“Don’t hurry me, Sir William,” said Eppy coquettishly. “Well, I took it to Lord Mundobbo. You know whom I mean; at that time he had something to do with the National Gallery; Mr. Nichol didn’t inform me as to his exact connection with it.” She paused and gazed soulfully into space. “Shall I ever forget the day? The sun was high in the heavens—but there,” she broke off with a deprecating smile. “I really must restrain my poetic impulse. But as I was saying,” she rambled on quickly, “the sky was overcast and threatening snow——” “I thought the sun was shining, Miss McKay,” interrupted Sir William gruffly. She was beginning to get on his nerves again. “I am a little mixed in my metaphors,” apologized Eppy condescendingly, “but you flustrate me so, Sir William,” and she tapped him playfully with her fan. “Well, I felt that victory was mine. I took off the paper—it was pink, tied with a yellow string—and laid it before him.” She paused impressively, then she continued in an elocutionary tone of voice. “He gazed at it long and silently. He was simply speechless. I knew he’d be. I said to him, ‘Lord Mundobbo, as much as it grieves me to part with my—ahem—masterpiece, for the sake of art I will permit you to add it to the collection of paintings in the National Gallery.’ Said he, ‘Miss McKay, really I appreciate this honor you do me and the National Gallery. It is a masterpiece of its kind, but I cannot accept it.’” “The brute!” exclaimed Sir William in mock anger. “Why not?” “He said if I would change the ocean into a fresh water pond and give the cow a chance, he might consider it,” and Eppy tearfully regarded her now laughing companion with an aggrieved air. “Did ye do it?” inquired Sir William, rising to his feet. “Did I do it!” repeated Eppy with horror expressed in every tone of her voice, every feature of her pointed face. “No, sir,” she replied emphatically. “Never would I willingly spoil a work of art. That was my first and only. I couldn’t improve on it. But my artistic soul was smothered, and now another, a poetic spirit has taken its place.” She smiled dreamily, a sigh of content escaping her parted lips. “A case of the survival of the fittest, eh?” he retorted brusquely.