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By ORDER OF THE CZAR. 169

passion of an impulsive young man. It was quite certain that for the time being the beautiful foreign lady had occupied a place in his thoughts which should have been alone occupied by Dolly Norcott, to whom only two days before he had become engaged.

This fact was recalled to him by the Countess Stravensky herself within an hour of the time when he was walking more or less on air, as we have seen, to his studio beyond Prim- rose Hill, for the condescending model arrived punctually to the time which she had fixed with Philip's mother on the preceding night. He had had the place specially prepared to receive her, and she had come quietly attired, as if in sympathy with his subject.

It was eleven o'clock when she passed through the por- ter's gate. Her single brougham stood outside with one servant on the box. On the pavement was a gentleman in waiting a foreigner who strolled about the neighborhood enjoying the fresh spring morning, and a cigar strong enough to have thrown an ordinary smoker into a narcotic fever.

Philip received his visitor with a calm sense of triumph. She wore a grey soft cape, which she laid aside almost as soon as she entered the studio.

" It is very kind of you to come," said Philip, not at- tempting to disguise his pleasure.

<<r Kind of you to ask me to do so and Mr. Chetwynd made such a point of it ! " she said, with her fascinating foreign accent. "What a charming hostess Mrs. Chet- wynd ! Sorry I could not remain as long as I could have wished; but there was a prior engagement, which duty required I should observe, at the Russian Embassy; it was a ball, and I had the satisfaction of arrriving for the the little supper, as they so call it, and I was escorted by one of your great ministers ; a friend, so he said, of Russia. Ah, thank you, they are lovely ! "