the drawing
rooms the gratified artist beheld his picture placed in an admirable
light, the cynosure of all eyes, and the theme of all lips.

"I am certainly very much indebted to you for placing it so
advantageously," said the artist to his host. "It owes at least half
its success to the arrangement of the light."

"Do you hear that, Caroline?" asked Mr. Greville, turning to his
beautiful daughter, who stood smiling beside him.

"I was afraid I had made some mistake in the arrangement," said the
beautiful girl, blushing with pleasure.

Montfort attempted a complimentary remark, but his tongue failed him.
He would have given worlds for the self-possession of some of the
_nonchalant_ dandies he saw hovering around the peerless beauty. He
was forced to content himself with awkwardly bowing his thanks.

In the latter part of the evening, one of the rooms was cleared for a
dance. Montfort was solicited to join in a quadrille, and a beautiful
partner was even presented to his notice; but he wanted confidence
and knowledge, and he had no faith in the integrity of the gaiter
shoes he had vamped up for the occasion, so that he was forced to
decline. This incident revived some of his morbid feelings that had
begun to slumber, and he caught himself muttering something about the
"frivolities of fashion."

He thought to make his exit unnoticed; but Mr. Greville detected him,
and urged him to repeat his visit.

The next day, during his reception hours, several visitors called--an
unheard-of thing. They glanced indifferently at his mythological
daubs, but were enthusiastic in their praises of his rustic subjects.
The day following, more visitors came. He was offered and accepted
four hundred dollars for one of his cabinet pictures. In a word,
orders flowed in upon him; he could hardly paint fast enough to supply
the demand. He became rather fastidious in his dress--patronized the
first tailors and boot makers, cultivated the graces, and took lessons
in the waltz and polka. At Mr. Greville's, and some of the other
houses he visited, he was remarked as being somewhat of a dandy. And
this was Montfort the misanthrope--Montfort the socialist--Montfort
the agrarian.

An important episode in his career was an order to paint the portrait
of Miss Caroline Greville. He had already had three or four sittings,
and the picture was approaching completion; then the work suddenly
ceased. Day after day the artist pleaded engagements. At th