The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-13

You have some highly interesting
works of art here?"
What have the family got here. sir?'
she said with respectful ferocity.
THE pictures" 1 said,' the Bartholo-
new van der Hellst."
All" she returned drylv, them, is
it? Well. come in and see them. SIR
We wiped our boots ostentatiously and
! meekly on a cocoanut fibre mat. She
called me sir but l felt that area
sneak was what she meant the title to
convey to me. 1t came home to me espe-
cially when Yvette's umbrella got mixed
under the macintosh with mandolin
string, which twanged noisily as we
stepped on the oak boards OF the hall.
The hall was almost bare, stripped OF
all but q table and the cocoanut mat.
One loud not of color. quite out of key
with the sombre space, was struck by
large hree-quarter length portrait In
the school of. say. the Royal Academy OF
1870
The house struck chill 10 US as We
walked creaking through its maze OF
ways, ivette nesting against me, and
whispering that We would have fire in
the sitting room If ever We went home
again. 1t was a beautiful old house. 1t
might have been. that is, II only the
cheerful logs had famed up suddenly
ana cracked anu ulSSeu al the great
| hrepaces. ! know we should have
| claimed It as the home we used to
dream Of and furnish out with beauti-
full things made OF imaginings. But no
one lived there. The rooms were only
places where people had died. behind
drawn curtains, and that a long while
since. But
The picture gallery" announced the
big. grim woman. turning on us again AZ
. M CHI
me. nearly dropping the mandolin. 1t was
a low-ceiled. square room of great size.
with dark shadowy corners, lit by three
! long narrow windows with square panes,
three in row.
Built by Sir George luke, second bar
rernet. in seventeen hundred and six The
carving along under the ceiling is con-
sidered very fine for 'Iggins, who executed
I those likewise in the chapel"
she said this musingly, II It we're
lesson long learned that she had not been
called upon to repeat for many years.
Perhaps she hadn't. Her very voice
sounded like regret for the second bar
rernet" And the pictures?
Yyette caught my arm again, and looked
in my eyes to see whether we saw the
same sight There were many frames
upon the walls. perhaps thirty OF all
sizes But in them. where pictures should
have smlrked and scOwled. were blind,
dingy white spaces. Each picture had
been carefully covered with neatly
trimmed squares OF old newspapers.
Morning Post" STANDARD" and THE
County Mercury"
The housekeeper's was a moment of
sofnbre triumph. Then. standing under
the largest frame. she went on:
"'Apperodyt surrounded by ferns and
gracies,' by Rubens. Civ to the second
barrernet by Prince Eujune."
But" gasped. don't those papers
come OFF,
NO" she replied firmly. they're gum
med on. 1t don't hurt them
But can't we see them?" ! said. Are
they always
yes. they're always" she answered
firmly You wouldn't like this lady
you've brought here to see a picture like
Rubcns; I'm sure you wouldn't wish me
to- The gracies are the shameiessest.
In Sir Georges time. Lord Byron came to
look at those gracies, and you must hive
read what he was. Come. sir
We stood In amazement while she moved
on to the next picture. She would not
abate word of her ancient duty. Co
byon luke. Esq, in-a-a-full-suit-o
harmer-done-5y-H -attrib-