right, Dick," he answered with equanimity, smiling with a
little inward amusement; "you look after your people. I will find my
way about."

As he made his way discreetly among the little groups of people who
strolled processionally along the gravel walks and beneath the
trees, or disposed themselves in basket chairs upon the lawn,
feeling himself vaguely exhilarated by the not too abstruse music of
the posturing fiddlers, his eyes caressed by the soft glow of the
Japanese lanterns, strung like antique jewelled necklets against the
almost tangible blackness of the night, he found himself listening
with an half-malicious amusement to the commonplace of the
conversational formulae affected by the young world of society, the
well-worn, patched-up questions, the anticipated answers. It was
very little changed since the time when he had not yet emancipated
himself from the dreary bondage of such functions. It was croquet
then, lawn-tennis now; for the rest only the names were different.
Presently he encountered McAllister, a solitary wanderer like
himself, and they found themselves seats before long in the darkest
corner of the garden, where a few chairs had been placed, outside
the radius of the lanterns, underneath a weeping willow.

"And they say painting doesn't pay," said the Scotchman, extending
his long hands comprehensively, with a quiet chuckle. "And I'm not
saying that it does, mind you, when a man has notions like that
queer, cantankerous devil Oswyn. He wouldn't make anything pay in
this world. But if a man's clever and canny, and has the sense to
see on which side his bread's buttered ... why, it's just easier
than nothing. And to think that the laddie isn't even an Associate."

"Yes. I suppose he's getting on pretty well," suggested Rainham,
with a lazy enjoyment of this frank worldliness.

"Getting on! Doesn't it look like it? Isn't he entertaining his
friends like--like a Rothschild? You know, of course, that he has
sold his Academy picture, and next year's as well--and four figures
for each of them?"

"Yes; and he's commissioned to paint a life-size portrait of the
Hereditary Grand-Duchess of Oberschnitzelsteinwurst--an undertaking,
by the way, for which I don't envy him. Oh, Dick's all right! What
have you got in the Academy this year, by the way? I'm ashamed to
say I haven't been there yet."

"You haven't! But you have seen Lightmark's picture? No? Well, it's
a fine thing, and just as clever as----