(24 1711

Mr. Lovell handed his open sketeh-book to his friend. Tt was open at a page on which was a drawing of a woman’s face When Mr. Warren's eyves fell on this drawing. he sat up in his chair with a show of sudden mterest. Gerald ! T savt You'll excuse myv saving but 1 chidn't thm]\ vou were capable of .m\lhln“ so-cood as this. Do vou know that this s the hest (h 1\\m' of vours | have CYUT SCCnL Voung nan 1 believe it is” It Tooks to me vou

[ dont want o flatter

coodness knows vou've concert enough

already ! but 1t looks to me as though 1t were 2 conuine bit of - sprration.”

~Joking apart, it scenis to me almost as il 10 were an in- spiration.”

1 wish an - spiration — of the saome kind would come to me. 1d be considerably crateful cven for a muhtmau Do vou know what I should do with this? 1 should usce 1t for a pieture.”

“1 thought of doing something of the kind myself.”

“Just a study ol A woman’'s face. And you might call it —the title would Lhe appostte - A

Vision of the Niglltl”’

i ;\ g()()Ll i(l(,‘,:l. Cvicoal L I will.”

And Mr Lovell did. When he returned

(o his Chelsen studios he chose a moderate-

szed canvas, and he hegan to paint on it 4 woman's faces - just aowoman's face, and nothing more. She was looking a httle

downw Jlds as o woman might 10()1\ who was abhout to stoop to kiss someone lving asleep in bed- -say a sleeping child-- and she olanced from the canvas with laughing cves. Mr. Warren came in to look at it scveral times while it was progressing. When it was inished, he regarded it for some moments silent C(mtunl,)latlon.

STRANL

DL Al 1

MG ASTNE,

S 1ocall that,” he declared, sententiously, with what he supposed, perhaps erroneouslyv, to be a Yankee twang, “a gen-u-ine work of art. I do. 7% thing. Young man, 1f vou forward that, with vour compliments, or without ‘cm. to the President, Fellows, and Associates of the Roval Ncademy, Il Det vou five to one it's hung |

Flis prediction was verificd - It owas the bOrstoof M. which ever had been hung

Itowas hunge. Fovell's pieiures which made the

Fict none the less "‘r-uii‘\'ing to Mr. Lovell It was hung very well, too, considering.

And ot attracted quite a (mmdu able amount of attention i It wav. Ttowas sedd on the openmng day. That fact was not displeasing to M. [.ovell.

Onc morning, about the niddle of June, a card was brought m to Mr. Lovell, while he was working m his studio. On it was mscribed a0 name

Vicomte d'Hu- micres. The card was tmmediately followed Dy its owner, a tall. shghtly built gentle- man ; unmistakably a foreigner. He saluted Mr. Lovell with a bow which was undoubtedly Parisian.

“Mr., Gerald Lovell 27

The accent was French, but, for I'renchman, the Fonglish was fanr,

1 Geral-l Lovells

AL TThat s g()()(lf You are i 'L:(‘l]”(f man, Mo Lovelll whom T oparticularly wish to see. The stranger had heen carrying his stick once hand and his hat i the other. These he now deposited upon one chair : himsell he placed upon a seccond—uninvited. [l crossed his legs. He folded his black cloved hands i front of him. 1 bcheve, Mr. Lovelll that we are not strangers --you and 1.7

Mr. Tovell gl;lnu'(_l at the stull was holdimg.

card which he