第33章
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  ’Andyou’vebeenpaidforwhatyou’vedone。Come,Mussy,you’dbetternotturnagainstme。You’llnevergetyourchangeoutofthat。Evenifyoumarrythedaughter,thatwon’tgiveyouthemother’smoney。She’llsticktoeveryshillingofittillshedies;andshe’dtakeitwithherthen,ifsheknewhow。’Havingsaidthis,hegotupfromhischair,puthislittlebookintohispocket,andwalkedoutoftheoffice。Hepushedhiswayacrossthecourt,whichwasmorethanordinarilycrowdedwiththeimplementsofBurtonandBangles’trade,andashepassedunderthecoveredwayheencounteredattheentranceanoldwomangettingoutofacab。Theoldwomanwas,ofcourse,MotherVan,asherpartner,MrDobbsBroughtonirreverentlycalledher。’MrsVanSiever,howd’yedo?Letmegiveyouahand。FarefromSouthKensington?Ialwaysgivethefellowthreeshillings。’

  ’Youdon’tmeantotellmeit’ssixmiles!’Andshetenderedaflorintotheman。

  ’Can’ttakethat,ma’am,’saidthecabman。

  ’Can’ttakeit!Butyoumusttakeit。Broughton,justgetapoliceman,willyou?’DobbsBroughtonsatisfiedthedriveroutofhisownpocket,andthecabwasdrivenaway。’Whatdidyougivehim?’saidMrsVanSiever。

  ’Justanothersixpence。Thereneverisapolicemananywhereabouthere。’

  ’It’llbeoutofyourownpocket,then,’saidMrsVan。’Butyou’renotgoingaway?’

  ’ImustbeatCapelCourtbyhalf—pasttwelve;——Imust,indeed。Ifitwasn’trealbusiness,I’dstay。’

  ’ItoldMusselboro,Ishouldbehere。’

  ’He’supthere,andheknowsallaboutthebusinessjustaswellasI

  do。WhenIfoundthatIcouldn’tstayforyou,Iwentthroughtheaccountwithhim,andit’sallsettled。Goodmorning。I’llseeyouattheWestEndinadayortwo。’ThenhemadehiswayoutintoLombardStreet,andMrsVanSieverpickedherstepsacrosstheyard,andmountedthestairs,andmadeherwayintotheroominwhichMrMusselborowassitting。

  ’Somebody’sbeensmoking,Gus,’shesaid,almostassoonasshehadenteredtheroom。

  ’That’snothingnewhere,’hereplied,ashegotupfromhischair。

  ’There’snogoodbeingdonewhenmensitandsmokeovertheirwork。Isityou,orhe,orbothofyou?’

  ’Well——itwasBroughtonwassmokingjustnow。Idon’tsmokeofamorningmyself。’

  ’WhatmadehimgetupandrunawaywhenIcame?’

  ’HowcanItell,MrsVanSiever,’saidMusselboro,laughing。’Ifhedidrunawaywhenyoucame,Isupposeitwasbecausehedidn’twanttoseeyou。’

  ’Andwhyshouldn’thewanttoseeme?Gus,Iexpectthetruthfromyou。

  Howarethingsgoingonhere?’TothisquestionMrMusselboromadenoimmediateanswer;buttiltedhimselfbackinhischairandtookhishatoff,andputhisthumbsintothearm—holesofhiswaistcoat,andlookedhispatronessfullintheface。’Gus,’shesaidagain,’Idoexpectthetruthfromyou。Howarethingsgoingonhere?’

  ’There’dbeagoodbusiness——ifhe’donlykeepthingstogether。’

  ’Buthe’sidle。Isn’theidle?’

  ’Confoundedlyidle,’saidMusselboro。

  ’Andhedrinks;——don’thedrinkintheday?’

  ’Likethemischief——somedays。Butthatisn’ttheworstofit。’

  ’Andwhatistheworstofit?’

  ’Newmarket;——that’stherockhe’sgoingtopieceson。’

  ’Youdon’tmeantosayhetakesthemoneyoutofthebusinessforthat?’

