hout jewels, and therefore all Mrs. Broughton's gewgaws were put
back into their boxes. And then on four different times the two
ladies had to retire into Mrs. Broughton's room in order that Jael
might be arrayed in various costumes,--and in each costume she had to
kneel down, taking the hammer in her hand, and holding the pointed
stick which had been prepared to do duty as the nail, upon the
forehead of a dummy Sisera. At last it was decided that her raiment
should be altogether white, and that she should wear, twisted round
her head and falling over her shoulder, a Roman silk scarf of various
colours. "Where Jael could have gotten it I don't know," said Clara.
"You may be sure that there were lots of such things among the
Egyptians," said Mrs. Broughton, "and that Moses brought away all the
best for his own family."

"And who is to be Sisera?" asked Mrs. Broughton in one of the pauses
in their work.

"I'm thinking of asking my friend John Eames to sit."

"Of course we cannot sit together," said Miss Van Siever.

"There's no reason why you should," said Dalrymple. "I can do the
second figure in my own room." Then there was a bargain made that
Sisera should not be a portrait. "It would never do," said Mrs
Broughton, shaking her head very gravely.

Though there was really very little done to the picture on that day,
the work was commenced; and Mrs. Broughton, who had at first objected
strongly to the idea, and who had said twenty times that it was
quite out of the question that it should be done her house, became
very eager in her delight about it. Nobody should know anything of
the picture till it should be exhibited. That would be best. And it
should be the picture of the year! She was a little heartbroken when
Dalrymple assured her that it could not possibly be finished for
exhibition in that May; but she came to again when he declared that
he meant to put out all his strength upon it. "There will be five or
six months' work in it," he said. "Will there, indeed? And how much
work was there in 'The Graces'?" "The Graces", as will perhaps be
remembered, was the triple portrait of Mrs. Dobbs Broughton herself.
This question the artist did not answer with absolute accuracy,
but contented himself with declaring that with such a model as Mrs
Broughton the picture had been comparatively easy.

Mrs. Broughton, having no doubt that ultimate object of which she had
spoken to her friend Conway steadily in view, took occas