Paula's experience, much less Charlotte's, had never lain in the fields of heliographic science, and they would as soon have thought that the sun could again stand still upon Gibeon, as that it could be made to falsify men's characters in delineating their features.

What Abner Power thought he himself best knew.

He might have seen such pictures before; or he might never have heard of them.
While pretending to resume his reading he closely observed Paula, as did also Charlotte De Stancy; but thanks to the self-management which was Miss Power's as much by nature as by art, she dissembled whatever emotion was in her.
'It is a pity a professional man should make himself so ludicrous,' she said with such careless intonation that it was almost impossible, even for Charlotte, who knew her so well, to believe her indifference feigned.
'Yes,' said Mr.Power, since Charlotte did not speak: 'it is what I scarcely should have expected.' 'O, I am not surprised!' said Paula quickly.

'You don't know all.' The inference was, indeed, inevitable that if her uncle were made aware of the telegram he would see nothing unlikely in the picture.

'Well, you are very silent!' continued Paula petulantly, when she found that nobody went on talking.