irable that she should never even hear of it; but that cannot be
hoped, as Maria has such a tongue! Couldn't you see Mr. Dalrymple
to-night?"

"Well, no; I don't think I could."

"Mind, at least, that you come to me as soon as ever you return."

Before he got out of the house, which he did after a most
affectionate farewell, Johnny felt himself compelled to promise that
he would come to Miss Demolines again as soon as he got back to town;
and as the door was closed behind him by the boy in buttons, he made
up his mind that he certainly would call as soon as he returned to
London. "It's as good as a play," he said to himself. Not that he
cared in the least for Miss Demolines, or that he would take any
steps with the intention of preventing the painting of the picture.
Miss Demolines had some battle to fight, and he would leave her to
fight it with her own weapons. If his friend chose to paint a picture
of Jael, and take Miss Van Siever as a model, it was no business of
his. Nevertheless he would certainly go and see Miss Demolines again,
because, as he said, she was as good as a play.

CHAPTER XXVI

The Picture

On that same afternoon Conway Dalrymple rolled up his sketch of
Jael and Sisera, put it into his pocket, dressed himself with some
considerable care, putting on a velvet coat which he was in the habit
of wearing out of doors when he did not intend to wander beyond
Kensington Gardens and the neighbourhood and which was supposed to
become him well, yellow gloves, and a certain Spanish hat of which he
was fond, and slowly sauntered across to the house of his friend Mrs
Dobbs Broughton. When the door was opened to him he did not ask if
the lady were at home, but muttering some word to the servant, made
his way through the hall, upstairs, to a certain small sitting-room
looking to the north, which was much used by the mistress of the
house. It was quite clear that Conway Dalrymple had arranged his
visit beforehand, and that he was expected. He opened the door
without knocking, and, though the servant had followed him, he
entered without being announced. "I'm afraid I'm late," he said, as
he gave his hand to Mrs. Broughton; "but for the life I could not get
away sooner."

"You are quite in time," said the lady, "for any good that you are
likely to do."

"What does that mean?"

"It means this, my friend, that you had better give the idea up. I
have been thinking of it all day, and I do not approve o