ck was obliged to give way. He walked off
to try and amuse himself at the book-case. Mrs. Peckover, with a very
triumphant air, nodded and winked several times at Valentine across the
table; desiring, by these signs, to show him that she could not only
be silent herself when the conversation was in danger of approaching a
forbidden subject, but could make other people hold their tongues too.

The room was now perfectly quiet, and the game at cribbage proceeded
smoothly enough, but not so pleasantly as usual on other occasions.
Valentine did not regain his customary good spirits; and Mrs. Peckover
relapsed into whispering discontentedly to herself--now and then looking
towards the bookcase, where young Thorpe was sitting sleepily, with
a volume of engravings on his knee. It was, more or less, a relief to
everybody when the supper-tray came up, and the cards were put away for
the night.

Zack, becoming quite lively again at the prospect of a little eating and
drinking, tried to return to the dangerous subject of the Hair Bracelet;
addressing himself, on this occasion, directly to Valentine. He was
interrupted, however, before he had spoken three words. Mr. Blyth
suddenly remembered that he had an important communication of his own to
make to young Thorpe.

"Excuse me, Zack," he said, "I have some news to tell you, which Mrs.
Peckover's arrival drove out of my head; and which I must mention at
once, while I have the opportunity. Both my pictures are done--what
do you think of that?--done, and in their frames. I settled the titles
yesterday. The classical landscape is to be called 'The Golden Age,'
which is a pretty poetical sort of name; and the figure-subject is to
be 'Columbus in Sight of the New World;' which is, I think, simple,
affecting, and grand. Wait a minute! the best of it has yet to come. I
am going to exhibit both the pictures in the studio to my friends, and
my friends' friends, as early as Saturday next."

"You don't mean it!" exclaimed Zack. "Why, it's only January now; and
you always used to have your private view of your own pictures, in
April, just before they were sent into the Academy Exhibition."

"Quite right," interposed Valentine, "but I am going to make a change
this year. The fact is, I have got a job to do in the provinces, which
will prevent me from having my picture-show at the usual time. So I
mean to have it now. The cards of invitation are coming home from the
printer's tomorrow mornin