Page:Rolland - A musical tour through the land of the past.djvu/39

Rh beyond imagination." The first lessons were highly successful; both master and pupil were full of enthusiasm.

So far they had sung only unpretentious airs. But Mistress Pepys, when she saw her husband engaging a singing-master for Italian music, felt her self-love wounded and wished to do the same:

Here, then, we have her learning difficult French and Italian airs! What imprudence!… Pepys does his best to delude himself, but in vain; he is forced to admit to himself that his wife has but little musical talent.