(20

that 1t was pammted by a Mr. Gerald Lovell, I sard to my friend : T will go to this Mr.

Lovell, and T will ask him, among other

things, who authorized him to exhibit my wifc's portrait i the absence of her hushand. i a place of public resort; as i 1t were an advertisement.” My o friend proposed to accompany me. but I sad: “Noo T owill co, first of all, alonc. explanat:on Mr. Gerald Lovell has to ofier. If 1t 15 not a satisfactory explanation, then we will go together, vou and 1.7 T go to scek my friend, Mr. Lovell. He is not very far away. Shortly we will return. Then T owild

request, ol vour courtesy, an explanation of

that very curtous dream m which vou saw my wife's face at the Hotel de Flandre. M, Lovell, T wish vou, until then, good day.” The Viecomte withdrew., with the same extremely courteous salutation with which he had entered. "The artist, left alone, looked at his visitor's card, which he sull retamed m

his hand, with a very puzzled expression ol

countenancee. “If the Viecomte d'Hunneres strikes me therel he a httle mterest- ing conversation.”

returns,

He Taid down the card. He re- sumed the work which had heen imterrupted. But the work hung fire. A panter paints, not only with his hand,

hut with his bram. Mir. Tovell's bramn was, Just then, preoceupied. YT owas o drcam. And vet, as T told Warren at the time, 1t certanly was the most vivid dream I ever dreamt.” Deserting his can- vas he began to move about the roon. " Suppos- mg 1t wasn’'t a dream, was o creature of flesh and blood ! "Then she must have come mto my room, and kissed me while T slept. 'l swear that someone kissed me. By Jove! the Vicomte won't hke to be told a tale hke that! As he says; a man ought to know his own

and the woman

[ will see what sort of

CorUsZLEd

THE STRAND A AGALINT.

wile's face when he sees it even ina portrait, And it the preture s a0 portrait of his wile, then it was his wife who came mto my room and kissed mes But whatever made her dooa thing ke that? There's no knowing what things some women will do. [ rather faney that | ought to have made a few mquiries before T took it for granted that it was nothing but a dream. They would have bheen able to tell me at the hotel if the origmal - of my dream had - heen staving there. Asatis, unless T mind my P's and Qs 1 orather faney therd'll be a row,”

“Pardont May | enter?”

Mro Lovell was standing with his back to the door. The mquiry, therefore, was addressed to him from behind, The voice in which 1t was uttered was femmine, and the accentforeign. Theartist turned and stared. or there, peeping through the partly open door, was the woman of his dream ! There could not be he shghtest doubt about it. Although the head was covered with the Litest thing in Parisian hats, there was no mistakimg, when one once had seen it as e

had scen 1t that . lovelv face, those laughing cyes. He

il stared and caped. The lady seemed to take

his silence (o 1m- ply consent. She advanced mto the TOOIM.

“Nou arce Mr. Gerald Tovell 27

As o she came mto the room. he perecived that she was not only most divinely fair, but most divinely tall. Her heure, clad m the most recent coquetriesof Paris, wits the most ex- quisite thing

heures he o had Litely seen. So completely had she taken his

liculties of astonishment by storm, that he could only stammer a response.

“You arc the pamter of my portrait ? For the Tife of him, he knew not what to sav. “But, 1 vou are Mro Gerald Tovell, 1t s certain that vou are. Besides, Tseeitin vour Lwee. There s gentus moyour eyes. Mo