400 THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY. the Uffizi, through which she presently reached the entrance of the famous gallery of paintings. Making her way in, she ascended the high staircase which leads to the upper chambers. The long corridor, glazed on one side and decorated with antique busts, which gives admission to these apartments, presented an empty vista, in which the bright winter light twinkled upon the marble floor. The gallery is very cold, and during the midwinter weeks is but scantily visited. Miss Stackpole may appear more ardent in her quest of artistic beauty than she has hitherto struck us as being, but she had after all her preferences and admirations. One of the latter was the little Correggio of the Tribune the Virgin kneeling down before the sacred infant, who lies in a litter of straw, and clapping her hands to him while he delightedly laughs and crows. Henrietta had taken a great fancy to this intimate scene she thought it the most beautiful picture in the world. On her way, at present, from New York to Eome, she was spending but three days in Florence, but she had reminded herself that they must not elapse without her paying another visit to her favourite work of art. She had a. great sense of beauty in all ways, and it involved a good many intellectual obligations. She was about to turn, into the Tribune when a gentleman came out of it ; whereupon she gave a little exclamation and stood before Caspar Goodwood. " I have just been at your hotel," she said. "I left a card for you." "I am very much honoured," Caspar Goodwood answered, as if he really meant it. " It was riot to honour you I did it ; I have called on you before, and I know you don't like it. It was to talk to you a little about something." He looked for a moment at the buckle in her hat. " I shall be very glad to hear what you wish to say." "You don't like to talk with me," said Henrietta. "But I don't care for that ; I don't talk for your amusement. I wrote a word to ask you to come and see me ; but since I have met you here this will do as well." " I was just going away," Goodwood said ; " but of course I will stop." He was civil, but he was not enthusiastic. Henrietta, however, never looked for great professions, and she was so much in earnest that she was thankful he would listen to her on any terms. She asked him first, however, if he had seen all the pictures. " All I want to. I have been here an hour." " I wonder if you have seen my Correggio," said Henrietta.
