Give me leave to ask, Miss Rosina Wellford, have you dined?"

Yes, I have."

Well, I have not; therefore, the next time we compare the relative sublimity of our ideas, pray let us start fair on this point. At present, you have the advantage of me."

The laugh was now against Rosina. Hannah offered to walk, and her younger sister seated herself in the chaise without complaint. The walkers and riders kept more together on their return than they had done before; and on reaching the White Cottage they separated with mutual expressions of satisfaction at their excursion.

CHAPTER XI.

PAINTING AL FRESCO.

THE request was made and finally granted. Huntley, whose secret admiration of Hannah was daily acquiring greater warmth and reality, at first playfully, then seriously, entreated her to sit to him for her picture, and begged Mrs. Wellford to add her persuasions to his own. The mother's pride in her daughter's beauty was gratified; she was also gained by Huntley's manner; which seemed to attach just sufficient, without too great, importance to the favour-respectful and unpresuming, though tinctured with enthusiasm. Hannah was astonished at the proposal, and shrunk with natural aversion from deliberately sitting to be looked at; but when Huntley smilingly said he would not insist on her fixing her eyes on his ugly face, lamented the difficulty of finding good studies, and in conclusion, proposed some fancy subject in which he might also introduce the portraits of her mother and sister, Hannah softened, and at length yielded a reluctant consent. The subject was rapidly chosen by the enthusiastic painter. It should be the departure of Ruth and Naomi for the Holy Land, and their parting from Orpah. Hannah's exquisite" head was not of the oriental style, but no matter; its character admirably expressed the moral beauty, grace, dignity, and devotedness of the lovely Moabitess. Rosina's darker complexion would suit the affectionate though inconstant Orpah

excellently well; and Mrs. Wellford's deeply shadowed eyes and expressive countenance beneath a Jewish head-dress could not fail to give interest to Naomi. Rosina was enchanted with the subject, and her mother and sister were scarcely less struck with Huntley's genius, when they saw his rough sketch from the text, "Orpah kissed her motherin-law, but Ruth clave unto her." The woman of many sorrows was seen turning her cheek to the retiring Orpah, while Ruth supporting her arm and waist, looked up in her face with tender devotedness as she prepared to lead her faultering steps through the scorching desert which opened before them. In the distance, amid palms and terebinths, were seen the walls and towers of the city to which Orpah was returning, while overhead was the glowing sky of an eastern climate. Nothing had been forgotten which was necessary to the complete developement of the scene. Rosina saw at a glance, that Huntley's sketch of her figure possessed much of the beau ideal, and attributed to his partiality what she shouldrather have laid to his science. The pannel, colours, and brushes arrived in a few days from town: the former not exceeding the size of a cabinet picture, as Huntley maintained that what would be gained by increased space, would be lost in delicacy, and that grandeur of design might as well be compressed into a gem as expanded on an altar-piece. The question now became, where should the sittings take place? The parlour was too small to render the apparatus of oilpainting very convenient or the smell very endurable; besides which, the casement window, clustered with jessamine, did not admit a sufficiently broad light. It was unanimously resolved to place the easel in the garden beneath the huge walnut tree. The hedge was so high and thick, as to prevent much chance of being overlooked; but with the assistance of Betty's clothes-props, lines and pegs, a sufficiently picturesque drapery was stretched beneath the greenwood-tree to screen them entirely from observation, and prevent the fluttering of the leaves from interrupting the light. Rosina, delighted with the romance and novelty of the plan, the more so that it had been suggested by the painter himself, thought of many little improvements, which she effected with great ingenuity and self-approval. Behold, then, the artist-lover, the walnut-shade his studio, the sun and air the ready dryers of his colours and the green foliage and purple distance the appropriate back-ground of his tableau vivant.' Rosina twined her mother an exquisite turban from Huntley's fancy

sketch; the sketch was improved from the turban, and the turban again from the sketch, so that no head-dress could be more faultless. It seemed a sin to cover more of Hannah's silky trésses than was absolutely necessary with a muslin veil, carelessly thrown back; and Rosina wound a crimson scarf round her own dark braids in a manner which she defied Mr. Huntley to prove had never been the fashion in Moab, and which was too becoming for him seriously to cavil at. An hour was spent in arranging every thing conveniently; in making the easel stand firm on the uneven ground; in picking the teazing little flies out of Huntley's oils and paints; and in contriving that the sun should shine on the ladies without tanning or blinding them. All these difficulties being mastered, Huntley commenced his work with the most commendable alacrity. Of the three sitters, or rather standers, Rosina had certainly secretly felt by far the greatest pleasure at the idea of having her picture taken by Mr. Huntley; yet, sooth to say, she was first to feel tired. What she would have liked would have been to sit in a chair, so that she could see the artist, and every other minute to jump up and watch his progress instead of which, till the outline was got in, Huntley begged them all to stand as still as possible, in easy attitudes, which, as she truly observed, "were mighty difficult, her lips on the point of touching her mother's cheek, and her figure in such a graceful twist as to give her an intolerable pain in the side. To do him justice, Huntley allowed them a momentary change of posture every five minutes, and promised to relieve two of the three in a quarter of an hour: but his often-repeated "one minute more" lasted much longer than he had led them to believe, and the earnestness with which he worked made him terribly silent. At length the ladies were released from their purgatory; the general effect, he told them was obtained; and they gathered round the easel to wonder and admire. Their encomiums were such as might have satisfied any man not bent on insisting that his admirers should be thoroughly competent judges of his art; the picture was "lovely," "striking," "astonishing." Huntley now began to bring up the back-ground to the same state of forwardness with the figures; during which time, the ladies, much interested in the novel handling of a kind of colours entirely new to them, watched his progress and expressed their delight at every new effect. Hannah went away, and presently returned with some beautiful raspberries. Rosina observed it was a good thought, and ran off to gather enough

