“I will—in half a minute.... This piano needs tuning badly. And more than tuning. It needs—”
“It’ll do very well as it is, I dare say!” said the old lady, briefly.
“But it isn’t good to practise on a piano—”
“Practise! What do you want with practising? You play very nicely.”
“Oh, but not nearly well enough! I’m going to keep on with my lessons.”
“What!” cried the old lady. “Lessons! A young married woman fiddling about with piano lessons!”
Claudine was surprised at this sudden hostility.
“Yes; why not?”
“Haven’t you anything better than that to do with your time?”
“What else should I do?”