Free The Tapestry in the Attic by Mary O'Donnell

me.”
    The room was silent when she had finished, and it was as if there were some palpable presence that bade them not to speak and certainly not to applaud—it would have been unthinkable. Annie had no idea that Peggy was capable of making such beautiful music. She felt the sting of tears in her own eyes, and when she looked over at Mary Beth, she was already pulling a tissue out of her purse. Jacob Martin’s head was bowed down, and she couldn’t see his face, but his body language seemed to indicate that he, too, was moved.
    Even Professor Howell seemed to be affected by Peggy’s performance and was unable or unwilling to speak and break the spell, but finally, he cleared his throat and said, “That, my dear, is what we call a showstopper in the theater.” Looking at Stella, he said, “You were right. I think she has what it takes for the part.”
    Peggy looked confused. “What part?” she asked.
    “Mrs. Brickson suggested you for the part of Abigail, the king’s sister. I wasn’t convinced, but I believe you can do it. Well done, Mrs. Carson. You may sit down now.”
    Peggy sat down, slightly dazed. Annie saw her look over at Stella, and the oldest and the youngest members of the Hook and Needle Club exchanged smiles—Annie read their expressions: Peggy’s said “thank you,” and Stella’s said “you’re welcome.”
    Professor Howell continued down his list, calling on each member of the Hook and Needle Club in turn. As Annie watched him proceed to interrogate each person, she began to understand that what she was seeing was the teacher in action. He seemed to know just how much to push to make the person he was addressing push back rather than fold. He adjusted his technique depending on the person. He laid out his expectations, but also encouraged each of them, in a slightly backhand way, to say outright what she considered to be her strengths if not her weaknesses.
    With Gwen, he was all business. She was to be in charge of advertising and organizing any printed material and ginning up sponsors. Ian promised to help by mentioning the play at any event he was asked to speak at, which happened quite often.
    With Mary Beth, the professor changed tacks. He spoke with gentleness, no doubt having been informed by Stella of her recent news, and sometimes precarious emotional state. Peggy’s song seemed to have affected her more than anyone else, and her face was still a little splotchy from the tears she had shed.
    The professor explained he that wanted to arrange special instrumental music for the intermission between the acts of the play, and asked Mary Beth if she was interested in trying to organize any Stony Point musicians who might be available to form an ensemble with students from the college. Mary Beth played the flute herself and was part of Stony Point’s community band.
    “We have a fine music department at Longfellow,” said Professor Howell, “and Professor Torres has agreed to put together a program of compositions from the medieval era, arranged for modern-day instruments, so we’re looking more for instruments that can be translated to mimic those from the Middle Ages, like the flute, the recorder, the guitar, perhaps the dulcimer or the harp, and also something akin to the tambor for percussion—so it’s really quite specialized and not your normal set of band instruments.”
    When Mary Beth gave her consent, the professor said, “Excellent. I’ll give you Professor Torres’s number at the college so you can speak to her directly. She can tell you much better than I what is required.”
    The professor moved on to Kate next. “Is Kate Stevens here?” he asked.
    As the others had done, Kate stood up, looking a little nervous. “I’m here.”
    “Good. I see here that you design crochet patterns. What can you tell me about that?” asked the professor.
    “Well,” began Kate, “it requires math skills and an understanding of how garments need to be constructed to fit the