phrases she sang the Senator into acquiescence as she
imparted the plain libretto of her business,--namely, a "desire to see
some of his rare engravings."

Now the engravings in question were certain etchings of the early Great
Apprentices of the art, and were, I am happy to believe, extremely rare.
From my unprofessional view they were exceedingly bad,--showing the mere
genesis of something since perfected, but dear, of course, to the
true collector's soul. I don't believe that Carmen really admired them
either. But the minx knew that the Senator prided himself on having
the only "pot-hooks" of the great "A," or the first artistic efforts of
"B,"--I leave the real names to be filled in by the connoisseur,--and
the Senator became interested. For the last year, two or three of these
abominations had been hanging in his study, utterly ignored by the
casual visitor. But here was appreciation! "She was," she added, "only a
poor young artist, unable to purchase such treasures, but equally unable
to resist the opportunity afforded her, even at the risk of seeming
bold, or of obtruding upon a great man's privacy," &c. &c.

This flattery, which, if offered in the usual legal tender of the
country, would have been looked upon as counterfeit, delivered here in
a foreign accent, with a slightly tropical warmth, was accepted by the
Senator as genuine. These children of the Sun are so impulsive! We,
of course, feel a little pity for the person who thus transcends our
standard of good taste and violates our conventional canon,--but they
are always sincere. The cold New Englander saw nothing wrong in one
or two direct and extravagant compliments, that would have insured his
visitor's early dismissal if tendered in the clipped metallic phrases of
the Commonwealth he represented.

So that in a few moments the black, curly head of the little artist and
the white, flowing locks of the Senator were close together bending
over the rack that contained the engravings. It was then that Carmen,
listening to a graphic description of the early rise of Art in the
Netherlands, forgot herself and put her shawl around her head, holding
its folds in her little brown hand. In this situation they were,
at different times during the next two hours, interrupted by five
Congressmen, three Senators, a Cabinet officer, and a Judge of the
Supreme Bench,--each of whom was quickly but courteously dismissed.
Popular sentiment, however, broke out in the hall.