  AndMrsVanSiever’sface,assheaskedthequestion,expressedalmostatragichorror。’IfIthoughtthatIwouldn’tgivehimanhour’smercy。’

  ’Whenamanbetshedoesn’twellknowwhatmoneyheuses。Ican’tsaythathetakesmoneythatisnothisown。SituatedasIam,Idon’tknowwhatishisownandwhatisn’t。IfyourmoneywasinmynameIcouldkeepahandonit;——butasitisnotIcandonothing。Icanseethatwhatisputoutisputoutfairlywell;andwhenIthinkofit,MrsVanSiever,itisquitewonderfulthatwe’velostsolittle。Ithasbeennexttonothing。Thathasbeenmydoing——andthat’saboutallIcando。’

  ’Youmustknowwhetherhehasusedmymoneyforhisownpurposesornot。’

  ’Ifyouaskme,Ithinkhehas,’saidMrMusselboro。

  ’ThenI’llgointoit,andI’llfinditout,andifitisso,assureasmyname’sVanSiever,I’llsewhimup。’Havingutteredwhichterriblethreat,theoldwomandrewachairtothetableandseatedherselffairlydown,asthoughsheweredeterminedtogothroughallthebooksoftheofficebeforeshequittedthatroom。MrsVanSieverinherpresenthabilimentswasnotathingsoterribletolookatasshehadbeeninherwiggeriesatMrsDobbsBroughton’sdinner—table。Hercurlswerelaidasidealtogether,andsheworesimplyafrontbeneathherclosebonnet——andaveryoldfront,too,whichwasnotloudlyoffensivebecauseittoldnolies。Hereyeswereasbright,andherlittlewizenfacewasassharpasever;butthewizenfaceandthebrighteyeswerenotsomuchamissasseentogetherwiththeolddarkbrownsilkdresswhichshenowwore,astheyhadbeenwiththewiggeriesandtheeveningfinery。Evennow,inhermorningcostume,inherwork—a—daybusinessdress,aswemaycallit,shelookedtobeveryold——sooldthatnobodycouldguessherage。Peopleattemptingtoguesswouldsaythatshemustbeatleastovereighty。Andyetshewaswiry,andstrong,andnimble。

  Itwasnotbecauseshewasfeeblethatshewasthoughttobeold。Theywhosojudgedofherwereledtotheiropinionbytheextremethinnessofherface,andbythebrightnessofhereyes,joinedtothedepthofthehollowsinwhichtheylay,andtheredmarginbywhichtheyweresurrounded。ItwasnotreallythefactthatMrsVanSieverwassoveryaged,forshehadstillsomeyearstolivebeforeshewouldreacheighty,butthatshewassuchaweirdoldwoman,sosmall,soghastly,andsougly!’I’llsewhimup,ifhe’srobbingme,’shesaid。’Iwillindeed!’AndshestretchedoutherhandtograbattheledgerwhichMusselborohadbeenusing。

  ’Youwon’tunderstandanythingfromthat,’saidhe,pushingthebookovertoher。

  ’Youcanexplainittome。’

  ’That’sallstraightsailing,thatis。’

  ’Andwheredoeshekeepthefiguresthataren’tstraightsailing?That’sthebookIwanttosee。’

  ’Thereisnosuchbook。’

  ’Lookhere,Gus——ifIfindyoudeceivingmeI’llthrowyouoverboardassureasI’malivingwoman。Iwillindeed。I’llhavenomercy。I’vestucktoyou,andmadeamanofyou,andIexpectyoutosticktome。’

  ’Notmuchofaman,’saidMusselboro,withatouchofscorninhisvoice。

  ’You’veneverhadashillingyetbutwhatIgaveyou。’

  ’Yes;Ihave。I’vehadwhatI’veworkedfor——andworkedconfoundedhardtoo。’

  ’Lookhere,Musselboro;ifyou’regoingtothrowmeover,justtellmeso,andletusbeginfair。’

  ’I’mnotgoingtothrowyouover。I’vealwaysbeenonthesquarewithyou。Whydon’tyoutrustmeoutandout,andthenIcoulddoadealbetterforyou。Youaskmenowaboutyourmoney。Idon’tknowaboutyourmoney,MrsVanSiever。HowamItoknowanythingaboutyourmoney,MrsVanSeiver?Youdon’tgivemeanypowerofkeepingahanduponDobbsBroughton。IsupposeyouhavesecurityfromDobbsBroughton,butIdon’tknowwhatsecurityyouhave,MrsVanSiever。Heowesyounow915pounds16s2donlastyear’saccount!’

  ’Whydoesn’thegivemeachequeforthemoney?’

