brought him luck; I am real pleased." And on Gatty's return, canvas in
hand, she whipped the document behind her, and said archly, "I hae
something for ye, a tecket fra a leddy, ye'll no want siller fra this
day."

"Indeed!"

"Ay! indeed, fra a great leddy; it's vara gude o' me to gie ye it; heh!
tak it."

He did take it, looked stupefied, looked again, sunk into a chair, and
glared at it.

"Laddy!" said Christie.

"This is a new step on the downward path," said the poor painter.

"Is it no an orrder to paint the young prence?" said Christie, faintly.

"No!" almost shrieked the victim. "It's a writ! I owe a lot of money.

"Oh, Chairles!"

"See! I borrowed sixty pounds six months ago of a friend, so now I owe
eighty!"

"All right!" giggled the unfriendly visitor at the door, whose departure
had been more or less fictitious.

Christie, by an impulse, not justifiable, but natural, drew her