Incidentally, what a sweet room this is."

"Do you like my pictures?"

"Awfully. Especially the one on the gate-table."

My lady blew smoke out of a faint smile. Then:

"If it comes to that, there's rather a good one on the arm of
your chair," she said.

"Yes. By the same artist,too. But the one on the table knocks
it. That'll be hung on the line year after year."

"What line?"

"At the Academy of Hearts. I beg your pardon, my dear. It
slipped out."

Silvia threw back her dainty head and laughed merrily.
Presently:

"But the one on the table's damaged," she said. "Didn't you see
the scratch?"

"And the one on the chair wants cleaning badly. In its present
state they wouldn't hang it anywhere except at Pentonville. But
the scratch. How did you get it?"

"Ah! That was the Marquis. We were by the window, and when you