e disappointed at its meagreness. My parents
must have died when I was too young to have remembered them, judging
from what this attendant seems to have told me. I have that impression
resisting all arguments. My recollections all centre about a gray-haired
man of the confidential-servant class. He was my companion and humored
my every whim. By and by, though, he left me. I was taken charge of by a
charwoman, and only once visited by my infancy's mentor. My new guardian
was authority for the statement that, though not appearing wealthy, this
M. Petros, as she called him, was always able to obtain money as needed
from M. Harjes. There is nothing more to add."

"Clearly, M. Petros then knew something about the source of your
income," said Marie.

"Agreed, sweet creature, but since I do not have the slightest idea
where he is, I can't see how that will help me. I don't even know his
full name."

"Cheer up, 'Gene, you will yet see that picture hang."

"More likely to hang myself," he said with a return of awful gloom.

"But the great M. Lourney praised the conception, the breadth, of this,
your last picture," the girl said, as her hand pushed lightly through
the shock of curls on the man's head.

"Yes, it is good," he said responsively, both to the hope she inspired
and the caress she bestowed. That girl understood men. "Krovitch the
Bulwark," he continued. "They were a great people, Marie. Their history,
unfamiliar to most, has always interested me strangely." His eyes were
illumined with enthusiasm as he raised an index arm toward the canvas.
"See those vigorous fellows, each a hero. A single nation flinging back
from Europe the invasion of the infidel. A heroic subject for a
painting, eh, girlie?" He smiled up in her face, his troubles for the
nonce forgotten. Get a man talking about his abilities to achieve and
you can dispel the darkest gloom from his brow. It was high time to
bring him back to earth again, but she knew how. He had had just
sufficient gratulation to take the edge off pretended or real misery.

"It is, 'Gene, but it will not pay the rent. Listen." The timid flush
mounted to her cheek as she made the suggestion, "Go to the
pawnbroker's. Take these trinkets of mine. Beg him to loan you
sufficient for your rent. Now, don't refuse. You may redeem them when
you can. Besides, you gave them to me." She looked down with
affectionate regret at the bracelets, the bangles, the rings, which use
and the dono