iles for such a bainting, eh? To
make Eurobe abbreciate such a work of ardt it is necessary to take it
away while she is napping. She has never abbreciated until she has lost,
but," knowingly, "she will buy back."

James had, from the first, felt such a distrust of the man that he would
never leave him alone in the studio for a moment. When Lichtenstein
insisted upon having Lady Ellen Treffinger's address James rose to the
point of insolence. "It ayn't no use to give it, noway. Lydy Treffinger
never has nothink to do with dealers." MacMaster quietly repented his
rash confidences, fearing that he might indirectly cause Lady Ellen
annoyance from this merciless speculator, and he recalled with chagrin
that Lichtenstein had extorted from him, little by little, pretty much
the entire plan of his book, and especially the place in it which the
_Marriage of Phaedra_ was to occupy.

By this time the first chapters of MacMaster's book were in the hands
of his publisher, and his visits to the studio were necessarily less
frequent. The greater part of his time was now employed with the
engravers who were to reproduce such of Treffinger's pictures as he
intended to use as illustrations.

He returned to his hotel late one evening after a long and vexing day at
the engravers to find James in his room, seated on his steamer trunk by
the window, with the outline of a great square draped in sheets resting
against his knee.

"Why, James, what's up?" he cried in astonishment, glancing inquiringly
at the sheeted object.

"Ayn't you seen the pypers, sir?" jerked out the man.

"No, now I think of it, I haven't even looked at a paper. I've been at
the engravers' plant all day. I haven't seen anything."

James drew a copy of the _Times_ from his pocket and handed it to him,
pointing with a tragic finger to a paragraph in the social column. It
was merely the announcement of Lady Ellen Treffinger's engagement to
Captain Alexander Gresham.

"Well, what of it, my man? That surely is her privilege."

James took the paper, turned to another page, and silently pointed to
a paragraph in the art notes which stated that Lady Treffinger had
presented to the X--gallery the entire collection of paintings and
sketches now in her late husband's studio, with the exception of his
unfinished picture, the _Marriage Of Phaedra_, which she had sold for
a large sum to an Australian dealer who had come to London purposely to
secure some of Treffinger's pai