has always been admired. Upon its completion in 1774 it was
sent to the Royal Academy to be exhibited, and when it was first
brought into the room, all the painters present, struck with
admiration, burst into a tumult of applause and handclapping. Even
after this the painstaking painter probably added some finishing
touches and inscribed his name and the date, 1775, upon the ornamental
border of the lady's mantle.

IV

MISS BOWLES

A little girl and her dog are playing together in a wooded park. The
place is a fine playground, with its soft, grassy carpet, and noble
old trees. It is the sort of park which adjoins country houses of
wealthy old English families, where years of training have brought to
perfection the trees planted by previous generations. Here and there,
through spaces among the branches, shafts of sunlight illumine the
shady spot.

The child herself seems like some woodland sprite. She is bubbling
over with fun, and is scarcely still a minute. Her spaniel is a gay
playfellow,--a beautiful creature, with long silky hair and drooping
ears. He is intelligent, too, and devoted to his mistress.

She leads him a merry chase, darting in and out among the big trees
which hide her from him. He bounds after her, loses her a moment, and
then, as she reappears, leaps upon her with delight.

In the midst of the frolic the child's attention is attracted by a
group of boys who have entered the park, all unobserved, and have
begun a game of cricket. On the instant she drops on her knees on the
grass, seizes the dog, and, lest he should interrupt the sport,
clasps her arms tight around his neck, to hold him fast. The poor
spaniel is nearly choked, but patiently yields to the caprice of his
young mistress while she watches the game with dancing eyes. From her
gleeful expression one would fancy that the winner was her favorite.

Some such simple incident as this Sir Joshua Reynolds must have had in
mind when painting the portrait of Miss Bowles; for every picture of
his seems to carry a story with it, each one thought out to fit the
circumstances and character of the sitter. The lively Miss Bowles, as
we see, is totally unlike the demure Miss Boothby. They are both
charming children; but, while Penelope would love to nestle in her
mother's arms, Miss Bowles would dance coyly away. While Penelope
would sit in doors by the hour, contented with her sewing, Miss Bowles
would be skipping about the park like a li