at Mrs. Broughton's house.
All this was explained between the three conspirators. Mrs. Dobbs
Broughton declared that if she entertained the slightest idea that
her husband would object to the painting of the picture in her room,
nothing on earth would induce her to lend her countenance to it; but
yet it might be well not to tell him just at first, perhaps not till
the sittings were over,--perhaps not till the picture was finished;
as, otherwise, tidings of the picture might get round to ears which
were not intended to hear it. "Poor dear Dobbs is so careless with a
secret." Miss Van Siever explained her motives in a very different
way. "I know mamma would not let me do it if she knew it; and
therefore I shall not tell her." "My dear Clara," said Mrs. Broughton
with a smile "you are so outspoken!" "And why not?" said Miss Van
Siever. "I am old enough to judge for myself. If mamma does not want
to be deceived, she ought not to treat me like a child. Of course
she'll find it out sooner or later; but I don't care about that."
Conway Dalrymple said nothing as the two ladies were thus excusing
themselves. "How delightful it must be not to have a master," said
Mrs. Broughton, addressing him. "But then a man has to work for his
own bread," said he. "I suppose it comes about equal in the long
run."

Very little drawing or painting was done on that day. In the first
place it was necessary that the question of costume should be
settled, and both Mrs. Broughton and the artist had much to say on
that subject. It was considered proper that Jael should be dressed
as a Jewess, and there came to be much question how Jewesses dressed
themselves in those very early days. Mrs. Broughton had prepared her
jewels and raiment of many colours, but the painter declared that the
wife of Heber the Kenite would have no jewels. But when Mrs. Broughton
discovered from her Bible that Heber had been connected by family
ties with Moses, she was more than ever sure that Heber's wife would
have in her tent much of the spoilings of the Egyptians. And when
Clara Van Siever suggested that at any rate she would not have worn
them in a time of confusion when soldiers were loose, flying about
the country, Mrs. Broughton was quite confident that she would have
put them on before she invited the captain of the enemy's host into
her tent. The artist at last took the matter into his own hand by
declaring that Miss Van Siever would sit the subject much better
wit