her and which deserted
her rarely enough, threatened to desert her now; also, a poisonous doubt
touched her joy. With its coming came a return of confidence and Flamby
laid her hand confidingly upon Paul's arm.

"You really do mean what you say, don't you?" she asked wistfully.

"My dear little girl, why are you so doubtful of my honesty?"

Flamby lowered her fiery head. "Except father," she said, "I never knew
anybody who really thought I could paint. Some pretended to think so;
and Miss Kingsbury at High Fielding, who ought to know, laughed at
me--after she had asked me to go and see her--and told me to 'try and
find a nice domestic situation.'"

The mimicry in the concluding words was delightfully funny, but Paul
nodded sympathetically. A mental picture of Miss Kingsbury arose before
him, and it was in vain that he sought to consider her and her kind
without rancour. Beauty is a dangerous gift for any girl, making
countless enemies amongst her own sex and often debarring her from
harmless pleasures open to her plainer sisters. But the Miss Kingsburys
of the smaller county towns are an especial menace to such as Flamby,
although charity rarely assumes the dimensions of a vice among any of
the natives of England's southern shires.

"And your father had intended that you should become a painter?"

Unconsciously, he found himself speaking of the late Michael Duveen as
of one belonging to his own station in life, nor did the wild appearance
and sometimes uncouth language of Flamby serve wholly to disguise the
blue streak in her blood.

"When he was sober," she replied, and suddenly bursting into gay
laughter she snatched the drawing and turned away, waving her hand to
Paul. "Goodbye, Mr. Mario," she cried. "I like you heaps better than
your uncle!"

Her impudence was delicious, and Paul detained her. "You must not run
away like that," he said. "Captain Courtier made me promise that I would
arrange for you to pursue your art studies----"

Flamby shook her head. "How can I do that?" she asked, in a gust of
scorn. Then, as suddenly, her gaze grew wrapt and her face flushed. "But
how I would love to!" she whispered.

"You shall. It is all arranged," declared Paul earnestly. "The--special
pension which your mother will receive and which Captain Courtier is
arranging will be sufficient to cover all costs."

Flamby looked up at him, her eyes aglow with excitement. "Oh, Mr.
Mario," she said, "please don't think me un