As they entered the room and the maestro came forward to greet them, Doodles chanced to look beyond the broad shoulders of the Signore to a boy at a farther window. He was fingering a violin. One glance at the dark face was enough, and he gave a glad little cry. The boy looked up, dropped his instrument, and dashed across the floor, embracing Doodles in the arms of the astonished Barrow, and kissing him on lip and cheek.
Miss Fleming and Signor Castelvetro stopped speaking to gaze, while Daphne so far forgot herself as to push between the two in her eagerness to see what was going on.
It was the privilege of Doodles to introduce Christarchus to his friends, and he was pleased to see that the gentle Greek lad was received with favor by Miss Fleming.
The Signore smiled delightedly upon everybody, assuring them that this was “a verra bleesful acceedent,” inasmuch as it promised perfect sympathy between singer and accompanist.
The rehearsal went off merrily. When “Annie Laurie” was mentioned, Christarchus showed his white teeth in a brilliant smile.
“I t’ink we try eet once, and Caruso—!” his slim hands ended the sentence in a way that sent Doodles into a gleeful little laugh.
“Caruso?” queried the Signore with a puzzled scowl.
“My mocking bird,” explained Doodles. “He sings ‘Annie Laurie’ very nicely, but that time he sang one of his queer medleys and broke us all up.”
The boys laughed again at the amusing remembrance before they could settle down to the song; but the Signore smiled indulgently, the intimate friendship of the lads seeming to please him.
When they separated, Doodles was delighted to hear Miss Fleming invite Christarchus to lunch with them the next day, and he said good-bye feeling that only one thing more was needed to make his cup of happiness very full indeed.