sard. "And the whole
church is wretchedly out of drawing!"

Jean Hassard had studied art at Pond City in Dakota, and her soul's
hope had been to follow Marie Bashkirtseff's career in Paris. But her
father had morally handcuffed her and put her into Clara's custody for
a year. It was hard! To be led about to old churches, respectable as
her grandmother, when she might have been studying the nude in a mixed
class! She rattled her chains disagreeably at every step.

"The mesalliance is on the other side," she told Lucy privately. "A
woman of the world who knew life, to marry that bloodless, finical
priest!"

"He was not bloodless. He loved her."

Mr. Perry came up with them from Canterbury, being secretly alarmed
about Miss Dunbar's headache. Nobody took proper care of that lovely
child! He had attached himself to Miss Vance's party in England; he
dropped in every evening to tell of his interviews with Gladstone or
Mrs. Oliphant or an artist or a duke. It was delightful to the girls
to come so close to these unknown great folks. They felt quite like
peris, just outside the court of heaven, with the gate a little bit
ajar. This evening Mr. Perry promised it should open for them. He was
going to bring a real prince, whom he familiarly dubbed "a jolly
fellow," to call upon Miss Vance.

"Who is the man?" said Clara irritably. "Be careful, Mr. Perry. I
have had enough of foreign adventurers."

"Oh, the Hof Kalender will post you as to Prince Wolfburgh. I looked
him up in it. He is head of one of the great mediatized families.
Would have been reigning now if old Kaiser Wilhelm had not played
Aaron's serpent and gobbled up all the little kings. Wolfburgh has
kept all his land and castles, however."

"Very well. Let us see what the man is like," Miss Vance said loftily.

Mrs. Waldeaux was not in the house when they arrived. Every day she
went early in the morning to the Green Park, where she had seen George
last, and wandered about until night fell. She thought that he had
gone to Paris, and that she was alone in London. But somehow she came
nearer to him there.

When she found that Clara had arrived, she knew that she would be full
of pity for her. She came down to dinner in full dress, told some
funny stories, and laughed incessantly.

No. She had not missed them. The days had gone merry as a marriage
bell with her even after her son and his wife had run away to Paris.

Mr. Perry congratu