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BY ORDER OF THE CZAR. 157

with an effort, when I told her your name and spoke of your mother ; she knew your mother's name, and her private secretary or guardian, or official executioner or whatever he may be, said Lady Forsyth was well known in Russia. ' She is a rebel,' I said smiling, ' as much a rebel possibly against Queen Victoria as she is against the Czar, so you must forgive her; and besides we play with revolution in England, toy with Socialism and so on, just as we do with aestheticism and private theatricals.' ' Yes,' she said inquiringly, and inviting me to go on. ' And the young artist I am speaking of was born in Russia, and of course he will take the sentimental and romantic side of Russian politics.' ' Then his picture is political ? ' she said, with a strong note of interrogation. ' More or less,' I said; 'it is a fanciful sketch at present of the road to Siberia, and don't smile and pray do not be angry its central figure is very much like your ladyship.' She started at this, and said as if amused, ' You alarm me, Mr. Chetwynd ; if we were in Russia, and you talked to me in this way, I should suspect you were an officer in disguise, and that you had a file of soldiers at the door.' The secretary stood by and watched me closely. I felt his little ferret eyes upon me, though every time I looked up he was appa- rently gating upon Holman Hunt's ' Scapegoat,' and I wondered afterwards if it suggested to him anything beyond its realistic ugliness. She had taken a seat beneath one of the palms in the Western room of the Gallery, and the more I talked to her. the more she invited me to go on that is, she listened with attention and made an encour- aging remark now and then. I told her that my wife took a deep interest in your career. She said she would have liked to meet my wife ; I said my wife had a reception to- night, and that you would be coming to us, and if she would deign to accept so late and informal an invitation, how much honored we all should be. She said at once she