Page:Zodiac stories by Blanche Mary Channing.pdf/162

Rh the table with moss-roses from the garden.

Sir John and his young guest made great efforts to laugh and talk as much as usual, but they did not succeed very well.

After tea, the old man laid his hand on the boy's shoulder and said:

"Come with me, I have something to show you."

He led Paul into a room which he had never seen before. It was rather small, panelled in white and gold, and had faded hangings of rose-colored satin.

Sir John shut the door softly.

"This was my mother's boudoir," he said.

Paul looked up into the old man's face with speaking eyes.

Sir John went forward and drew a silken veil from a picture on the wall.

It was the portrait of a young lady in a white frock fastened at the waist with a narrow rose-colored ribbon. She held in