  ’Hesayshecan’tspareit。Youmayhave500pounds,andtherestwhenhecangiveittoyou。Orhe’llgiveyouhisnote—of—handatfourteendaysonthewhole。’

  ’Botherthenote—of—hand。WhyshouldItakehisnote—of—hand?’

  ’Doasyoulike,MrsVanSiever。’

  ’It’stheinterestonmyownmoney。Whydon’thegiveitme?Isupposehehashadit。’

  ’Youmustaskhimthat,MrsVanSiever。You’reinpartnershipwithhim,andhecantellyou。Nobodyknowsanythingaboutit。Ifyouwereinpartnershipwithme,thenofcourseIcouldtellyou。Butyou’renot。

  You’venevertrustedme,MrsVanSiever。’

  TheladyremainedthereclosetedwithMrMusselboroforanhourafterthat,anddid,Ithink,atlengthlearnsomethingmoreastothedetailsofherpartner’sbusinessthanherfaithfulservantMrMusselborohadatfirstfoundhimselfabletogivetoher。Andatlasttheycametofriendlyandconfidentialterms,inthemidstofwhichthepersonalwelfareofMrDobbsBroughtonwas,Ifear,somewhatforgotten。NotthatMrMusselboropalpablyandplainlythrewhisfriendoverboard。Hetookhisfriend’spart——allegingexcusesforhim,andpleadingsomefacts。

  ’Ofcourse,youknow,amanlikethatisfondofpleasure,MrsVanSiever。He’sbeenatitmoreorlessallhislife。Idon’tsupposeheevermissedaDerbyoranOaks,orthecupatAscot,ortheGoodwoodinhislife。’’He’llhavetomissthembeforelong,I’mthinking,’saidMrsVanSiever。’Andastonotcashingup,youmustremember,MrsVanSiever,thattenpercentwon’tcomeinquiteasregularlyasfourorfive。Whenyougoforhighinterest,theremustbehitcheshereandthere。Theremust,indeed,MrsVanSiever。’’Iknowallaboutit,’saidMrsVanSiever。’Ifhegaveittomeassoonashegotithimself,I

  shouldn’tcomplain。Nevermind。He’sonlygottogivememylittlebitofmoneyoutofthebusiness,andthenheandIwillbeallsquare。YoucomeandseeClarathisevening,Gus。’

  ThenMrMusselboroputMrsVanSieverintoanothercab,andwentoutuponthe’Change——hangingabouttheBank,andstandinginThreadneedleStreet,talkingtoothermenjustlikehimself。WhenhesawDobbsBroughtonhetoldthatgentlemanthatMrsVanSieverhadbeeninhertantrums,butthathehadmanagedtopacifyherbeforesheleftHookCourt。’I’mtotakethechequeforthefivehundredtonight,’hesaid。

  CHAPTERXXXVIII

  JAEL

  OnthefirstofMarch,ConwayDalrymple’seaselwasputupinMrsDobbsBroughton’sboudoirupstairs,thecanvaswasplaceduponitonwhichtheoutlinesofJaelandSiserahadbeenalreadydrawn,andMrsBroughtonandClaraVanSieverandConwayDalrymplewereassembledwiththeviewofsteadyart—work。Butbeforeweseehowtheybegantheirworktogether,wewillgobackforamomenttoJohnEamesonhisreturntohisLondonlodgings。Thefirstthingeverymandoeswhenhereturnshomeafteranabsence,istolookforhisletters,andJohnEameslookedathis。Therewerenotverymany。TherewasanotemarkedimmediatefromSirRaffleBuffle,inwhichSirRhadscrawledinfourlinesanotificationthatheshouldbedriventoanextremityofinconvenienceifEameswerenotathispostathalf—pastnineonthefollowingmorning。’IthinkIseemyselfthereatthathour,’saidJohn。Therewasanotificationofahousedinner,whichhewasaskedtojoin,athisclub,andacardforaneveninggatheringatLadyGlencoraPalliser’s——procuredforhimbyhisfriendConway——andaninvitationfordinneratthehouseofhisuncleMrToogood;andtherewasascentednotedinthehandwritingofalady,whichhedidnotrecognise。’Mydearest,dearestfriend,MDM,’hesaid,asheopenedthenoteandlookedatthesignature。ThenhereadtheletterfromMissDemolines。

  ’MYDEARMREAMES,’Praycometomeatonce。Iknowthatyouaretobebacktomorrow。Donotloseanhourifyoucanhelpit。Ishallbeathomeathalf—pastfive。Ifearwhatyouknowofhasbegun。

