Part 20 (1/2)

The first and most important was this: I went every Sunday to the Catholic Chapel with Madame Gironac, and of course I joined in the singing. On the third Sunday as I was going out, I was touched on the arm by one of the priests, who requested to speak with me in the vestry.

Madame Gironac and I followed him, and he requested us to sit down.

”Who have I the pleasure of addressing?” said he to me.

”Mademoiselle de Chatenoeuf, sir,” replied I.

”I am not aware of your circ.u.mstances, mademoiselle,” said he, ”but the name is one well known in France. Still those who hold our best names are very often not in affluent circ.u.mstances in this country. I trust, let it be as it may, that you will not be offended, but the fact is, your singing has been much admired, and we would wish for your service, gratuitous, if you are in good circ.u.mstances, but well paid for, if you are not, in the choir.”

”Mademoiselle Chatenoeuf is not, I am sorry to say, in good circ.u.mstances, monsieur,” replied Madame Gironac.

”Then I will promise that she shall be well rewarded for her exertions, if she will consent to sing in the chapel--but do you consent?”

”I have no objection, sir,” replied I.

”Allow me, then, to call the gentleman who presides over the choir,”

said the priest, going out.

”Accept by all means, Mademoiselle Valerie. It will be an introduction for you as a music-mistress, and very advantageous.”

”I agree with you,” replied I, ”and I like singing sacred music.”

The priest returned with a gentleman, who told me that he had listened with great pleasure to my singing, and begged, as a favour, that I would sing him a solo, which he had brought with him.

As I could sing at sight, I did so. He was satisfied, and it was agreed that I should come on Sat.u.r.day, at twelve, to practice with the rest of the choir. The following Sunday I sang with them, and also sang the solos. After the service was over, I received three guineas for my performance, and was informed that a similar sum would be given to me every Sunday on which I sang. My voice was much admired; and, when it was known that I gave lessons, I very soon had engagements from many Catholic families. My charges to them were moderate, five s.h.i.+llings a lesson of one hour.

The next channel was through Monsieur and Madame Gironac. He recommended me to a gentleman whom he taught, as a music-mistress for his sisters and daughters, and she to all her various customers and employers. I soon obtained several pupils by her exertions. The third was from an intimacy I had formed with an acquaintance of Madame Gironac, with a Mademoiselle Adele Chabot, who was of a good French family, but earning her livelihood as a French teacher in one of the most fas.h.i.+onable schools in Kensington.

Through her recommendation, I obtained the teaching of the young ladies at the school, but of her more hereafter. The fourth channel was through the kindness of Mr Selwyn, the lawyer, to whom I shall now again revert. I had several visits from Mr Selwyn after I had left Baker Street, and on one of these he informed me, that upon the proofs of Lionel Dempster's ident.i.ty being examined by the legal advisers of Mr Dempster, of Yorks.h.i.+re, they were considered so positive that the aforenamed gentleman immediately came to terms, agreeing to give up the property to Lionel, provided, in consequence of the great improvements he had made, he was not come upon for arrears of income arising from it.

That Mr Selwyn advised this offer to be accepted, as it would prevent any exposure of Lady R--, and the circ.u.mstances under which Lionel had been brought up, from being made public. Lionel had written to say that he was anxious that any sacrifice should be made rather than the affair should be exposed; and the terms were consented to, and Lionel came into possession of further property, to the amount of 900 pounds per annum.

As we became more intimate, Mr Selwyn asked me many particulars relative to myself, and, by his habit of cross-examining, soon gained the best portion of my history; only one point I did not mention to him,--that my family supposed that I was dead.

CHAPTER TEN.

One day he came, accompanied by Mrs Selwyn, who joined him very earnestly in requesting me to pa.s.s a day or two with them at their country house at Kew. I accepted the invitation, and they called for me in their carriage on their way down. It was summer time, and I was very glad to be out of London for a day or two. I found a charming family of two sons and three daughters, grown up, and who appeared very accomplished. Mr Selwyn then, for the first time, asked me whether I was settled or not.

I told him no,--that I was giving lessons in music--that I sang at the chapel, and that I was laying by money.

He said I was right, and that he hoped to be able to procure me pupils; ”But now,” said he, ”as I did not know that you had a voice, I must be permitted to hear it, as otherwise I shall not be able to make my report.”

I sat down immediately and sang, and he and Mrs Selwyn, as well as the daughters, were highly pleased with my performance. During my stay, Mr Selwyn treated me in, I may say, almost a parental manner, and extracted something more from me relative to my previous life, and he told me that he thought I had done wisely in remaining independent, and not again trusting to Lady M--or Madame d'Albret. I went afterwards several times to their town house, being invited to evening parties, and people who were there and heard my singing, sent for me to teach their daughters.

In six months after I had taken up my residence with the Gironacs, I was in flouris.h.i.+ng circ.u.mstances. I had twenty-eight pupils, ten at five s.h.i.+llings per lesson, and eight at seven s.h.i.+llings, and they took lessons twice a week. I had also a school for which I received about five guineas per week, and the singing at the chapel, for which I received three. In fact, I was receiving about eighteen pounds a week during the winter season; but it must be confessed that I worked hard for it, and expended two or three pounds a week in coach hire.

Nevertheless, although I now spent more money on my appearance, and had purchased a piano, before the year was over I had paid 250 pounds into Mr Selwyn's hands to take care of for me. When I thought of what might have still been my position had it not been for the kindness of poor Lady R--; when I reflected how I had been cast upon the world, young and friendless, by Madame d'Albret, and that I was now making money rapidly by my own exertions, and that at such an early age (for I was but little past twenty years old), had I not reason to be grateful? I was so, and most truly so, and moreover, I was happy, truly happy. All my former mirth and vivacity, which had been checked during my sojourn in England, returned. I improved every day in good looks, at least so everybody told me but Mr Selwyn; and I gained that, which to a certain degree my figure required, more roundness and expansion. And this was the poor Valerie, supposed to have been drowned in the river Seine!

I forgot to say, that about three weeks after Lionel went to Paris, I received a letter from Madame d'Albret, in which she thanked me warmly for my having introduced the young Englishman to her, as she took it as a proof of my really having forgiven her what she never should forgive herself. She still indulged the hope that she might one day embrace me.

With respect to Lionel, she said that he appeared a modest, una.s.suming young lad, and that it should not be her fault if he did not turn out an accomplished gentleman; that he had already the best fencing and music-masters, and was working very hard at the language. As soon as he could speak French tolerably, he was to commence German and Italian.

She had procured him a _pension_ in an excellent French family, and he appeared to be very happy.