history, and said that he was too poor to buy her pictures; but she
looked dreadfully tired and cold, so he asked her to come in and
rest, and she came and sat by the fire, and stayed to dinner with
us, and we looked at her pictures, because she seemed so proud of
them and liked us to. One of them was that little river scene,
which father took a great fancy to, and praised a great deal. She
left us her address, and later on, when the libel case was ended,
and father had got damages, and so had a little spare money, he
sent some to this poor artist, and they were so grateful; though,
do you know, I think the dinner pleased them more than the money,
and they would insist on sending this picture to father. I'll
light the gas, and then you'll see it better."

She twisted a piece of paper into a spill, and put an end to the
gloaming. Charles Osmond stood up to get a nearer view of the
painting, and Erica, too, drew nearer, and looked at it for a
minute in silence.

"Father took me up the Thames once," she said, by and by. "It was
so lovely. Some day, when all these persecutions are over, we are
going to have a beautiful tour, and see all sorts of places. But
I don't know when they will be over. As soon as one bigot--" she
broke off suddenly, with a stifled exclamation of dismay.

Charles Osmond, in the dim light, with his long gray beard, had not
betrayed his clerical dress; but, glancing round at him now, she
saw at once that the stranger to whom she had spoken so
unreservedly was by no means one of her father's followers.

"Well!" he said, smiling, half understanding her confusion.