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hand of the figure.
    “Oh, it shall be finished in perfection—in the perfection of perfections!” cried mademoiselle; and to confirm her promise, she deposited a rosy blotch in the middle of the Madonna’s cheek.
    But the American frowned. “Ah, too red, too red!” he rejoined. “Her complexion,” pointing to the Murillo, “is more delicate.”
    “Delicate? Oh, it shall be delicate, monsieur; delicate as Sèvres
biscuit.
11 I am going to tone that down; I know all the secrets of my art. And where will you allow us to send it to you? Your address?”
    “My address? Oh yes!” And the gentleman drew a card from his pocket-book and wrote something upon it. Then hesitating a moment he said: “If I don’t like it when it is finished, you know, I shall not be obliged to take it.”
    The young lady seemed as good a guesser as himself. “Oh, I am very sure that monsieur is not capricious,” she said with a roguish smile.
    “Capricious?” And at this monsieur began to laugh. “Oh no, I’m not capricious. I am very faithful. I am very constant.
Comprenez?
”
    “Monsieur is constant; I understand perfectly. It’s a rare virtue. To recompense you, you shall have your picture on the first possible day; next week—as soon as it is dry. I will take the card of monsieur.” And she tookit and read his name: “Christopher Newman.” Then she tried to repeat it aloud, and laughed at her bad accent. “Your English names are so droll!”
    “Droll?” said Mr. Newman, laughing too. “Did you ever hear of Christopher Columbus?”
    “Bien sûr!
12 He invented 13 America; a very great man. And is he your patron?”
    “My patron?”
    “Your patron-saint, in the calendar.” 14
    “Oh, exactly; my parents named me for him.”
    “Monsieur is American?”
    “Don’t you see it?” monsieur inquired.
    “And you mean to carry my little picture away over there?” and she explained her phrase with a gesture.
    “Oh, I mean to buy a great many pictures—
beaucoup, beaucoup
,” said Christopher Newman.
    “The honour is not less for me,” the young lady answered, “for I am sure monsieur has a great deal of taste.”
    “But you must give me your card,” Newman said; “your card, you know.”
    The young lady looked severe for an instant, and then said: “My father will wait upon you.”
    But this time Mr. Newman’s powers of divination were at fault. “Your card, your address,” he simply repeated.
    “My address?” said mademoiselle. Then, with a little shrug: “Happily for you, you are an American! It is the first time I ever gave my card to a gentleman.” And, taking from her pocket a rather greasy portemonnaie, 15 she extracted from it a small glazed visiting card, and presented the latter to her patron. It was neatly inscribed in pencil, with a great many flourishes: “Mlle. Noémie 16 Nioche.” But Mr. Newman, unlike his companion, read the name with perfect gravity; all French names to him were equally droll.
    “And precisely, here is my father, who has come toescort me home,” said Mademoiselle Noémie. “He speaks English. He will arrange with you.” And she turned to welcome a little old gentleman who came shuffling up, peering over his spectacles at Newman.
    M. Nioche wore a glossy wig, of an unnatural colour, which overhung his little meek, white, vacant face, and left it hardly more expressive than the unfeatured block upon which these articles are displayed in the barber’s window. He was an exquisite image of shabby gentility. His little ill-made coat, desperately brushed, his darned gloves, his highly-polished boots, his rusty, shapely hat, told the story of a person who had “had losses,” and who clung to the spirit of nice 17 habits, though the letter had been hopelessly effaced. Among other things M. Nioche had lost courage. Adversity had not only ruined him, it had frightened him, and he was evidently going through his remnant of life on tiptoe, for fear of waking up the hostile