Dolores  stood  watching  him  until  he  was  out  of  sight ;
then  she  locked  the  gate,  and  sat  down  on  the  green
bank,  her  eyes  half  closed,  her  lips  parted.  It  might  have
been  a  day-dream  with  some  girls,  but  with  Dolores  it  was
a  soft  sensation  of  pleasure,  like  that  which  a  kitten  feels
lying  curled  up  in  the  sunshine.  In  the  child's  natuie
there  slumbered  a  vein  of  passion  that  had  never  been
aroused.  When  it  was  called  forth,  it  would  be  sudden,
strong,  willful,  like  a  breath  of  hot  air ;  but  as  yet,  to-day,
it  slumbered.  To-morrow  it  will  quicken,  day  by  day
the  flame  will  be  fanned,  and  then, — poor  little  Dolores !
If  you  had  only  never  seen  this  good-looking  painter,


HALCYON  DAYS.
35


never  had  the  misfortune  to  be  like  that  famous  picture
in  the  Louvre  galleries  !

Guy  found  it  quite  impossible  to  complete  his  sketch  in
three  days,  and  Marcelline,  having  received  the  promised
bribe,  was  loth  to  hurry  such  a  liberal  Milor.  She  had
misgivings  sometimes  about  his  visit  coming  to  Madame
Power's  ears,  but,  as  luck  would  have  it,  Pierre  was  con-
fined to  his  bed  with  rheumatism,  and  she  could  always
manage  to  keep  Jeanneton  employed  in  the  back-kitchen
while  the  painting  went  on.
