Kitty, with her head thrown back, "that it isdamaging?"
"I think he has done a thing which might tell against him immensely; butI don't think a scrap the worse of him myself. There!" said Bell.
Kitty was silent, but there was that in her face which did not satisfythe other girl.
"I believe you are dreadfully unforgiving," she said. As she spoke, shewalked to the window and knelt on the low window-seat. Kitty followedher, looking pale.
"Bell, I really am vexed. I think it is particularly unfortunate," shesaid. "You know that it has cost father a great deal to let me have myway, and make a profession of my painting; there have been a dozen lionsin the way at least. But such a lion as this never entered our heads.Don't you see that if he hears of a gentleman dressing up and cominghere as a model, there will be an end of everything? Supposing, even,that it is as you say, a mere good-natured freak, do you think that heis likely to understand it in that light?"
There was a pause; then Bell said slowly--
"And yet you would tell him?"
The girl's colour rose.
"Yes," she said very proudly; "whatever comes of it, he shall never saythat I have deceived him. I shall tell mother, and she will do what isbest."
"Whenever," murmured her companion--"whenever you sweet-tempered peopletake the bit between your teeth, I have noticed that it is absolutelyhopeless to attempt to turn you. Well. Kitty, since you are determinedto set a torch to the gunpowder, I hope we shan't all go up with theexplosion. My father is good for a magnificent fizz. I hear him now inthe passage."
Another moment saw him in the room, and with him came Mrs Lascelles, alarge, kindly-faced woman, in whose brown eyes gleamed the same clearbrightness which met you in her daughter's. The old colonel was asstormily benevolent as usual.
"So you gave me the slip after all, eh, Miss Bell? I've just beentelling your godmother that she hasn't brought you up well; little Kittyhere would never dare to be so undutiful. Eh? I met your preciousrascal of an Italian close by here; can't think how you admit such afellow within the gates. I stopped him, but he was as sulky as a bear.I have it, though, I have it!" he cried, slapping his thigh; "to besure! That's the man the painter-fellow last night was like. What washe called?--Egerton--Elliott--friend of Marchmont's, you know, Bell.'Pon my word, the most extraordinary likeness, eh, Bell, eh?"
"There was a likeness, certainly," said his daughter calmly.
"A likeness! This man is his double. It's been annoying me all thenight. I never will be beaten by a likeness."
"But I hope the model is not such a disreputable being as you describe,"said Mrs Lascelles, a shade of anxiety in her voice. "If he is, itcannot be very pleasant for you, Kitty."
"He behaved well enough," said the girl, in a low voice.
"And he is not coming again; he has not the time to spare," Bell saidcheerfully. "Kitty has been very successful with him, and ought to beexceedingly obliged. Look, Mrs Lascelles!"
"Obliged!" grumbled her father. "The fellow gets paid, eh? Well, uponmy word, that's not at all bad, Kitty. I tell you what I'll give youyour first order, and I'll sit for you myself. Then you needn't havethose fellows sneaking about the place. They'll be bringing dynamiteone of these days. If I were Lascelles I wouldn't stand it--I wouldn'tstand it."
"Father," said Bell promptly, "I'm ashamed of you! You're only sayingthis to tease Kitty, and she's just as white as a ghost already. Comehome with me at once; and, Kitty, don't you think about anything that hehas said."
Then she flung herself upon her friend, and kissed her with the warmthwhich marks a certain phase in young ladies' friendships.
When they were gone, Mrs Lascelles went to the window, where herdaughter was standing.
"There's something the matter, Kitty," she said, putting her hand on hershoulder.
"Yes, mother, there is," returned the girl gravely.
Neither of them spoke for a little while, for Mrs Lascelles neverextracted confidences. Kitty sighed.
"To tell you the truth," she said, "I can't be sure whether I had bettersay it out or not."
"And I can't help you," said Mrs Lascelles, with a laugh.
"You see, mother, so far as I am concerned, it would be the greatestrelief; but Bell thinks that by repeating it will be made of moreimportance, and I don't know that she isn't right."
"Well," said her mother, after a pause, "I trust you entirely, Kitty."
"I believe I must tell you," said the girl, "and then you must decidewhether it should go any farther." For in her heart of hearts, Kittyknew that her father was not the safest person in the world for such aconfidence, and knew that her mother was aware of it, too. "It is aboutthe model."
Mrs Lascelles looked uneasy.
"Mother, Bell thinks that Mr Everitt could not get the man he promisedto send, and that--he came himself."
"Kitty!"
"Yes. It's dreadful," Kitty said despairingly.
"It's absurd! It must be Bell's imagination. Came himself?"
"Do you think she can have imagined it?"--more hopefully. "She declaresshe is quite sure. And you heard what Colonel Aitcheson said?"
"There may be a likeness--of course there must be a likeness--but it isfar more probable that this likeness misled them, than that such anextraordinarily unlikely thing should be done by any one. Still, thevery idea would distress your father more than I can say."
"That's what I thought,"--despairingly again. "Mother, ought he toknow?"
Mrs Lascelles hesitated, "No. I think, while it is all so uncertain,and may be only Bell's fancy, that Bell is right in saying it should bekept quiet. Of course, if he were coming here again, it would benecessary to ascertain one way or the other; but you say there is nofear of that?"
Kitty shook her head. "He didn't want to come to-day."
"Kitty," said her mother suddenly, "did you suspect anything?"
"Not yesterday," said the girl, lifting her clear true eyes to hermother's. "But to-day I did feel uncomfortable. I noticed his handsand his voice seemed different--not like that of a common man."
"What did he say?" Mrs Lascelles tried to speak indifferently.
"Oh, he spoke--why, if it were Mr Everitt, he spoke about himself. Iasked him, you know."
"Oh!" Mrs Lascelles might be forgiven for looking anxiously at herdaughter's sweet unconscious lace, and thinking that a man might peril agood deal for a second sight of it.
But Kitty read a certain reproach in the look.
"Mother,"--earnestly--"I hadn't the smallest suspicion. Of course, Itreated him like any other model."
"Of course," said her mother, kissing her. "My dear, I am not blamingyou in the least. It is only an unfortunate beginning to have this ideatroubling one, even if, as I believe, Bell's imagination has run awaywith her. I shan't like to leave you here alone. At any rate, did Iunderstand anything about another model coming in his place?"
"Yes; another man in the same costume."
"We will stop that, at any rate. We will certainly have no more modelsof Mr Everitt's providing, be they who they may. But I don't want toenter into communication with him; if, _if_ there is anything actual inthis absurd idea, he might make it an excuse for forcing an acquaintanceupon us. Still, we must stop the model somehow."
"Yes," said Kitty sadly, standing before her easel and regarding theunfinished painting with the yearnings of an artist.
"Yes, indeed," said her mother, not quite entering into this; "and I'lltell you what we will do. It was Mrs Marchmont who settled it foryou?"
"Yes."
"I will write and ask her to let Mr Everitt know that we do not requireanother model. That will avoid any direct communication."
"I suppose it is the best plan."
"My poor Kitty! Unless you can arrange always to have some one to paintwith you, you had better keep to women. Now you must come, or thoseravenous children will be unmanageable."
All the rest of that day little Kitty was
in a subdued mood. The moreshe thought over slight incidents of each sitting, the more she becameconvinced that Bell was right in her surmise. She had caught a glimpseof a shirt-cuff which was spotlessly clean; she remembered that theshort trimness of his hair had struck her as inappropriate from thefirst. Then his voice. On this second day, a certain gruffness, whichhe had kept up on the first, quite disappeared; she had been surprisedto find him