"Something fell overboard." "Eh?
A man, do you mean ?" he asked, stopping.
"Oh, no; something small." "A parcel, somebody's lunch, perhaps," he said; and he rowed on.
She leant back, her eyes downcast; she still seemed to feel that strong, irresistible pressure of his hand under which she had been unable to move.
"There ought to be an echo somewhere here," he said, as they came opposite one of the hills, and he gave the Australian "coo-ee!" in a clear, ringing voice, which the echo sent back in a musical imitation.
"How true it was!" she said, and she opened her lips and sang a bar or two of the "Elsie" song.
Stafford listened to the echo, which was almost as soft and sweet as the girl's notes.
"What a wonderful voice you have!" he said, almost unconsciously.

"I never heard a sweeter.

What was that you sang ?" "That thing of Wagner's," she replied; and quite naturally she began the air and sang it through.
Stafford let the boat drift and leant upon the oars, his eyes fixed on her face, a rapt and very eloquent admiration in his own.
"Ah--beautiful!" he said in a low voice.

"What a delight it must be to you to be able to sing like that! I can understand a whole theatre crying over that song sung as you sing it!" She glanced at him with an affectation of languid amusement; but she was watching him intently.
"That's not the best in the opera," she said.

"I like this better;" and she sang the "Swan" song; sang it so low that he leant forward to catch the notes which flowed like silver from her soft, red lips; and when she finished it he drew a long breath and still leant forward looking at her.
"Thank you, thank you!" he said, with so much of admiration and gratitude in his voice, that, as if to apologise for it, he said: "I'm fond of music.