for the whole party. Meantime, Hannah had given a few to her mother, and was going to offer the remainder to Mr. Huntley, when she blushed slightly, and said she would fetch a plate.

"As if," said Huntley, stopping her and looking expressively, "the finest china would make them more acceptable!"

Hannah coloured again, but gave him the fruit with perfect simplicity; and Rosina soon returned with a more abundant supply. They carelessly laughed and chatted till all the raspberries were eaten, and Huntley then returned to his work, which he pursued till the village clock warned him and his charming companions that they must separate for dinner. In the afternoon, Mrs. Wellford desired her daughters to carry a trifling message to Mrs. Greenway. They were just quitting the cottage when they met Mr. Huntley at the door. He had just looked in," he said, "not to paint, but to see his morning's work with fresh eyes." They all accompanied him to the walnut-tree, beneath which it still stood, that the sun might dry it quickly; and notwithstanding his resolution, the pallet offered itself so temptingly to his hand that he could not resist touching up something which it would be a pity to leave in its present state. Once with the magic brush in his fingers, it seemed impossible to lay it down; and Hannah deceived at first into the belief that his one minute would literally consist only of sixty seconds, aroused herself from her trance and reminded Rosina of their mission.

"Are you going?" said Huntley pathetically.

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Indeed Mr. Huntley," said Mrs. Wellford, who had never seen painting thus taken by storm, and began to be alarmed for his health, "I think it would be much better for you to lay aside your brushes and take a walk also. You have painted many hours and I am sure your mind must want unbending."

Huntley's brushes were immediately relinquished. Whether Mrs. Wellford had intended that his walk should be in the same direction with her daughters', or not, he chose to understand that it was to be so, and the pallet was instantly cleared. He requested the young ladies to grant him one more minute's patience; and as soon as his brushes were washed, he accompanied them on their walk. A lovely day was now giving place to a still more lovely evening, and the spirits and tempers of the trio were in happy tune.

Rosina's first inquiry was, "Pray, Mr. Huntley, are you a prophet ?"

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Not that I am aware of," replied he alertly, as if prepar

ing for an encounter of wits.-"If I were, I would tell your fortune immediately; but what occasioned the question?"

"Simply because the prophets of old used to reckon years as days, and your minutes seemed to me to bear the same proportion to ordinary estimates of time.'

Huntley laughed, though he did not appear exactly to know to what she referred.

"Mr. Huntley does not understand you, Rosina," said Hannah, with a quiet smile that seemed to say 'I do.'

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Why, have you not often threatened me with a minute's drawing-lesson," pursued Rosina, "which has as often been lengthened into an hour? and did you not cheat poor Hannah into standing twenty minutes in a most uncomfortable position by telling her she should be released from it in a moment? Did you not mean to paint only a minute this afternoon, and to be occupied another minute in washing your brushes?"

Huntley now laughed gaily. "The fact is," said he, "that it is impossible to take note of time in the Misses Wellfords' society."

"Ah, Mr. Huntley, I dare say you use all your sitters just as unfairly."

"Perhaps I do,-when they fascinate me equally, I leave you to decide how often that is likely to be the case.'

Painting must be a very fascinating pursuit," said Hannah, trying to turn the conversation to generals.

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Undoubtedly it must be," said Rosina-" Oh! there is Mrs. Greenway, I declare! Just going into Mrs. Good's. I must try to deliver mamma's message before the servant opens the door.".

Away she ran, leaving Hannah and Mr. Huntley to follow her at their leisure. They did so in perfect silence, though Huntley longed to speak. Just as he thought of something to say to his beautiful companion, they were re-joined by Rosina. This is certainly too warm weather for running!" exclaimed she.

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There is no need of our going to Mrs. Greenway's now," said Hannah. "What shall we do? Go home?"

"Home!" exclaimed both her companions at once. "Surely not," said Huntley.

"Where shall we go then?" inquired Hannah.

"Let us sit down on the bench just beneath the churchyard," said Rosina, "till I have recovered myself, and then we can go into Okely Park. We have scarcely walked half a mile."