with saxe-blue. Mr. Castleton, who valued artistic effect before
everything, found Constable one of his most useful models, and though the
boy was now seven and a half, he was generally dressed in a Kate
Greenaway smock and his crop of golden curls was still uncut.

"Don't touch him!" his father would protest, whenever the question of
Constable's hair arose in the family; "as he is he's worth an income to
me! He always gets into exhibitions and he generally sells. He's just
what the average British patron wants to buy. The public can't always
understand my allegorical pictures, but they know a pretty child when
they see one. He'll be spoilt for the studio if he loses his curls, and I
want to sketch him as a singing angel, and as a water-baby, and for some
of my Hans Andersen illustrations. It's too bad to ruin his artistic
value just when I've trained him to pose properly. It will be years
before Gabriel learns to sit as still--if he ever does."

The little fellow had charmingly attractive manners, and came forward
willingly to talk to visitors. He and Perugia were the talkative ones;
Lilith, a flaxen-haired fairy of six, was very shy, and the baby was busy
with his own affairs and refused to be interrupted.

"Romola is sitting for Father," explained Beata. "I expect he'd let her
go now though, if you'd care to come for a walk with us. Bother! What
shall I do with the little ones? I can't leave them to Violet when she's
lying down."

"Bring them with you," suggested Mavis, who was making friends with
Perugia.

"Should you mind? I'll tell you what! I'll borrow the donkey from the