hings, on the
other hand, such as bead mats, and wool-work mats, and fluff mats, a
case of wax fruit, a basket of shell flowers, chairs with worsted-work
backs, sofa-cushions with worsted-work fronts, two cheap vases full of
pampas-grass, and two candlesticks with dangling prisms, grated sadly on
Westray's taste, which he had long since been convinced was of all
tastes the most impeccable. There were a few pictures on the walls--a
coloured representation of young Martin Joliffe in Black Forest costume,
a faded photograph of a boating crew, and another of a group in front of
some ruins, which was taken when the Carisbury Field Club made an
expedition to Wydcombe Abbey. Besides these, there were conventional
copies in oils of a shipwreck, and an avalanche, and a painting of
still-life representing a bowl full of flowers.

This last picture weighed on Westray's mind by reason of its size, its
faulty drawing, and vulgar, flashy colours. It hung full in front of
him while he sat at breakfast, and though its details amused him for the
time, he felt it would become an eyesore if he should continue to occupy
the room. In it was represented the polished top of a mahogany table on
which stood a blue and white china bowl filled with impossible flowers.
The bowl occupied one side of the picture, and the other side was given
up to a meaningless expanse of table-top. The artist had perceived, but
apparently too late, the bad balance of the composition, and had
endeavoured to redress this by a few more flowers thrown loose upon the
table. Towards these flowers a bulbous green caterpillar was wriggling,
at the very edge of the table, and of the picture.

The result of Westray's meditations was that the fern-case and the
flower-picture stood entirely condemned. He would approach Miss Joliffe
at the earliest opportunity about their removal. He anticipated little
trouble in modifying by degrees many other smaller details, but previous
experience in lodgings had taught him that the removal of pictures is
sometimes a difficult and delicate problem.

He opened his rolls of plans, and selecting those which he required,
prepared to start for the church, where he had to arrange with the
builder for the erection of scaffolding. He wished to order dinner
before he left, and pulled a broad worsted-work bell-pull to summon his
landlady. For some little time he had been aware of the sound of a
fiddle, and as he listened, waiting for the