The artist who had painted it was now out of fashion, and by dint of showing it to visitors, Katharine had almost ceased to see anything but a glow of faintly pleasing pink and brown tints, enclosed within a circular scroll of gilt laurel-leaves.

The young man who was her grandfather looked vaguely over her head.

The sensual lips were slightly parted, and gave the face an expression of beholding something lovely or miraculous vanishing or just rising upon the rim of the distance.

The expression repeated itself curiously upon Katharine's face as she gazed up into his.

They were the same age, or very nearly so.