ng region did
the rest."

His eyes swerved to the figure of Miss Edith Austin, standing tensely by
the rosebush, an observer whose whole aspect denoted eager absorption in
the meeting before her. Charlotte presented him. Miss Austin expressed
herself as assured of his being a stranger to the town the moment her
eyes fell upon him.

"And a very dusty and disreputable one, I'm afraid," Mr. Brant declared.
"I should have stopped at some hotel and made myself presentable," he
explained to Charlotte, "if I had not been afraid I should lose a minute
out of the short time Van Schoonhoven agrees to leave me here."

Charlotte took him to the house and left him politely trying to converse
with her grandmother--at tremendous odds, for he was not a rival of Red
Pepper Burns in his fondness for old ladies, not to mention deaf ones.
The photographer returned to her sitter.

"I have several pictures of you now, Miss Austin," she said, "and I think
among them we shall find one you will like."

"But aren't you going to have one of this last pose?" Miss Austin
inquired, anxiously. "Of course, I know you have company now--"

"That doesn't matter. But I have two exposures, by the rosebush, and I
think they are both good. I have kept you standing for quite a long time,
and I want you to see proofs of these before we try any more."

"I haven't once known when you were taking me. I can't help feeling that
if you just let me know when you were going to take the picture I could
be better prepared."

"One can be a bit too much prepared. The best one I ever had made of me
was done an instant after I had carelessly taken a seat where the
operator requested. I looked up and asked, 'How do you want me to sit?'
He answered, 'Just as pleases you. I have already taken the picture.'"

"Dear me! How methods change! Our best photographer here is always so
careful about every line of drapery, and just how you hold your chin
I don't see how you can just snap a person and be sure of an artistic
result."

"You can't. And perhaps you won't like these at all. But I will show you
proofs to-morrow. And if they are not right we'll try again, if you are
willing."

Miss Austin went away, parasol held stiffly above her head, though the
sun was behind her. She was wondering, as she went, who the man was who
had come to see Miss Ruston, and she arrived without much difficulty at
the conclusion that he was probably going to marry her. His speech about
bein