, 1888-06-29

AN|AH ~ AAo ~ lis M
covery had worn of. and he had resolved
upon his course.
II was a wonderful thing tc find him
self, the next moment, actually being pre-
scented in formal style to the houri of the
hammock. Just how Aunt Sarah man
aged il he did not know, but before long
Tom Jerome had gone off in the carriage,
and the houri and himself were strolling
along together on a shady little woodland
path, and he was saying:
Have you ever been in Italy, Miss
Sevellon2"
"Oh, yes; amm and / spent almost
a year there" was the quick response
Have you ever had your portrait
painted2'' was the next abrupt question.
Never" said Miss Sevellon, coldly, as
If she observed and disapproved the bad
taste Of this informal catechism.
Nor ever posed for an a~rtist2''
Never, in a o grown positively
icy.
Mr.. Temple looked at her with a gaze
Of uncomfortable surprise.
Most extraordinary he said, half
under his breath. His exclamation was
not so low, however, but that Miss Sevel-
Ion heard it, and it did not serve to mod
ify her expression. She walked along at
his side as stately as a white pigeon, her
head alert and her manner distant and
cool.
You'd have no motive in misleading
me-, l suppose" Temple went on, after a
momentary pause, and l can't help be-
lieving you are playing a trick on me-"
Playing n trick on you, Mr.. Templeg'
Mid Gertrude, Indignantly, ''how could
such an extraordinary notion ever enter
into my head, or yours, either?"
Temple saw he had given offense, and
when he was forced to recognize the pos
sibility that he might be mistaken in his
surmise, the fact was not hard to account
for. 1t was very hard indeed, however,
to believe in hat possibility, and it was
only by Diminishing the subject from his
mind MS far as possible that he could
carry on the perfectly conventional con-
versation that he knew to be the only
one which his slight acquaintance with
his companion warranted.
He made a great effort to be entertain.
ing, and by the time they reached the
house he was able to feel that he had
done something toward obliterating the
disgraceful impression of his first style Of
address.
When the early Sunday dinner time
arrived, and Miss Sevellon appeared with
out her bonnet, having changed her
church dress for O more relaxed style of
garment, the likeness to the picture was
stronger than ever. 1t was not likeness,
it was positive identity; and when, dur
ing the afternoon, Horace found himself
near Mrs. Savellon, in spite of all good
resolutions he had made, in defiance of
every instinct of good taste, his intense
interest in this matter led him on unit he
had contrived to turn the conversation
on Italy, and he then asked Mrs. Sevellon
if none of the Italian artists had never
prevailed on her daughter to allow her
self TO be painted.
Mrs. Sevellon had just responded in the
negative, and was going on to say some.
thing more, when he became aware that
her daughter was standing near them in
the recess of the window, and that she
heard his question. And this was not
ALL He saw by the impetuous flush that
came to her face, and the look with which
she glanced directly at him for an in
slant, and then away, that she resented
rs well as heard.
One evening Mrs. Leaton's guests got
up some tableaux for the amusement of
the company, and Mr.. Temple, who had
declined to act, found himself seated on
w. Ah'AAN RN"b oli liz dAllllt u Wei y llol-
less spectator, except when Miss Sevellon
figured in the scenes, which was very
often, as she was the acknowledged
beauty of the party.
He had left his seat and had strolled
over to n corner very near the stage,
when the curtain went up for the last
scene. 1t was fortunate for him thai
every eye was fixed on the stage, for
otherwise the great start and smothered
exclamation he gave vent to must nave
been observed. And no wonder he was
startled, for just below his very eyes, in
IA hammock ingeniously swinging in the
midst of Il clumb of large shrubs that ad-
mirably simulated a garden, was Miss
Sevellon in an attitude and costume that
exactly reproduced the picture. He al
most held his breath in the absorption of
his attention as his eager eye took in
every detail, even to the Greek pattern
in the border of her dress and the silver
coins in the bracelet on her arm, and
yesl there in a little group, near the
rounded elbows, were the three little
dark specks. Could circumstantial evi-
dence go farther
As oon as the tableaux were over lie
made his way to Miss Sevellon's side,
eager yet timid. To his delight he saw
that she seemed to welcome him, and he
half fancied from her manner that she
made a hasty resolution to let bygones be
bygones, and to make friends with him.
She was so flushed with pleasure and an
imation, and so surrounded herself by
appreciative feeling and praise, that it
seemed difficult to her perhaps to be Sc
we're upon another. She still wore the
beautiful white costume, In which she
looked far ~lovelier than the picture had
portrayed her, and his delight knew no
bounds when he found himself presently
absolutely leading her to a quiet seat in
the hall and supplying her with refresh
ments from the supper room. When
they were seated together on a wicker
sofa, eating their ices in a friendly tete-a-
tete, the young fellow became so embold-
ened 10y his success us to commit a
grievous faux pas. As his companion
rnised her arm to carry her spoon to her
mouth, her sleeve fell backward and re-
vealed again the three little beauty spots.
1t was too much for him.
"Oh, Miss Sevellon," he burst forth,
you really must let me explain to you
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