mistress's things with the flashing speed of summer
lightning and the neatness of a drill-sergeant. In a twinkling
everything was in exactly the right place, and my conscience felt as if
it were growing wings as I flew off to my luncheon. The whole afternoon
free, and the saints only knew what nice, unexpected adventures might
happen! Cousin Catherine used to say, not meaning to be complimentary,
that I "attracted adventures as some people seem to attract microbes,"
and I could almost hear them buzzing round my head as I ran down-stairs.

There, waiting for me as if he were an incarnate adventure, was the
chauffeur, who appeared to be quite excited. "You must have a peep into
the dining-room," he said. "The door's open. You can look in without
being noticed, and see the walls, which are painted with pictures from
Mistral's works. Also there's something else of interest, but I won't
tell you what it is. I want to see if you can discover it for yourself."

I peeped, and found the pictures charming. After following them with my
eyes all round the green walls which they decorate effectively, my gaze
lit upon a man sitting at one of the small tables. He was with two or
three friends who hung upon the words which he accompanied by the most
graceful, spirited, yet unconscious gestures. Old he may have been as
years go, but the fire of eternal youth was in his vivid dark eyes, and
his smile, which had in it the tenderness of great experience, of long
years lived in sympathy and love for mankind. His head was very noble;
and its shape, and the way he had of carrying it, would alone have shown
that he was Someone.

"Who is that man?" I whispered to Jack Dane. "That one who is so
different from all the others."

"Can't you guess?" he asked.

"Not Mistral?"

"Yes. It's one of his days here. He'll be in the museum after lunch.
I'll take you there, and if he sees that you're interested in things,
he'll talk to you."

"Oh, how glorious!" I breathed, quite awed at the prospect. "But if he
should find out that we're only lady's-maid and chauffeur?"

"Do you think it would matter to him _who_ we were--a great genius like
that? He wouldn't care if we were beggars, if we had souls and brains
and hearts."

"Well, we have got _some_ of those things," I said. "Do let's hurry, and
get to the museum before our betters. They can always be counted upon to
spend an hour and a half at lunch if there's a good excuse, such as
there's sure