"I am so glad, professor, that I can agree with you entirely."
"Which makes me bolder," he said, "because we could be useful to each other, without pretending to be in love, or any nonsense of that sort."
"Indeed. Now, I shall be very pleased to be useful to you without, as you say, any foolish pretence or nonsense."
"The way is this: you can play, can't you?"
"Yes."
"And sing?"
"Yes."
"Did you ever dance in tights?"
"No, I never did that."
"Ah, well—it's a pity; but one can't expect everything. And no doubt you'd take to it easy. They all do. Did you ever sing on the stage—at a music-hall, I mean?"