's to be so rich, and so am I,' I said.

"No answer.

"'It would be right for me to marry a _poor_ man--man with brains
and no money, you know, and help him to make his way.'

"'Reece has plenty of brains too,' said Barty.

"'Oh, Mr. Josselin--don't misunderstand me'--and then I began to
stammer and look foolish.

"'Miss Royce--I've only got L15 in the world, and with that I mean
to go to London and be an artist; and comfort myself during the
struggle by the delightful remembrance of Riffrath and Reece and
yourself--and the happy hope of meeting you both again some day,
when I shall no longer be the poor devil I am now, and am quite
content to be! And when you and he are among the great of the earth,
if you will give me each a commission to paint your portraits I will
do my very best!' (and he smiled his irresistible smile). 'You will
be kind, I am sure, to Mr. Nobody of Nowhere, the famous
portrait-painter--who doesn't even bear his father's name--as he has
no right to it.'

"I could have flung my arms round his neck and kissed him! What did
_I_ care about his father's name?

"'Will you think me dreadfully bold and indiscreet, Mr. Josselin, if
I--if I--' (I stammered fearfully.)

"'If you _what_, Miss Royce?'

"'If I--if I ask you if you--if you--think Miss Gibson the most
beautiful girl you ever saw?'

"'Honestly, I think _you_ the most beautiful girl I ever saw!'

"'Oh, that's _nonsense_, Mr. Josselin, although I ought to have
known you would say that! I'm not fit to tie her shoes. What I mean
is--a--a--oh! forgive me--are you very _fond_ of her, as I'm sure
she deserves, you know?'

"'Oh yes, Miss Royce, very fond of her indeed; she's poor, she's of
no family, she's Miss Nobody of Nowhere, you know; she's all that I
am, except that she has a right to her honest father's name--'

"'Does she _know_ you're very fond of her?'

"'No; but I hope to tell her so some day.'

"Then we were silent, and I felt very red, and very much inclined to
cry, but I managed to keep in my tears.

"Then I got up, and so did he--and he made some joke about Grissel
and the loch-bottle; and we both laughed quite naturally and looked
at the pictures, and he told me he was going back to London with the
Gibsons that very week, and thanked me warmly for my kind interest