’Think of Conway Dalrymple passing so many hours in Maria’s sitting-room upstairs!  The picture is to be painted there, you know.’

’But Miss Van Siever will be present.  Won’t that make it all right?  What is there wrong about Miss Van Siever?’

’I won’t deny that Clara Van Siever has a certain beauty of her own.  To me she is certainly the most unattractive woman that I ever came near.  She is simply repulsive!’ Hereupon Miss Demolines held up her hand as though she were banishing Miss Van Siever for ever from her sight, and shuddered slightly.  ’Men think her handsome, and she is handsome.  But she is false, covetous, malicious, cruel, and dishonest.’

‘What a fiend in petticoats!’

’You may say that, Mr Eames.  And then her mother!  Her mother is not so bad.  Her mother is different.  But the mother is an odious woman, too.  It was an evil day for Maria Clutterbuck when she first saw either the mother or the daughter.  I tell you that in confidence.’

‘But what can I do?’ said Johnny, who began to be shattered and almost interested by the eagerness of the woman.

’I’ll tell you what you can do.  Don’t let your friend go to Mr Broughton’s house to paint the picture.  If he does do it, there will be mischief come of it.  Of course you can prevent him.’

‘I should not think of trying to prevent him unless I knew why.’

’She’s a nasty proud minx, and it would set her up ever so high—­to think that she was being painted by Mr Dalrymple!  But that isn’t the reason.  Maria would get into terrible trouble about it, there would be no end of mischief.  I must not tell you more now, and if you do not believe me, I cannot help it.  Surely, Mr Eames, my word may be taken as going for something?  And when I ask you to help me in this, I do expect that you will not refuse me.’  By this time Miss Demolines was sitting close to him, and had more than once put her hand upon his arm in the energy of her eloquence.  Then as he remembered that he had never seen Miss Demolines till the other day, of Miss Van Siever, or even Mrs Dobbs Broughton, he bethought himself that it was all very droll.  Nevertheless he had no objection to Miss Demolines putting her hand upon his arm.

’I never like to interfere in anything that does not seem to be my own business,’ said Johnny.

’Is not your friend’s business your own business?  What does friendship mean if it not so?  And when I tell you that it is my business, mine of right, does that go for nothing with you?  I thought I might depend upon you, Mr Eames; I did indeed.’  Then again she put her hand upon his arm, and as he looked into her eyes he began to think that after all she was good-looking in a certain way.  At any rate she had fine eyes, and there was something picturesque about the entanglement of her hair.  ’Think of it, and then come back and talk to me again,’ said Miss Demolines.

‘But I am going out of town tomorrow.’