THREE EXPERIMENTS IN PORTRAITURE


I

LADY DOROTHY NEVILL

AN OPEN LETTER

Dear Lady Burghclere,

When we met for the first time after the death of our friend, you
desired me to produce what you were kind enough to call "one of my
portraits." But the art of the portrait-writer is capricious, and
at that time I felt wholly disinclined for the adventure. I excused
myself on the ground that the three thick volumes of her
reminiscences made a further portrait needless, and I reflected,
though I did not say, that the difficulties of presenting the
evanescent charm and petulant wit of Lady Dorothy were insuperable.
I partly think so still, but your command has lingered in my memory
all these months, and I have determined to attempt to obey you,
although what I send you can be no "portrait," but a few leaves
torn out of a painter-writer's sketch-book.

The existence of the three published volumes does, after all, not
preclude a more intimate study, because they are confessedly