eem to have read them--I suppose I have.'

'Then there must be some way of making them true.'

'What is this concern, Pitt?' inquired his father, who had followed
them, and was looking at a sort of cabinet which was framed into the
wall.

'I was going to invite Miss Frere's attention to it; yet, on
reflection, I believe she is not enthusiastic for that sort of thing.
That is valuable, father. It is a collection of early Greek coins.
Uncle Strahan was very fond of that collection, and very proud of it.
He had brought it together with a great deal of pains.'

'Rubbish, I should say,' observed the elder man; and he moved on, while
Betty took his place.

'Now, I do not understand them,' she said.

'You can see the beauty of some of them. Look at this head of Apollo.'

'That is beautiful--exquisite! Was that a common coin of trade?'

'Doubtful, in this case. It is not certain that this was not rather a
medal struck for the members of the Amphictyonic Council. But see this
coin of Syracuse; _this_ was a common coin of trade; only of a size not
the most common.'

'All I can say is, their coinage was far handsomer than ours, if it was
like that.'

'The reverse is as fine as the obverse. A chariot with four horses,
done with infinite spirit.'

'How can you remember what is on the other side--I suppose this side is
what you mean by the _obverse_--of this particular coin? Are you sure?'

Pitt produced a key from his pocket, unlocked the glass door of the
cabinet, and took the coin from its bed. On the other side was what he
had stated to be there. Betty took the piece in her hands to look and
admire.

'That is certainly very fine,' she said; but her attention was not
entirely bent on the coin 'Is this lovely head meant for Apollo too?'

'No; don't you see it is feminine? Ceres, it is thought; but Mr.
Strahan held that it was Arethusa, in honour of the nymph that presided
over the fine fountain of sweet water near Syracuse. The coinage of
that city was extremely beautiful and diversified; yielding to hardly
any other in design and workmanship. Here is an earlier one; you see
the very different stage art had attained to.'

'A regular Greek face,' remarked Betty, going back to the coin she held
in her hand. 'See the straight line of the nose and the very short
upper lip. Do you hold that the Greek type is the only true beauty?'

'Not I. The only _true_ beauty, I think, is that of the soul; or at
least that which t