Part 12 (1/2)
”This, , is M Poiron, the eive us his opinion on the picture”
M Poiron bowed Aristide advanced
”Madee in a desert”
She sently and turned to her father ”I've been wondering what had become of you Harry has been here for the last half-hour”
”Bring hi him in!” said Mr Sentleirl flickered out of the room like a sunbeam (the phrase is Aristide's), and the three precious rascals put their heads together in a hurried and earnest colloquy Presently Miss Christabel returned, and with her came the Honourable Harry Ralston, a tall, soldierly felloith close-cropped fair curly hair and a fair moustache, and frank blue eyes that, even in Parliament, had seen no harical vision caught hireeting and overdone introductions He shook Aristide warmly by the hand
”You have a beauty there, Baron, a perfect beauty,” said he, with the insane ingenuousness of youth ”I wonder how you can e to part with it”
”_Ma foi_,” said Aristide, with his back against the end of the dining-table and gazing at the masterpiece ”I have so ins to collect, you know--and when one's grandfather and father have had also the divine , M le Baron,” said M Poiron of Paris, ”that your respected grandfather bought this direct frorandfather was a patron of Corot”
”Do you like it, dear?” asked the Honourable Harry
”Oh, yes!” replied the girl, fervently ”It is beautiful I feel like Harry about it” She turned to Aristide ”How can you part with it? Were you really in earnest when you said you would like me to come and see your collection?”
”For me,” said Aristide, ”it would be a visit of enchantment”
”You must takeus about his lovely old chateau”
”Will you co to rob you of your picture,” said the youngcourtesy, ”the least I can do is to pay you a visit of apology
Lovely!” said he, going up to the Corot
Aristide took Miss Christabel, nowlove in her eyes and a flush on her cheek, a step or two aside and whispered:--
”But he is charood fortune”
”Why alhed, shyly
”It is not a man, but a demi-God, that would deserve you, mademoiselle”
M Poiron's harsh voice broke out
”You see, it is painted in the beginning of Corot's later manner--it is 1864 There is the mystery which, when he was quite an old man, became a trick If you were to put it up to auction at Christie's it would fetch, I am sure, five thousand pounds”
”That'sbetween three and four thousand pounds I don't think I can go above three”
”I have nothing to do with it,his hands ”You wanted a Corot I said I thought I could put you on to one It's for the Baron here to mention his price I retire now and for ever”
”Well, Baron?” said the young man, cheerfully ”What's your idea?”