Miss Prior, who never lost the opportunity of
saying an ill-natured thing, whether true or
false.

The three children were next arranged in a
group, and the issue was general confusion;
we exhausted ourselves with devices to fix
their attention, but all in vain.

I pitied Mr. Buck. He was a little old
man, with a wild shock of black hair, beard,
and moustache, and a pair of irascible blue
eyes. He wore a blouse of dark cloth belted
round his person with a broad band of patent
leather, and evidently considered himself very
picturesque. He was hot and moist, and
his hands were spotted and stained with
the chemicals, and his face likewise. Altogether,
he looked as if he would have been
much the better for a plunge into the
water-butt,—which occupied a large angle
of the little garden—both as to
cleanliness and coolness. I was growing tired, and
anxious to be away, for the bees, aggravated
by our noisy invasion of their territory,
showed stinging propensities and buzzed quite
savagely. Deeply disappointed, Mrs. Dove
proposed to pay and go, when Miss Prior
said she should like to be done herself for half-a-
crown ; and Mr. Buck immediately focussed
her. She seemed much agitated, and
expressed astonishment at the firmness with
which I had sustained myself through the
trying operation; but kept herself, nevertheless,
as still as a statue.

"We shall do," said Mr. Buck triumphantly,
as he issued from the coal-cellar after
the developing process; and indeed the
portrait he exhibited was a perfect success.

"But it is not a pretty likeness," said
Miss Prior, plaintively—"not at all a pretty
likeness. Will you try again?"

Mr. Buck protruded his nether lip slightly,
and said, if she desired it, he would; but
that it was not likely he should obtain a
better. " It is yourself, ma'am—your very
self! " he observed.

When I mention that Miss Prior has a
high colour, chiefly concentrated in her thin,
peaked nose, and a drooping eyelid, it will
be seen at once how great were the
difficulties in the artist's way: she varied her
position the next time, so as to hide the
latter defect, but was still dissatisfied. I
know Mr. Buck said something worse than
"Tish!" as he plunged into the coal-cellar
once more; for his voice was quite rasped
when he came out and desired her to
fall into position again. It will scarcely be
credited that this foolish woman caused
Mr. Buck to do her eight several times in
eight different attitudes; indeed she did not
desist until there was nothing left to take
but a back view, and then she paid her half-
crown with a grudge. I was astonished at her
meanness; and to see her hesitation over
those eight portraits, as to which she should
have finished and framed, was ludicrous.
After taking and rejecting everybody's advice,
she ended by keeping the first, which was
certainly the best.

"After all, Miss Lydia, I would rather
have mine than yours," she said to me as we
were talking the matter over in the bun-
shop; "you know it was portraits, not
pictures, we went for, and it is easy to buy a
fancy engraving. I am glad mine is a true
likeness; I never consider people really
respect us when they flatter either in words or
deeds; and Mr. Buck has flattered you out of
recognition."

I was silent. Miss Prior was evidently
mortified, by the way she emphasised her
remarks, and it was of no use to aggravate her
further; but Miss Wolsey, for the sake of
the artist's credit, perhaps, took upon herself
the reply:

"Flattery, Miss Prior ? there cannot be
such a thing in photography: Mr. Buck
explained to me the whole process. People
complain sometimes that it makes them
uglier, but I never heard of anybody being
made prettier."

"Just come and look, then—if you can tell
Lydia Cleverboots's likeness you have better
eyes than I can pretend to have!" retorted
Miss Prior; and she led the way back to the
garden; all of us following in a body. When
Mr. Buck saw us, he put his hands up to
his head, and grasped his hair frantically;
but was pacified when Miss Wolsey
explained why we had returned, and he brought
the portraits forth. Miss Prior took mine
sharply out of his hand, and began to hold
forth on its demerits; when suddenly a bee
settled on her wrist and stung her severely.
She gave out a shrill cry, and dropped my
pretty little effigy upon the gravel, where it
was utterly obliterated and destroyed. Mr.
Buck ejaculated his little word again, retired
into the coal-cellar abruptly, and did not
come forth while we stayed. Miss Prior
feigned deep regret, but I am sure she went
away in a better and more contented frame
of mind than she would have done but for
the happy accident.

"I will tell you where the fault lay, dear,"
she said, as we parted at Saint Mary's corner;
"it made you look too young. You seemed
like a handsome person of forty, or
thereabouts; and you know you are more than
that; for I recollect you quite a young
woman when I was a little chit at Miss
Thoroton's school. Don't you recollect asking
me to dinner once, when I came in a
white frock and blue sash, and we had lamb
and asparagus, and gooseberry-tart with
cream after?" I did remember that time:
it was when Mr. Fenton was curate of Saint
Mary's. He dined at our house the same
day, and little Judith Prior clung close to
my elbow all the evening, and listened to
every word that we said.

This morning I perceived that one of the
military gentlemen's portraits had given
place to Miss Prior's; and there she hangs