The Tragic Muse

are to their perception an inexpressive and speechless race, perpendicular and unsoci

orth no great intensity to take in the characters I mention. As a solicitation of the eye on definite grounds these visitors too constituted a successful plastic fact; and even the most superficial observer would have marked them as products of an insular neighbourhood, representatives of that tweed-and-waterproof class with which, on the recurrent occasions when the English turn out for a holiday-Christmas and Easter, Whitsuntide and the autumn-Paris besprinkles itself at a night's notice. They had about them the indefinable professional look of the British traveller abroad; the air of preparatio

were not, with each other, on terms of ceremony, and also were probably fatigued with their course among the pictures, the rooms on the upper floor. Their attitude, on the part of visitors who had superior features even if they might appear to s

n. If you had seen her walk you would have felt her to tread the earth after a fashion suggesting that in a world where she had long since discovered that one couldn't have one's own way one could never tell what annoying aggression might take place, so that it was well, from hour to hour, to save what one could. Lady Agnes saved her head, her white triangular forehead, over which her close-crinkled flaxen hair, reproduced in different shades in her children, made a looped silken canopy like the marquee at a garden-party. Her daughters were as tall as herself-that was visible even as they sat there-and one of them, the younger evidently, altogether pretty; a straight, slender, grey-eyed English girl of the sort who show "good" figures and fresh complexions. The sister, who was not pretty, was also straight and slender and grey-eyed. But the grey in this case was not so pure, nor were the straightness and the slenderness so maidenly. The brother of these young ladies had taken off his hat as if he felt the air of the summer day heavy in the great pavilion. He was a lean, strong, clear-faced youth, with a formed nose and thick light-brown hair which lay continuously and profusely back from his forehead, so that to smooth it from the brow to the neck but a

dividually, to the Palais de l'Industrie much less to see the works of art than to think over th

it moping here all day? Come a

a little, looking round her, but she gave for the mo

Peter comes?" asked the other Mis

come. He'll leave us

It was plainly her theory that Peter would come, and even a littl

turning his face to a marble group which stood near them on the right-a man with the skin of a be

bserved: "Everything seems very dreadful. I should think Biddy

Julia'll be with him," the el

ia about. That will be mor

out art. It's a fearful bore looking at

m, Grace?"-and Biddy

od taste!" Grace exclaimed,

e out solemnly to her son after resting her eyes on

man urged. "About some things she has very good taste,

es, turning her eyes again to the "kind

r-awfully!" Grace we

r repeated, standing in front

you are," said the young lady,

lf generously at his side. "Mightn't you go and order lunch-in that place,

a cold impatience which seemed to intimate that she had proble

he comes. I'm sure he's up

him out of account, and do order lunch

Biddy ventured to remark to her brothe

wered, giving her chin-a very charming, rotund,

u've got against him," h

swer one's notes; they won't let one know where they are nor what to e

ry busy time at the embassy; there are sure to b

ied these words with an ambiguous sigh, however, as if i

answer you the very day?" Grace asked, lo

you know about my correspondence? No doubt I ask too much," he w

my dear!" cried the eld

ineteen

ou know her

ys gives you something," L

en, isn't it, Nick?"

but, dear mother, it isn't h

er hus

es so freely are the things he collected f

she added, as if this might have been taken for a complaint of the limitations of Julia's b

lovely ones," Grace remarked to he

s judgement was so sure, he was incapable of

talk of him, he was dre

gh for Julia to marry he's go

m a very gr

o such enlightened collection of beautiful o

of beautiful objects

ust now lamenting tha

a so well off," Biddy interposed soo

rand seigneur, absol

"-Grace bore on it with a dull weight

d like, if that's what you are try

ar, Grace," sa

to Nick's arm, to signify her readiness to go with him, while she scanned the remoter reaches of the garden as if it

you, my dear," Grace answe

four. Do you call that too old? I don't

r," Lady Agnes

t's what we are, I'm afraid," her brother said to he

er son, struck as by a challenge, paused, lingering a moment with his little sister on his arm: "What we've been through this

t which he quickly guessed. Her resentment had the effect not so much of animating her cold face as of making it colde

said! I don't know wh

ble things when, for myself, I've felt it to be most interesting,

Agnes cried with a str

don-they're much less unpl

t," her ladyship went on. "We

atment, the treatment!" Biddy protested i

!"-her brother b

, if I don't look at things and if I

hile you were looking at the murders, apparently, I observed an immense deal of curious and interesting work. There are too many of them, poor devils; so many who must make their way, who must attract attention. Some of them can only taper fort, stand on their heads, turn somersaults or commit deeds of violence, to make people notice them. After that, no doubt, a good many will be quieter. But I don't know; to-day I'm

re you really setting up for

ted. "I was spea

, Nick-you are!"

them, and uttered sounds, few in number and not completely articulate, to the effect that she hated talking about art. While her son spok

e boat," Biddy repeat

y Agnes replied. "It's horri

numents in the garden as if in regard even to them she were, through that un

Nicholas Dormer went on to his mother in the same reason

deed!" said

movement in sculpture," Nick insisted

enough to k

t is necessary to my dev

like," said Lady

od work, you know,"

ed Nick, almost provoked him, or at any rate suggested to him an occasion for some pronouncement he had had on his mind

are we never g

mured in a troubled way, looking down

taking advantage of it. She was encouraged by his slight embarrassment, for ordinarily Nick was not embarrassed. "You used to

ity of their situation gave her a quick expressive kiss. The foreign observer whom I took for granted in beginning to sketch this scene would have had to admit that the rigid Engli