Litchfield enquirer., 1880-08-26

express it, hanging. The little picture wa:
accepted because it was very small and very
lnoifensive. 1t was good deal more thar
that; 1T needed more than momentary glance
/ to discover its value. Professor Paget die
discover it,. and, after peering, frownine
Scrutiny, had lock at the name That anus
ed him he smiled grinlly to himself at tht
girls audacity, but at the same time he was
very well pleased with his pupils success
Llllas picture was a most fortunate shape il
I exactly fitted III to an awkward little space il
the first room, on the line; and when PROBES
sor Paget had got it.hung there, he knew thai
he had done something worth doing for his
favorite pupil.
/ Mrs Ashlihgton all this time had been suf
Efcring great deal more from the agones OF
suspense than Lila! She had time to sit still
and think about it, al So that when at last
Lila received card inviting her to be pres
ent ON that day commonly called vanishing
day, the success of Mrs. Ashlintons expert
meut caused quite an excitement in the little
house. Atfirst Lila could hardly work at all
but when once vanishing day was over, and
she had seen her 9wh among the other pict.
ures, gazed at inditferently by the other artists
the intensity OF the excitement was over, and
over for ever. But it was very great excite
ment. 1t was remarked lately, by an artist
whose powers of observation are not entirely
limited to noting effects of form and color,
that the queerest thing about varnishing-day
is the way in which all tile artists walk in,
looking straight before them and how, as
they go On through the rooms, they gradually
begin to look higher and higher, until at last
Ia good many of them seem as if they would
get dislocation Of the neck in searching for
their darling production. Of course they
always expect to find it on the line, and, OF
course. as rule, they find it skyed. Rare,
4 indeed, is such an occurrence as that of q
young and entirely unknown artist walking into
the first room, and coming face to face with
/ his or her picture, This was what happened
4 to Lila, however, and though she was I'M
niensely astonished, she had so few friends
among full grown artists that she probably did
not appreciate the event at anything like its
real value
Lila thought her new experience was all
very wonderful. She went home and amused
her mother half the evening with descriptions
| OF the artists, ard what they were like-how
| they were dressed, and what they were doing
The proper Professor Paget, with his stern
look and his perfect fitting frock coat: the
elegant artist Of society who goes into the
best circles, and wears in the morning vel.
| vet coat certainly, but of the most correct, fit
and style; and the painter who cares nothing
| for social distinction, who looks dreamy and
strange, as if he lived 10 land of shadows
these various types and many others, Lad
much amused and interested her. After they
had talked about all this, the two women be-
gan to wonder what would be the fate of
Lila picture on the terrible press-day. Both
had sufficient sense to suppose that the gentle
men OF the press pay but little heed to small
picture by an unknown artist, even if it is
hung on the line. Still, they could not but
look forward with some anxiety and some pal
pitation OF the heart to the newspaper notices.
Oddly enough, neither of them ever thought
that anything affecting Lila would happen on
that most importantday. of all-the private
view day. So that when the incident occur
red which made Lila the favorite of an hour,
she was very quietly working away at her
easel 10 the art school. .G r.a a;
Rather early in the afternoon of the private.
view day, group of gentlemen came into the
| rooms. Their appearance created some little
| subdued excitement among the well-dressed
crowd, for one of these gentlemen was very
great parsonage indeed. He was in the most
| admirable of humors, having come from de-
| lightfullunch-t table, and he was disposed to
please and to be pleased. At such moments
great personages. can do great Deeds This
| great parsonage did something which caused
| a very great cemmotion in little Lillas life
| lie held an unopened catalogue in his hand,
| and he glanced round the room in search of an
object of interest, AS it cnanced, his eye fell
straight upon Llla's picture. The wild noun
tain scenery awoke a certain interest in his
mind; he had often shot red deer upon those
hills: he recognized the truthfulness of the
| painting.
| That's good" said he, and opened the cat
alogue to see who was the artist '-,
| Immediately those about him turned to look
at the little picture. with sudden interest, for
this great parsonage could set the fashion With
word. He opened the catalogue and made
| discovery. .s.r - .F ..t-,-
| Admirable !" he exclaimed, '.and must
look closer at it; for IL; is painted by nv old
friend Ashlinton's daughter.
! HE is certainly the greatest art critic we
have, remarked one of the other gentlemen,
''and he will be very proud of his daughter
~ should think So, indeed" said the great
parsonage II must compliment her upon
this work. 1t is really-an admirable piece of
painting, and wonderful for girl SO young"
He fingered = few monlents more before the
picture. drawing attention to Its effect and its
| truthfulness; it really pleased him, and as he
was enc OF the niostcbafniing and delightful
OF great personages, he was always glad when
ne could praise a friend. He felt, too, he
| could praise this painting without any risk of
making an error, for such man as Asblnton
| would never let his daughter exhibit any but
good work So the great parsonage fingered,
| as we have said. before the picture, admiring
| it cordially After he had loitered away, not
LOOKING very particularlyat any of the other
| pictpresi in fact, he met friend whose con-
versation interested and amused him more
Than all the pictures put together; so he stroll
ed through the rooms, talking and laughing
and then hurried away to keep an engage
mcnt. -f.,-..f, att,a - So - -.
THUS it happened that the attention he had
shown to LilIa's picture was the event of the
afternoon the interest he had felt in it had
communicated itself TO those about him. and
they passed it on 70 the rest Of the fashionable
throng; his words were repeated from one to
another, and everybody hurried to look at the
| picture which he had admired This kind of
thing has natural growth of its own. That
day the grand people crowded about that little
picture in such way that those who came 10
late failed, entirely to get glimpse Of it. All
| they could learn was that in that corner was
the picture which the great parsonage had ad.
mired but everybody discovered BY degrees
that the picture was by q lady :; that the lady's
| name was inherited from great artist, which
| seemed very romantic; that the lady was
young, beautiful that the whole affair was,
in fact, quite interesting. roI y7eeII rr .4vi74z
The fashion was set. And fashion rushed
headlong, as 1t always does Those people
who on the first public day of the exhibition
ftried to get sight of MISC Ashlinton's won
derful picture had to exercise a very great
deal OF patience and perseverance. The
crowd increased rather than diminished every
day, and s0,did the runiors about the wonder
s1ni bliss Asahnlinton,s Il a. Z to bnia btu ~
ed In the meantime great many; people had
taken the trouble TO look at the end of their
catalogues WITH a.giew of discovering some
thing more about. Miss Ashilnton. They
scenld not discover much nothing more than
that she lived at Daphne Cottage, Kensing-
ton Did ,anybddy know her? Apparently
pot Most people knew. something of the
grand Asflintons, and these people, not hav-
ing jumpedao conclusions quite 50 quickly as
the great personage, saw by her address that
she was not the Earl's daughter. Everybody
talked about her; good many people were so
curious that they questioned all their friends
in the hope ofsfnding out something concern