ith me!"

Dove was highly pleased with the appearance of Noel's rooms. He could
see no beauty in the simplicity of the girls' Palace Beautiful, but
although he was quite incapable of judging of the value of the
pictures and exquisite little statuettes which adorned the walls, he
was judge enough of the depth and richness of the Turkey rugs, and of
the wealth which must have been expended over the very select
furniture of Noel's sitting-room.

Lawson, wondering much at his master's directions but supposing that
Dove must be a very special _protege_, received him with much
cordiality, gave him directions with regard to his work, and then left
him alone. Dove painted and cleaned, and whistled as he worked; he
felt quite cheerful and virtuous, and began to consider that the
position of British workmen was not such a bad one after all. He felt
more and more pleased with Daisy Mainwaring for having put him in the
way of such agreeable and profitable occupation, and more and more
resolved to leave her alone for the future.

"Maybe if I was to talk to the pretty little dear she'd find me a deal
more jobs of this yere sort," he said to himself. "A little lady she
is, and no mistake, and she keeps very genteel friends, as any one can
see with half an eye."

After Dove had worked for two or three hours he began to feel thirsty,
for he was quite unaccustomed to any continuous labor. The sun was
shining brightly on the balcony, and he was also a little hot, and the
inside of Noel's room looked deliciously cool and inviting. He had
just seen Lawson walking down the street, too, so he was quite sure of
having the premises to himself. Slipping off his shoes he stepped into
the room and began to look about him with an appreciative air. He
handled some of Noel's choicest books, and looked through a portfolio
of rare engravings but neither books nor engravings were quite in
Dove's way, and after a time he strolled over to the mantel-piece, as
he said, to see how he looked reflected in the over-mantel glass.
There were letters there directed to Noel. Dove would have dearly
liked to acquaint himself with their contents, but he was a slow and
deficient reader. Some cigars lay in a little cigar-case at one end.
Dove, as a matter of course, and without weighing the question at all,
slipped a couple into his pocket. After doing this he did not feel
quite so virtuous, nor so like the proverbial British workman; he
jingled some of Daisy's so