  Butitcertainlyshallnotgoon。Inonewayoranotheritmustbeprevented。Iwon’tsayanotherwordtillIseeyou,butpraycomeatonce——Yoursalways,’Thursday。’

  MDM’

  ’Poormotherisn’tverywell,soyouhadbetteraskforme。’

  ’Beautiful!’saidJohnny,ashereadthenote。’There’snothingIlikesomuchasamystery——especiallyifit’saboutnothing。Iwonderwhysheissodesperatelyanxiousthatthepictureshouldnotbepainted。I’daskDalrymple,onlyIshouldspoilthemystery。’Thenhesathimselfdown,andbegantothinkofLily。TherecouldbenotreasontoLilyinhisamusinghimselfwiththefreaksofsuchawomanasMissDemolines。

  Ateleveno’clockonthemorningofthefirstofMarch——thedayfollowingthatonwhichMissDemolineshadwrittenhernote——theeaselwasputupandthecanvaswasplacedonitinMrsBroughton’sroom。MrsBroughtonandClarawereboththere,andwhentheyhadseentheoutlinesasfarasithadbeendrawn,theyproceededtomakearrangementsfortheirfutureoperations。Theperiodofworkwastobeginalwaysateleven,andwastobecontinuedforanhourandahalforfortwohoursonthedaysonwhichtheymet。Ifearthattherewasalittleimproperscheminginthisagainstthetwopersonswhomtheladieswereboundtoobey。MrDobbsBroughtoninvariablylefthishouseafterteninthemorning。Itwouldsometimeshappen,thoughnotfrequently,thathereturnedhomeearlyintheday——atfourperhaps,orevenbeforethat;

  andshouldhechancetodosowhilethepicturewasgoingon,hewouldcatchthemattheirworkiftheworkwerepostponedtillafterluncheon。

  AndthenagainMrsVanSieverwouldoftengooutinthemorning,andwhenshedidso,wouldalwaysgowithoutherdaughter。OnsuchoccasionshewentintotheCity,ortootherresortsofbusiness,atwhich,insomemannerquiteunintelligibletoherdaughter,shelookedafterhermoney。Butwhenshedidnotgooutinthemorning,shedidgooutintheafternoon,andshewouldthenrequireherdaughter’scompany。TherewassomeplacetowhichshealwayswentofaFridaymorning,andatwhichshestayedfortwoorthreehours。FridaythereforewasafittingdayonwhichtobegintheworkatMrsBroughton’shouse。Allthiswasexplainedbetweenthethreeconspirators。MrsDobbsBroughtondeclaredthatifsheentertainedtheslightestideathatherhusbandwouldobjecttothepaintingofthepictureinherroom,nothingonearthwouldinducehertolendhercountenancetoit;butyetitmightbewellnottotellhimjustatfirst,perhapsnottillthesittingswereover——perhapsnottillthepicturewasfinished;asotherwise,tidingsofthepicturemightgetroundtoearswhichwerenotintendedtohearit。’PoordearDobbsissocarelesswithasecret。’MissVanSieverexplainedhermotivesinadifferentway。’Iknowmammawouldnotletmedoitifsheknewit;andthereforeIshallnottellher。’’MydearClara,’saidMrsBroughtonwithasmile’youaresooutspoken!’’Andwhynot?’saidMissVanSiever。’Iamoldenoughtojudgeformyself。Ifmammadoesnotwantmetobedeceived,sheoughtnottotreatmeasachild。Ofcourseshe’llfinditoutsoonerorlater;butIdon’tcareaboutthat。’ConwayDalrymplesaidnothingasthetwoladieswerethusexcusingthemselves。

  ’Howdelightfulitmustbenottohaveamaster,’saidMrsBroughton,addressinghim。’Butthenamanhastoworkforhisownbread,’saidhe。

  ’Isupposeitcomesaboutequalinthelongrun。’

  Verylittledrawingorpaintingwasdoneonthatday。Inthefirstplaceitwasnecessarythatthequestionofcostumeshouldbesettled,andbothMrsBroughtonandtheartisthadmuchtosayonthatsubject。

