“In practice here?” I inquired, though his garb belied it.

“Oh, not medical,” he answered.  “I am an LL.D. don’t you know.  I interest myself in art, and buy to some extent for the National Gallery.”

The very man for Amelia’s “At Homes”!  Sir Charles snapped at him instantly.  “I’ve brought my four-in-hand down here with me,” he said, in his best friendly manner, “and we think of tooling over to-morrow to Lewes.  If you’d care to take a seat I’m sure Lady Vandrift would be charmed to see you.”

“You’re very kind,” the Doctor said, “on so casual an introduction.  I’m sure I shall be delighted.”

“We start from the Métropole at ten-thirty,” Charles went on.

“I shall be there.  Good morning!” And, with a satisfied smile, he rose and left us, nodding.

We returned to the lawn, to Amelia and Isabel.  Our new friend passed us once or twice.  Charles stopped him and introduced him.  He was walking with two ladies, most elegantly dressed in rather peculiar artistic dresses.  Amelia was taken at first sight by his manner.  “One could see at a glance,” she said, “he was a person of culture and of real distinction.  I wonder whether he could bring the P.R.A. to my Parliamentary ‘At Home’ on Wednesday fortnight?”

Next day, at ten-thirty, we started on our drive.  Our team has been considered the best in Sussex.  Charles is an excellent, though somewhat anxious—­or, might I say better, somewhat careful?—­whip.  He finds the management of two leaders and two wheelers fills his hands for the moment, both literally and figuratively, leaving very little time for general conversation.  Lady Belleisle of Beacon bloomed beside him on the box (her bloom is perennial, and applied by her maid); Dr. Polperro occupied the seat just behind with myself and Amelia.  The Doctor talked most of the time to Lady Vandrift:  his discourse was of picture-galleries, which Amelia detests, but in which she thinks it incumbent upon her, as Sir Charles’s wife, to affect now and then a cultivated interest.  Noblesse oblige; and the walls of Castle Seldon, our place in Ross-shire, are almost covered now with Leaders and with Orchardsons.  This result was first arrived at by a singular accident.  Sir Charles wanted a leader—­for his coach, you understand—­and told an artistic friend so.  The artistic friend brought him a Leader next week with a capital L; and Sir Charles was so taken aback that he felt ashamed to confess the error.  So he was turned unawares into a patron of painting.

Dr. Polperro, in spite of his too pronouncedly artistic talk, proved on closer view a most agreeable companion.  He diversified his art cleverly with anecdotes and scandals; he told us exactly which famous painters had married their cooks, and which had only married their models; and otherwise showed himself a most diverting talker.  Among other things, however, he happened to mention once that he had recently discovered a genuine Rembrandt—­a quite undoubted Rembrandt, which had remained for years in the keeping of a certain obscure Dutch family.  It had always been allowed to be a masterpiece of the painter, but it had seldom been seen for the last half-century save by a few intimate acquaintances.  It was a portrait of one Maria Vanrenen of Haarlem, and he had bought it of her descendants at Gouda, in Holland.