the
room as I should wish it to be," he said awkwardly. "You see,
Mrs.--er--Bunting, I felt as I sat here that these women's eyes
followed me about. It was a most unpleasant sensation, and gave
me quite an eerie feeling."

The landlady was now laying a small tablecloth over half of the
table. She made no answer to her lodger's remark, for the good
reason that she did not know what to say.

Her silence seemed to distress Mr. Sleuth. After what seemed a
long pause, he spoke again.

"I prefer bare walls, Mrs. Bunting," he spoke with some agitation.
"As a matter of fact, I have been used to seeing bare walls about
me for a long time." And then, at last his landlady answered him,
in a composed, soothing voice, which somehow did him good to hear.
"I quite understand, sir. And when Bunting comes in he shall take
the pictures all down. We have plenty of space in our own rooms
for them."

"Thank you--thank you very much."

Mr. Sleuth appeared greatly relieved.

"And I have brought you up my Bible, sir. I understood you wanted
the loan of it?"

Mr. Sleuth stared at her as if dazed for a moment; and then, rousing
himself, he said, "Yes, yes, I do. There is no reading like the Book.
There is something there which suits every state of mind, aye, and of
body too--"

"Very true, sir." And then Mrs. Bunting, having laid out what really
looked a very appetising little meal, turned round and quietly shut
the door.

She went down straight into her sitting-room and waited there for
Bunting, instead of going to the kitchen to clear up. And as she
did so there came to her a comfortable recollection, an incident of
her long-past youth, in the days when she, then Ellen Green, had
maided a dear old lady.

The old lady had a favourite nephew--a bright, jolly young gentleman,
who was learning to paint animals in Paris. And one morning Mr.
Algernon--that was his rather peculiar Christian name--had had the
impudence to turn to the wall six beautiful engravings of paintings
done by the famous Mr. Landseer!

Mrs. Bunting remembered all the circumstances as if they had only
occurred yesterday, and yet she had not thought of them for years.

It was quite early; she had come down--for in those days maids
weren't thought so much of as they are now, and she slept with the
upper housemaid, and it was the upper housemaid's duty to be down
very early--and, there, in the dining-room, she had found Mr.
Algernon engaged in turning each engra