Page:Our Little Girl (1923).pdf/163

 “That is good singing,” commented Soedlich, “but it is no more than that. Do you know what the words mean?"

“Something about being faithful.”

Soedlich smiled, and stroked her hand.

“You do not know the nuances of Italian,” he said. “The English translation you have here is ‘something about being faithful.’ It must have been written by a very: good man who loved his wife and had many, many children. It’s a fair translation of some of the words—but ‘Anglo-Saxons do not always understand these things. If you knew exactly what this song meant, you would sing it so much better-"

He patted her cheeks and laughed. Dorothy didn’t like his familiarity.

“Or perhaps you would not sing it at all. The mean- ing, my child, is this: ‘Good sir, if you would but love me'- which does not mean ‘if you would kiss me,’ but something much more interesting—you must show your passion more directly. In other words, the lady is inviting the gentleman to take her by force. It is a delightful song—a little improper, perhaps, and therefore all the more fascinating. It amuses me so when I hear nice young women sing it as though it were just an exercise in legato.”

He turned to the piano.

“Now, we shall do it again. This time, my dear, for- get about tone production. That will come naturally. Sing it to me, as though you wished to arouse me!"

He stopped playing.

“But perhaps you do not wish to arouse me.”

Dorothy began to suspect that the intangible rumors about Soedlich’s private life probably had good foundations. Was he trying to flirt with her? Or was he making veiled advances ? She looked at the piano moodily.