"Why, Helen," he said at once, "no photographer of standing goes about
soliciting patronage; the man who came here wants pictures of you to
sell."
"Like the great ladies' photographs in England?" I asked flippantly,
though I was really a little disturbed.
"Just what I told her!" groaned Aunt Frank. "Bake must see the man; or--
Mr. Burke, why can't you find out about him? Perhaps it's all right," she
added weakly; "from her accounts he didn't flatter Nelly one bit; simply
raved over her."
"Yes, I'll run in and converse with the art lover," John grimly agreed;
but just then in came Milly with the General, and the subject was changed.
Indeed, though I don't know just how she managed it, from the moment the
brilliant woman of the world entered the room, poor clumsy John was made
to seem clumsier than ever, and before long, without quite knowing why, he
went away. I'm pretty sure that Mrs. Van Dam dislikes to see us together.
John was wrong and yet not wrong about the photographer; his threatened
interposition came to nothing, for the very next morning--only yesterday,
long ago as it seems--I was enlightened as to the cheap and silly trick
that had been played upon me.
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