  ItwasconsideredproperthatJaelshouldbedressedasaJewess,andtherecametobemuchquestionhowJewessesdressedthemselvesinthoseveryearlydays。MrsBroughtonhadpreparedherjewelsandraimentofmanycolours,butthepainterdeclaredthatthewifeofHebertheKenitewouldhavenojewels。ButwhenMrsBroughtondiscoveredfromherBiblethatHeberhadbeenconnectedbyfamilytieswithMoses,shewasmorethaneversurethatHeber’swifewouldhavemuchinhertentofthespoilingsoftheEgyptians。AndwhenClaraVanSieversuggestedthatatanyrateshewouldnothaveworntheminatimeofconfusionwhensoldierswereloose,flyingaboutthecountry,MrsBroughtonwasquiteconfidentthatshewouldhaveputthemonbeforesheinvitedthecaptainoftheenemy’shostintohertent。Theartistatlasttookthematterintohisownhand,bydeclaringthatMissVanSieverwouldsitthesubjectmuchbetterwithoutjewels,andthereforeallMrsBroughton’sgewgawswereputbackintotheirboxes。AndthenonfourdifferenttimesthetwoladieshadtoretireintoMrsBroughton’sroominorderthatJaelmightbearrayedinvariouscostumes——andineachcostumeshehadtokneeldown,takingthehammerinherhand,andholdingthepointedstickwhichhadbeenpreparedtododutyasthenail,upontheforeheadofthedummySisera。Atlastitwasdecidedthatherraimentshouldbealtogetherwhite,andthatsheshouldwear,twistedroundherheadandfallingoverhershoulder,aRomansilkscarfofvariouscolours。’WhereJaelcouldhavegottenIdon’tknow,’saidClara。’YoumaybesurethattherewerelotsofsuchthingsamongtheEgyptians,’saidMrsBroughton,’andthatMosesbroughtawayallthebestforhisownfamily。’

  ’AndwhoistobeSisera?’askedMrsBroughtoninoneofthepausesintheirwork。’

  ’I’mthinkingofaskingmyfriendJohnEamestosit。’

  ’Ofcoursewecannotsittogether,’saidMissVanSiever。

  ’There’snoreasonwhyyoushould,’saidDalrymple。’Icandothesecondfigureinmyownroom。’ThentherewasabargainmadethatSiserashouldnotbeaportrait。’Itwouldneverdo,’saidMrsBroughton,shakingherheadverygravely。

  Thoughtherewasreallyverylittledonetothepictureonthatday,theworkwascommenced;andMrsBroughton,whohadatfirstobjectedstronglytotheidea,andwhohadsaidtwentytimesthatitwasquiteoutofthequestionthatitshouldbedoneherhouse,becameveryeagerinherdelightaboutit。Nobodyshouldknowanythingofthepicturetillitshouldbeexhibited。Thatwouldbebest。Anditshouldbethepictureoftheyear!Shewasalittleheart—brokenwhenDalrympleassuredherthatitcouldnotpossiblebefinishedforexhibitioninthatMay;butshecametoagainwhenhedeclaredthathemeanttoputoutallhisstrengthuponit。’Therewillbefiveorsixmonths’workinit,’hesaid。’Willthere,indeed?Andhowmuchworkwastherein\"TheGraces\"?’

  ’TheGraces’,aswillperhapsberemembered,wasthetripleportraitofMrsDobbsBroughtonherself。Thisquestiontheartistdidnotanswerwithabsoluteaccuracy,butcontentedhimselfwithdeclaringthatwithsuchamodelasMrsBroughtonthepicturehadbeencomparativelyeasy,MrsBroughton,havingnodoubtthatultimateobjectofwhichshehadspokentoherfriendConwaysteadilyinview,tookoccasionbeforethesittingwasovertoleavetheroom,sothattheartistmighthaveanopportunityofspeakingawordinprivatetohismodel——ifhehadanysuchwordtospeak。AndMrsBroughton,asshedidthis,feltthatshewasdoingherdutyasawife,afriend,andaChristian。Shewasdoingherdutyasawife,becauseshewasgivingtheclearestproofintheworld——theclearestatanyratetoherself——thattheintimacybetweenherselfandherfriendConwayhadinitnothingthatwasimproper。Andshewasdoingherdutyasafriend,becauseClaraVanSiever,withherlargeexpectations,wouldbeaneligiblewife。AndshewasdoingherdutyasaChristian,becausethewholethingwasintendedtobemoral。

