" At any
rate he sang "Drinking," a song that lauds the wine-cup as chiefest of
godless joys, and terminating in "drinking" thrice reiterated, of which
each individual one finishes so much lower than it begins that the last
one seems to expire in the bottomless pit.
Many of those present appeared to enjoy this song. Even Marcella Eubanks
seemed for once to have soared above mere principle into the unmoral
realm of "Art for Art's sake." But it falls to be said, and I say it
with a pride which I think should not excite cavil, that Miss Caroline
frowned splendidly from the first moment that the song's true character
was revealed. She superbly evinced uneasiness, moreover, when the thing
was done, as if to say, "One can't tell _what_ may occur in a place
where _that_ is permitted!" And her performance was not observed by
myself alone. Marcella saw it and sped to her brother, who, after
listening to hurried words from her, dashed into "The Lost Chord" with a
swift and desperate fervor, as if to allay all alarm in the mind of this
sensitive guest. Eustace was at heart as earnestly well meaning as any
Eubanks that ever lived, and his vagaries in song were attributable
solely to a trusting nature capriciously endowed with a dash of the
artistic temperament.
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