as finished, not to disturb the
lovely model, cultivated conversation with the elder sister: the
representative of the Proberts was capable of that. Delia was always
there of course, but Mr. Dosson had not once turned up and the
newspaper-man happily appeared to have faded from view. The new aspirant
learned in fact from Miss Dosson that a crisis in the history of his
journal had recalled Mr. Flack to the seat of that publication. When the
young ladies had gone--and when he didn't go with them; he accompanied
them not rarely--the visitor was almost lyrical in his appreciation of
his friend's work; he had no jealousy of the act of appropriation that
rendered possible in its turn such an act of handing over, of which the
canvas constituted the field. He was sure Waterlow painted the girl too
well to be in love with her and that if he himself could have dealt with
her in that fashion he mightn't have wanted to deal in any other. She
bloomed there on the easel with all the purity of life, and the artist
had caught the very secret of her beauty. It was exactly the way in
which her lover would have chosen to see her shown, and yet it had
required a perfectly independent hand. Gaston mused on this mystery and
somehow felt proud of the picture and responsible for it, though it
was no more his property as yet than the young lady herself. When in
December he put before Waterlow his plan of campaign the latter made
a comment. "I'll do anything in the world you like--anything you think
will help you--but it passes me, my dear fellow, why in the world you
don't go to them and say: 'I've seen a girl who is as good as cake and
pretty as fire, she exactly suits me, I've taken time to think of it
and I know what I want; therefore I propose to make her my wife. If you
happen to like her so much the better; if you don't be so good as to
keep it to yourselves.' That's much the most excellent way. Why in the
name of goodness all these mysteries and machinations?"

"Oh you don't understand, you don't understand!" sighed Gaston, who had
never pulled so long a face. "One can't break with one's traditions
in an hour, especially when there's so much in them that one likes. I
shan't love her more if they like her, but I shall love THEM more, and
I care about that. You talk as a man who has nothing to consider. I've
everything to consider--and I'm glad I have. My pleasure in marrying
her will be double if my father and my sisters accept her, and I