Geoff and Evarne once again sat down side by side on the divan, and in low tones proceeded to discuss the prosaic business arrangements for the eventful morrow. Evarne did not disguise her anxiety to leave England immediately on the completion of the wedding ceremony, and thus Geoff had now to make arrangements for the journey, find out times of trains and boats, take tickets and telegraph to hotels, as well as procure the licence and arrange with a clergyman. The discussion of the many details that had to be considered occupied some time, and at length the silence of the room, broken only by the indistinct murmurs of this inaudible conversation, became boring in the extreme to Miss Maudie. "I wish I could see you working as I sit, Frankie; but of course that isn't possible," she said somewhat plaintively. "I'm afraid not," agreed Pallister. "But you must have plenty of rests, and then you can see how I'm getting on, though you know it's never very pleasant to show work in its early stages to any but a fellow-artist." "But won't you do better than ever, knowing that I'm going to look at it? Am I not an inspiration?" "Of course you are, but you'll see yourself looking like a nightmare, with black eyes and yellow cheeks and so on. But don't worry about that. It's only at first. I feel that in the end I'm going to make this a veritable masterpiece." After a very few more minutes' silence she spoke again. "What fun this is! I'm not really tired yet, and I've been sitting a long time already, haven't I?" "Oh Maudie, hardly that." "What, haven't I? Dear me, I thought I had." "Don't wriggle your head, there's an angel." "Was I wriggling?" inquired the victim. "I'm so sorry; my neck felt stiff." "You must have a rest, then." "Oh no, thank you. It doesn't matter. I can bear it." But the tones of resignation were too touching. Pallister laid down his brushes. "Come along. Don't let yourself get thoroughly tired, or you'll not want to come again. Besides, models sometimes faint if they have to go on posing after they are tired out. You ask Miss Stornway if you don't believe me." Evarne corroborated Pallister's assertion, though in her heart she did not think there was much danger of Maudie collapsing yet awhile. Nevertheless the girl gladly descended from the throne, and almost instantly her glance fell upon the diamond ring sparkling upon Evarne's hand. There seems something particularly attractive to "Sweet Seventeen" about engagement rings. "Oh, Miss Stornway," she cried, "do let me look at your ring. What a perfect beauty!" Evarne was pleased by this admiration. "You ought to see it in the sunshine," she declared. "It is too lovely for words then."