he two were fond of each other in
undemonstrative man fashion. The studio was the sort of place Gowan
liked to drop into when time hung heavily on his hands, and consequently
hardly a week passed without his having at least once or twice dropped
into it to sit among the half dozen of Phil's fellow Bohemians, who were
also fond of dropping in as the young man sat at his easel, sometimes
furiously at work, sometimes tranquilly loitering over the finishing
touches of a picture. They were good-natured, jovial fellows, too, these
Bohemian visitors, though they were more frequently than not highly
scented with the odor of inferior tobacco, and rarely made an
ostentatious display in the matter of costume, or were conspicuously
faultless in the matter of linen; they failed to patronize the
hairdresser, and were prone to various convivialities, but they were
neither vicious nor vulgar, and they were singularly faithful to their
friendships for each other. They were all fond of Phil, and accordingly
fraternized at once with his new friend, adopting him into their circle
with the ease of manner and freedom of sentiment which seemed the
characteristic of their class; and they took to him all the more kindly
because, amateur though he was, he shared many of their enthusiasms.

Of course he did not always see Dolly when he went. During every other
day of the week but Saturday she spent her time from nine in the morning
until five in the afternoon in the rather depressing atmosphere of
the Bilberry school-room. She vigorously assaulted the foundations of
Lindley Murray, and attacked the rules of arithmetic; she taught Phemie
French, and made despairing but continuous efforts at "finishing" her
in music. But poor Phemie was not easily "finished," and hung somewhat
heavily upon the hands of her youthful instructress; still, she was
affectionate, if weak-minded, and so Dolly managed to retain her good
spirits.

"I believe they are all fond of me in their way," she said to
Griffith,--"all the children, I mean; and that is something to be
thankful for."

"They couldn't help being fond of you," returned the young man. "Did any
human being ever know you without being fond of you?"

"Yes," said Dolly; "Lady Augusta knows me; and I do not think--no," with
a cheerfully resigned shake of the head, which did not exactly express
deep regret or contrition, "I really do not think Lady Augusta is what
you might call overwhelmed with the strength