Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-08-29
said Mr.. Heaphey. "And I should be very

|
glad to find out how IL came to pass" He
~endeavored, however, to excuse himself
from accepting the hospitality thus unex-
pectedly proffered him, but in vain. The
young man insisted that he could not think
of such a thing as going back without Mr..
Heaphey, and after a little the artist yield
ed. His portmanteau and dispatch box
were brought down, put into a neat little
private carriage which stood at the inn
door, and Mr.. Heaphey drove to the house
of his old acquaintance.
81 will go upstairs" said the young man,
land let my father know you are here. He
Is so anxious to see you and has been so
nervous and restless of late that l ought
to see him for a few moments before you
go up" And witlrthis he led Mr.. Heaphey
into "A drawing room, where he presented
him to a young lady dressed in mourning
as a sister. This young lady greeted Mr..
Heaphey very cordially, and appeared to
have been quite as well aware as her
father of his coming to Lichfield and quite
as much interested as her brother in secur-
ing his presence in their house.
"My father said the young lady, "has
been hoping to see you here for months;
but it was only today that he felt sure of
your coming"
'Yes?" said Mr.. Heaphey. "And how in
the world did he feel sure of my coming
today?"
''That I can't tell YOU" said the young
woman, but l suppose it is because he had
heard from you"
Heard from mel'' said Mr.. Heaphey.
"My dear young lady, / have had nc COM
munication with your father for years. l
am sorry to say l didn't even remember he
was living here in Lichfield."
The young lady looked at him incredu-
lousy.
"How can this be when you have been
painting my sisters portrait'"
painting your sisters Portrait" said
Mr.. Heaphey. pray, what is your sisters
name?"
Her name?" said the young lady, re-
peating it.
81 assure you," said Mr.. Heaphey,
"either l am dreaming or you are. Your
sister never sat to me for her portrait. l
never heard of it until this moment"
you must not say this to my father"
said the young lady; "it will kill him. He
has been counting on this. There must be
some strange mistake"
Certainly there is some strange mis-
take" said Mr.. Heaphey, "but l can't un-
derstand how l am in any way accountable
for it. assure you / have no recollection
of your sisters name-no recollection.
Where did she sit to me?
"That l don't know" said the young
lady; sit must have been before she died"
"She is nc longer living, them"
mo; and it is since her death that my
father has been so eager to secure the por-
trait you have been painting of her. Ican't
understand how you didn't know her
name; but you will surely recall her face at
A.., g., 20, ko,-a th. .,arrnttt,D ~ tia
portrait of Lady -, which was taken out
out of our Book of Beauty and sent to
you because of its strange resemblance to
her." And with this the young lady, ris-
ing, handed him a copy of Heath's Book
of Beauty" opened at the page from which
the engraved portrait so long and so mys-
teriously had been taken.
The effect of this disclosure upon Mr..
Heaphey nay be imagined. His counte-
nance changed. He paused a moment and
then said:
"This is inexplicable. When did your
sister die"
The date was named, a date not long pre-
ceding the time at which his mysterious
visitor had first entered his studio.
Il have a picture of that young lady"
he said, Sin my dispatch box. and l will
bring it down stairs to you"
GOlng up stars, ne opened the dlspatcn
box and returned to the drawing room
with the nearly completed sketch and with
the engraved portrait, both of which the
young lady received with expressions OF
! the most intense delight. She carried them
| up stairs to her father, and after a little
time Mr.. Heaphey was introduced to his
J old acquaintance, HON he found in a
: state of inexpressible happiness at the
3 possession of the portrait, and not in the
3 least, apparently, disturbed or concerned
as to the way in which it had been painted
, or as to any of the circumstances connect
| ed with it. He could not sufficiently
thank Mr.. Heaphey for what he had done
pressed him to name his own
3 ton fer the work, and exhibited, in short
! every symptom of unbounded satisfaction
I 1t is unnecessary to say hat Mr.. Heaphey
positively and peremptorily declined any
t payment whatever for this strange and un
e canny piece of work. He said as little a.
! possible to the father or to the family as t.
I the circumstances in which it had beer
painted, and got out of Lichfeld by thu
t earliest train with a sense of intense relief
Short Stories.
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