"But I was not at the Bavarian Court. I was not in Italy with him. No. It is only to Centeville that I always come." Dear Mademoiselle, I do not like to be deceived, but I will forgive a good artist a great deal.

"You are right," I said.

"That is my work. And now you are going to find fault with it and say that a woman cannot paint like a man and that although this miniature is tolerably good, it is not worth the price you agreed to pay ..."

"Are you a little hysterical, Mademoiselle Collison?"

"I am never hysterical' " My confidence in the English is restored. I have always heard they are so calm in any crisis. Now . you are deceiving yourself as you attempted to deceive me. I admire your sex.

There are many things you do . divinely. Where should we be without your sex? And I see no reason why a woman should not be given credit for her painiing as well as all the other gifts she bestows on us for our joy and our comfort. "

"Then you accept the miniature?"

"Mademoiselle Collison, I would not part with this miniature for anything."

"I thought it was to be presented to your fiancee."

"To be brought back here and placed in my castle. I shall put it next to my lady with the hazel eyes and tawny hair, she who was an unknown lady to me and is now so no more. Mademoiselle, I am as you pointed out an artist manque, but I know what is good art and let me tell you, you are a great artist."

I felt tears in my eyes and was ashamed of them. The last thing I wanted to do before this man was show emotion.

I stammered: "I am so pleased ... that you care for the miniature."

"Sit down," he commanded, 'and tell me what is wrong with your father.

"It is his eyes. He has a cataract forming."

"That's a tragedy," he said with genuine feeling.

"And so you came here to do his work for him."

"I knew I could do it and that you would get value for your money."

"Indeed. I have that. But why did you not explain? Why set up this ridiculous charade?"

"Because you would never have accepted a woman. You would have thought, because of my sex, I could not be as good as a man."

"Yet I knew all the time and I think I am going to be as proud of this miniature as of any in my collection."

"You ... are more enlightened than most people."

R.

"Hurrah! I have found favour in your sight at last! All those sketches you did of me ... they are excellent. Perhaps some day you will paint a full-length portrait, eh? I very much liked the winged helmet.

Done with a little irony, eh? How many sketches have you of me, Mademoiselle Collison? "

"I wanted to get as many aspects of your face as possible and weld them into one. I did not want to miss anything."

"There speaks my great artist." He picked up the miniature again.

"It's not exactly a handsome face, is it? Not exactly a kindly face.

There's cruelty in it. and all those unpleasant characteristics which alas you have discovered. "

"It is a portrait of you. Baron, not of Prince Charming."

"Ah, you would have to get Bertrand to pose for that. As this is to go to my fiancee I think I shall call it " The Demon Lover'. Do you think that appropriate? "

"Perhaps," I said as coolly as I could.

"But you would know best about that."

I was flushing a little. I felt he knew too much about me, and while I had been observing him I had not gone unnoticed in his eyes.

"Now," he went on, 'what are you going to do? "

"I shall go to your Princesse if you wish me to."

"I mean after that."

"We shall go home."

"And then? Your father cannot continue with his work, can he?"

"He is capable still of some work. It is only the very small and detailed work which he cannot manage."

"I have a plan. I am going to show the miniature. Everyone wants to see it, you know. They talk of little else. I shall have a ball and the miniature will be on show. The Jeweller is already working on the setting. It will look magnificent nestling in that gold frame with sparkling gems surrounding it. Then ... I am going to tell the truth.

I am going to introduce you as the artist. I will tell the pathetic story of your father's encroaching blindness . and say that in his daughter we have an artist worthy to take her place with her ancestors.

"Why?"

"Why? Oh come, Mademoiselle Collison. Don't you see? These are rich people. Many of them will be wanting a Kate Collison. I agree that there might have been prejudice against your sex. But your little deception ... although it did not deceive me ... has worked satisfactorily."

I said: "You will do this ... for us ..."

He smiled at me quizzically.

"I will do it for a great artist," he said.

I did not want to stand there any longer with that strong light on my face. I did not want him to know how anxious I had been and how happy I was suddenly. And that it was due to him was ironical and hard to accept.

I murmured: "Thank you."

And turning I went slowly out of the room. He did not attempt to detain me. He stood still and I felt he was watching me.

When I saw the completed miniature in its jewelled frame I felt it was the greatest moment of achievement in my life. My father had been delighted that the deception was at an end, and that the Baron, far from being annoyed, was highly delighted, and was going to proclaim me as the artist at one of his lavish gatherings in the great hall of the castle.

He had talked to my father, commiserated with him on his affliction and congratulated him on having passed on his genius.

My father was happier than he had been since the discovery that he was going blind, and it occurred to me that all this euphoria had come about through the Baron whom I disliked so heartily.

