The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1877-03-01
THE SECOND DRAWING.

Congratulate you on your picture,
Hilary tits the best bit OF landscspe
I'Ve seen of yours and that figure of
the girl sketching is charming"
"GIad you like it. It's not much in
my line, landscape-and Croyston
Towers is such q hackneyed subject
that hardly know how 1 came to
paint 1t /; but saw It this winter, du-
ring some wonderfully fine weather,
and 1 thought il locked new rather,
and have made good deal OF the
figure, as you see."
"Yes and very, very charming il
is-delightful feeling about it; very
nice, indeed, old fellow rather q
pity you didn't pain it larger"
"Hadn't time"
"HoWever, they have given it 3
1rst-rate place you are sure to sell
it."
Now the firsS-rate place in question
was a conspicuous spet on the line in
the water-color room of the Royal
Academy Exhibition ; and the oc-
ezsion when Frank Hilary received
the aUove and many more congratu-
latory criticisms from his friends was
vanishing day, just prior to the open
ing. The rooms were crowded with
the brethren of the brush, chatting
and commenting, dusting aud touch
ing up their works, Us they are privi-
legged to do at such times, undisturbed
by the outer world.
Just as the last words OF Franks
friend fell from his lips, the two
painters were joined by several 9TH
ers.
"Who is the lady, Hilary ?I cries
one "she's deuced nice Evidently
q lIk sness, Old man ?"
fYes, it is q likeness, am bound to
say; and she comes pretty well there,
I think"
Sab, you knew her, you rascal, and
got her to sit."
''Not at all but you fellows want
to know too much. 1t doesn't matter
to you who she is if you like the re-
suit that's sufficient, isn't it ?n aid
Hilary, biting his lip.
"Well," chimed in yet another
brother Of the brush who here came
up, 'if he WON'T let on about his
model, we know where to go for the
model OF an artist ?'
"What do you mean 2" said Hilary.
non, 1 like that You don't mean
to say you don't know what L
mean ?"
"I'n swear don't %
"What haven't you seen your
likeness Will you tell me you
haven't been sitting to somebody ?''
mo, on my word ~
"Well, then, it's the most extraor-
dinsry likeness I ever saw ; come and
look it's rather q clever drawing,
too. Here, it's over here, at the end
of the ROOM"
And Hilary was carried off by two
or three of his friends and brought up
in front of wster.colOr drawing. It
represented an artist st work out of
doors in winter, snscOneed In q shell
tered little nook, with q background
of broker bank, pollard oak-trees, and
in the distance a peep of-why,
Croyston Towers, surely Frank
Hilary was rather taken sback, for, of
q certainty, he was the artist. Yes,
there be was just as be must have
appeared on that memorable 14th OF
February and for the two succeeding
days. There could be no mistake !;
he plainly saw the likeness in the
face, to say nothing of the fidelity
with which his favorite rough shoot
ing-coat, wide-awake, &C., had been
reproduced. Besides, there was the
place quite recognizable. What did
Ii mean? STOPPING down to examine
the drawing, for 1t was hung low, he
was so absorbed In wonder that be did
not hear the little bursts of raiIlery
and laughter in which his friends con-
tinued to indulge. He kept peering
and peering, as if to find out who was
the painter but there were no ini-
tiaIs, no name 10 the corner, nothing
to give him 8 clue.
"I should like to take il down and
have a look at the back, to see who it
is done by" said he absTractedly.
"Just as if you didu't know, Frank.
You must wait till Monday for tue
catalogue, eh, before you can possibly
find out ? What rot it is your pre-
tending to be so innocent Why,
he's actually 0lushiDg; look !"
And the remark of his friend, while
it raised more merrimsnt among the
others, was strictly true; he lOds
blushing, for sudden idea had cross
ed his mind.
Was this portrait of himself in any
way the solution of the problem OF
her non-reappesrsnce =? He remem-
bered that the 14th of February was
st. Valentines Day, and this
strengthened mis- idea, though why it
should one conld hardly guess, for
artists Go not attend much to dates,
nor are they very accurate about
them.
During the next two or three hours
which Frank Hilary spent in the
rooms Of Burlington House, he paid
maDy furtIve visits to the water-color
room, in the hope OF catching some
one busting the glass over Shis por-
trait, aud 30 perhaps find out what