"She spoke the truth, then, though she is an Italian," said Mr. Linley.
"Ah, let us talk about something else," cried Betsy. "Why should we talk of music within the first hour of Tom's return to us? Surely we might have one evening of pleasure."
Tom ceased fondling her hand and looked seriously into her face. And now the expression in their eyes was not the same. The soft, beseeching look that she cast at him was very different from the serious glance--it had something of reproach in it--with which he regarded her.
"We talk of music because there is nothing else worth talking about in the world," said he, and she saw with dismay the strange light that burned in the depths of his eyes, while his glance passed suddenly beyond her face--passed away from her face, from the room, from the world altogether. She knew what that light meant, and she shuddered. She had seen it in Mr. Garrick's face when he was playing in _Hamlet_; she had seen it in Mr. Gainsborough's face when he was painting the picture of her and her brother; she had seen it in the plain face of little Dr. Goldsmith when he had repeated in her hearing the opening lines of his sublime poem, "The Traveller"; she had seen it in the face of Mr. Burke when he was making a speech. She knew what it meant--she knew that that light was the light which men call genius, and she shuddered. She knew that to have genius is only to have a greater capacity for suffering than other men. What she did not know was that people saw the same light in her eyes when she was singing, "I know that my Redeemer liveth."
"What do you say?" cried the father, springing from his chair with a hand upraised. "What do you say, my son?"
"I say, sir, that we talk of music because there is nothing else in the world worth talking about," said Tom stoutly.
With a cry of delight the father threw himself into his son's arms.
"Thank God for that--thank God for that!" he murmured. "You have not worked in vain, my boy; I have not prayed in vain. The truth has been revealed to you. You are my son."
"Can any one doubt that this is the truth?" said the boy.
Betsy saw that he was careful to avoid looking in her direction. That was why she felt that he was addressing her personally.