  MissDemolineshaddeclaredthatherfriendMariaClutterbuck——asMissDemolinesdelightedtocallMrsBroughton,inmemoryofdearoldinnocentdays——hadhighprinciples;andthereaderwillseethatshewasjustifiedinherdeclaration。’Itwillbebetterso,’saidMrsBroughton,asshesatuponherbedandwipedatearfromthecornerofhereye。’Yes;itwillbebetterso。Thereisapang。Ofcoursethere’sapang。Butitwillbebetterso。’Actinguponthishighprinciple,sheallowedConwayDalrymplefiveminutestosaywhathehadtosaytoClaraVanSiever。Thensheallowedherselftoindulgeinsomeverysavagefeelingsinreferencetoherhusband——accusingherhusbandinherthoughtsofgreatcruelty——nay,ofbrutality,becauseofcertainsharpwordsthathehadsaidastoConwayDalrymple。’Butofcoursehecan’tunderstand,’saidMrsBroughtontoherself。’Howisittobeexpectedthatheshouldunderstand?’

  Butsheallowedherfriendonthisoccasiononlyfiveminutes,thinkingprobablythatsomuchtimemightsuffice。Awoman,whensheisjealous,isapttoattributetootherwomanwithwhomherjealousyisconcerned,bothweaknessandtimidity,andtothemanbothaudacityandstrength。A

  womanwhohasherselftakenperhapstwelvemonthsinthewinning,willthinkthatanotherwomanistobewoninfiveminutes。ItisnottobesupposedthatMrsDobbsBroughtonhadeverbeenwonbyanyoneexceptMrDobbsBroughton。Atleast,letitnotbesupposedthatshehadeveracknowledgedasparkofloveforConwayDalymple。ButneverthelesstherewasenoughofjealousyinherpresentmoodtomakeherthinkpoorlyofMissVanSiever’scapacityforstandingasiegeagainsttheartist’seloquence。Otherwise,havingleftthetwotogetherwiththeobjectwhichshehadacknowledgedtoherself,shewouldhardlyhavereturnedtothemaftersoshortaninterval。

  ’Ihopeyouwon’tdislikethetroubleofallthis?’saidDalrympletohismodel,assoonasMrsBroughtonwasgone。

  ’IcannotsaythatIlikeitverymuch,’saidMissVanSiever。

  ’I’mafraiditwillbeabore;——butIhopeyou’llgothroughwithit。’

  ’IshallifIamnotprevented,’saidMissVanSiever。’WhenI’vesaidthatI’lldoathing,Iliketodoit。’

  Therewasapauseintheconversationwhichtookupaconsiderableportionofthefiveminutes。MissVanSieverwasnotholdinghernailduringthosemoments,butwassittinginacommonplacewayonherchair,whileDalrymplewasscrapinghispalette。’Iwonderwhatitwasthatfirstinducedyoutosit?’saidhe。

  ’Oh,Idon’tknow。Itookafancyforit。’

  ’I’mverygladyoudidtakethefancy。You’llmakeanexcellentmodel。

  Ifyouwon’tmindposingagainforafewminutes——Iwillnotwearyyoutoday。Yourrightarmalittlemoreforward。’

  ’ButIshouldtumbledown。’

  ’Notifyouleanwellonthenail。’

  ’ButthatwouldhavewokenSiserabeforeshehadstruckablow。’

  ’Nevermind。Letustryit。’ThenMrsBroughtonreturned,withthatpleasantfeelinginherbosomofhavingdoneherdutyasawife,friend,andaChristian。’MrsBroughton,’continuedthepainter,’juststeadyMissVanSiever’sshoulderwithyourhand;andnowbringthearmandtheelbowalittlemoreforward。’

  ’ButJaeldidnothaveafriendtohelpherinthatway,’saidMissVanSiever。

  Attheendofanhourandahalfthetwoladiesretired,andJaeldisrobedherself,andMissVanSieverputonhercustomaryraiment。Itwasagreedamongthemthattheyhadcommencedtheirworkauspiciously,andthattheywouldmeetagainonthefollowingMonday。TheartistbeggedtobeallowedanhourtogoonwithhisworkinMrsBroughton’sroom,andthusthehourwasconcededtohim。Itwasunderstoodthathecouldnottakethecanvasbackwardsandforwardswithhimtohisownhouse,andhepointedoutthatnoprogresswhatevercouldbemade,unlesshewereoccasionallyallowedsomesuchgraceasthis。MrsBroughtondoubtedandhesitated,madedifficulties,andliftedupherhandsindespair。’Itiseasyforyoutosay,Whynot?butIknowverywellwhynot?’Butatlastshegaveway。’Honisoitquimalypense,’

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