He seemed to take a delight now in arranging our affairs. I was to go to Paris and my father should go home when he left Centeville. There was no longer any need for the deception. From now on woman that I was-I should be accepted as a great painter and respected in the same way that my father and his ancestors had been. He, the Baron, would arrange that.

"Somewhere at the back of my mind I hoped it would turn out like this," said my father when we were alone.

"I don't mind losing my sight so much now. You will carry on and the fact that you are a girl is not going to stand in your way. I feel I have done my duty. It is wonderful of him to give this ... celebration or whatever it is ... to launch you ... to introduce you. He is such a powerful man that his word will count for a good deal."

Bertrand regarded me with some awe.

"Why," he said, 'you are more wonderful than ever. I suppose I must be more respectful to you when I speak to you. "

"You must be exactly as you were. I can honestly say it was you who made me feel so comfortable and at ease when I first came to work here. That feeling is necessary, you know, if good work is going to be achieved."

"Then nothing has changed between us?"

"How could it be?" I asked, and he pressed my hand warmly.

Nicole came to congratulate me.

"The miniature is quite beautiful," she said.

"A wonderful piece of work. The Baron is delighted."

"He has told me so."

"And he does want to ... what he calls launch you. He hates to think you may be handicapped by your sex."

"I was really surprised that he is prepared to take so much trouble," I said.

"I suppose one shouldn't..."

She smiled at me. Judge one's fellow beings? " she asked.

"No. One certainly should not ... until one knows all the circumstances-and it is rare for one person to know all about another. Now for the grand occasion. Rollo has put me in charge of it.

He is going to make an announcement about you and tell them that you are leaving for Paris. You will probably find one or two people will want to make definite appointments with you to paint miniatures for them. "

"It is a great opportunity, of course. My father ..."

"You need not worry about your father. If you are anxious about him the Baron will send someone back to England with him to look after him during the journey."

"Would he do that?"

"But of course."

"I am overwhelmed by all this kindness."

"When the Baron takes action he is a rather overwhelming man. What do you propose to wear for the occasion?"

"I don't know. I haven't many clothes with me ... and nothing in any case which would match up to these smart French society women. I suppose my green velvet will have to do."

"Your green velvet is very becoming. Would you let my maid come along and do your hair."

"That is kind. I know mine is invariably untidy."

"You have beautiful hair and it is worth a little attention."

She smiled at me serenely. I could not help liking Nicole. I should have loved to talk to her and ask her how she felt about this extraordinary situation. Here she was, like the mistress of the house, and accepted as such, when all the time her lover was making no secret of the fact that he was soon to be married to someone else.

The great day came. I was very excited and so was my father. Nicole's maid came to dress my hair and it was amazing what she did to me. She brought me a comb with green stones in it, the colour of my dress, and when it was fixed in my hair, I thought I looked like a different person LOVER not unworthy to mix with the soignee guests below. But perhaps that feeling would change when I moved among them as it used to even at the Farringdon Manor gatherings; one's appearance seemed to be able to undergo a great change between the bedroom mirror and the eyes of the other guests.

However, I had little time to think of my appearance. Everyone was admiring the miniature and calling attention to its excellence as they discovered something fresh which appealed to them.

The Baron took my hand and led me up to a dais. We mounted the few steps and I stood there with him on one side of me, my father on the other.

He then explained briefly my father's affliction and the fact that I had painted the miniature. They seemed to have no doubt that I was a great artist. There I was . so young and talented. He was certain that before the end of my life I was going to be the greatest Collison of them all.

People came up to congratulate me. I had to promise on the spot that as soon as I was free I would go to the house of Madame Dupont to paint her two daughters. It was a definite commission. A Monsieur Villefranche made me promise to come and paint his wife.

It was triumph such as my father and I had never dreamed of.

The Baron was smiling with a faintly proprietorial air. He was obviously delighted with the reaction of his guests.

When the musicians began to play a waltz he seized me and swept me off my feet "Do you dance as well as you paint, Mademoiselle Collison?" he asked.

He was smiling. Here was a new aspect of him. He was really quite pleased by my success. I had not thought him capable of feeling pleasure for other people, but I supposed that as a lover of art he was so delighted with the miniature and there was also a good deal of gratification because he had been aware of the deception from the beginning.

I tried to keep up with him but his dancing was a trifle erratic. He had a trick of lifting me off my feet so that I felt as though I were flying through the air.

"A successful evening, eh?" he said.

"The start of a great career. My blessings on you."

"I have to thank you," I said.

"We are friends at last. Is that not charming?"

I said it was.

The dance came to an end. He released me and a short time after I saw him dancing with Nicole.