Page:Nigger Heaven (1926).pdf/87

 Very pretty, Hester pronounced, stifling a yawn.

Classic and sweet, Orville asserted. A true gem.

A mischievous spirit prompted Mary to inquire, Do you know any Spirituals?

One or two, Webb admitted.

Oh, do sing one, please.

Webb faced the room, standing. Hester's face was iron.

I sing Spirituals without accompaniment, he explained, and then began very simply:

Mary noted at once how the feeling in this music dominated him, transfigured his voice, caused one to forget the serious faults of his singing. Even without the dialect, the song sounded sincere. And the room! What a change! Mrs. Gladbrook was crying. Gladbrook and Orville were swaying to the rhythm while Mrs. Albright moved her ear-trumpet, as though it were a baton, up and down to the beat.

After a short silence, Webb spontaneously began a livelier number: