but he was willing to sell them if
they were not to be destroyed--at least some of them. Accordingly I
wrote Mr. Paddington, appointing an hour when we would be glad to see
him or his representative at our rooms. The gentleman himself did us
the honor to call. After looking at the paintings, he expressed his
willingness to buy the entire collection. I told him, however, that we
would not part with more than ten canvases, and he seemed glad to
buy even that number at a price which was so far in excess of our
expectations that I was loath to accept it. Our beloved "Woman"--that
was the title we had given Rayel's strangely derived conception--was
among the paintings included in the sale to Mr. Paddington. Rayel
thought he could reproduce it, and for days after it was gone he made
ineffectual efforts to paint another woman after the ideal of our
hearts. But, alas! try as he would, that face never came back to his
canvas. Many beautiful faces were conjured by his masterful touch, but
they were other faces, and none of them satisfied us. The failure made
Rayel unhappy, and tears came to his eyes when the "Woman" was referred
to, as if he were mourning the loss of a dear friend.

Our patron had conceived a great liking for us, and we were soon invited
to visit his house "and meet a few of his friends at dinner." It would
give us an opportunity to see the "Woman"--perhaps to buy her back
again--and we were strongly inclined to take advantage of it. Our
patron's residence was one of the largest and most elegant on Fifth
Avenue. It was a matter of common fame that his entertainments were the
cause of more envy and heartburning in the fashionable sisterhood than
any other events of the season. I had some doubt about the propriety of
taking Rayel to such a place, unaccustomed as he was to the refinements
and conventionalities of fashionable life. However, he had set his heart
upon going--he was so eager to see his beloved picture--and I did not
oppose his wish. In writing our acceptance of the invitation I
corrected Mr. Paddington's error regarding our name, and explained the
rechristening we had received in the public prints.

CHAPTER VIII

On the day of our appointment for dinner at Mr. Paddington's the
newspapers were filled with accounts of a sensational bank robbery,
which had occurred in Wall Street the night before. Between midnight and
one o'clock in the morning, thieves had entered the Metropolitan Bank,
overpower