"Your Romney?" said Laura, vaguely recalling some earlier talk of her
stepmother's.

Augustina nodded. She stared at the picture with a curious agitation, as
though she were seeing its long familiar glories for the first time.
Laura was much puzzled by her.

"Well, but it's magnificent!" cried the girl. "One needn't know much to
know that. How can Mr. Helbeck call himself poor while he possesses such
a thing?"

Augustina started.

"It's worth thousands," she said hastily. "We know that. There was a man
from London came once, years ago. But papa turned him out--he would never
sell his things. And she was our great-grandmother."

An idea flashed through Laura's mind.

"You don't mean to say that Mr. Helbeck is going to sell her?" said Laura
impetuously. "It would be a shame!"

"Alan can do what he likes with anything," said Augustina in a quick
resentment. "And he wants money badly for one of his orphanages--some of
it has to be rebuilt. Oh! those orphanages--how they must have weighed on
him--poor Alan!--poor dear Alan!--all these years!"

Mrs. Fountain clasped her thin hands together, with a sigh.

"Is it they that have eaten up the house bit by bit?--poor house!--poor