hideous than ever; but his tone was altered as he spoke again to Miss
Joliffe.

"Do you think," he said, "that this is the picture mentioned? Have you
no other pictures?"

"No, nothing of this sort. It is certainly this one; you see, they
speak of the caterpillar in the corner." And she pointed to the bulbous
green animal that wriggled on the table-top.

"So they do," he said; "but how did they know anything about it?"--quite
forgetting the question of its removal in the new problem that was
presented.

"Oh, I fancy that most really good paintings are well-known to dealers.
This is not the first inquiry we have had, for the very day of my dear
brother's death a gentleman called here about it. None of us were at
home except my brother, so I did not see him; but I believe he wanted to
buy it, only my dear brother would never have consented to its being
sold."

"It seems to me a handsome offer," Westray said; "I should think very
seriously before I refused it."

"Yes, it is very serious to me in my position," answered Miss Joliffe;
"for I am not rich; but I could not sell this picture. You see, I have
known it ever since I was a little girl, and my father set such store by
it. I hope, Mr Westray, you will not want it moved. I think, if you
let it stop a little, you will get to like it very much yourself."

Westray did not press the matter further; he saw it was a sore point
with his landlady, and reflected that he might hang a plan in front of
the painting, if need be, as a temporary measure. So a concordat was
established, and Miss Joliffe put Baunton and Lutterworth's letter back
into her pocket, and returned to her accounts with equanimity at least
partially restored.

After she had left the room, Westray examined the picture once more, and
more than ever was he convinced of its worthlessness. It had all the
crude colouring and hard outlines of the worst amateur work, and gave
the impression of being painted with no other object than to cover a
given space. This view was, moreover, supported by the fact that the
gilt frame was exceptionally elaborate and well made, and he came to the
conclusion that Sophia must somehow have come into possession of the
frame, and had painted the flower-piece to fill it.

The sun was a red ball on the horizon as he flung up the window and
looked out over the roofs towards the sea. The evening was very still,
and the town lay steeped in deep repose. The smoke hung bl