“Oh, no, sir.”
“She has evidently taught you well. Your voice, too, is very fair,—very fair, indeed.”
“Do I sing well enough to appear in public, sir?” asked Helen, eagerly.
“Yes, or you may in time. Of course, you require training.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“When you were here, a few minutes since, I thought I had no place for you. I have been informed since that Miss De Forrest, my regular singer, is unexpectedly taken ill, and may not recover for some time. I will engage you for a week in her place if we can agree upon terms.”
“I am very much obliged to you, sir,” said Helen, with difficulty concealing her joy.
“I will pay you six dollars for the first week,” continued the manager. “Should you do well, and I have occasion to employ you longer, I may increase your compensation. But, of course, being a beginner, you cannot expect a large salary.”
Large! Six dollars seemed to Helen a small fortune. It would enable them to live better than she had dared to do since they became inmates of Mrs. Morton’s boarding-house.
“You will be expected to make your first appearance this evening, in the songs which you have already sung. You will present yourself at rehearsal to-morrow morning at ten o’clock. We will dispense with it to-day.”