driven at length to alter his habits, and to leave home after breakfast.  Having no other business, he went to Westminster Bridge Road, met Cecil Morphew at the shop, watched the progress of alterations that seemed advisable, picked up a little knowledge of photography, talked over prices, advertisements, and numerous commercial matters of which he had hitherto been contentedly ignorant.  Before long, his loan to Morphew was converted into an investment; he became a partner in the concern, which, retaining the name of the old proprietor, they carried on as Den bow & Co.