There was just a hint in that triumphant harmony that the seventh had been struck along with the octave by the thumb of the left hand; but the general effect of splendid noise emerged clearly enough. Small details matter little so long as the general effect is good. And, besides, that hint of the seventh was decidedly modern. He turned round in his seat and tossed the hair back out of his eyes. ‘There,’ he said. ‘That’s the best I can do for you, I’m afraid.’ Murmurs of applause and gratitude were heard, and Mary, her large china eyes fixed on the performer, cried out aloud, ‘Wonderful!’ and gasped for new breath as though she were suffocating. Nature and fortune had vied with one another in heaping on Ivor Lombard all their choicest gifts. He had wealth and he was perfectly independent. He was good looking, possessed an irresistible charm of manner, and was the hero of more amorous successes than he could well remember. His accomplishments were extraordinary for their number and variety.
