Cecil Burleigh: you may have heard his name, Mr. Musgrave? The
Conservative member for Norminster," she said rather imposingly.
"Oh yes, he is one of the coming men," said Harry, much interested, and
he accepted the invitation. Mr. Christie declined it. His mother was
very ill, he said, but he would send his portfolio for her ladyship to
look over, if she would allow him. Her ladyship would be delighted.
When the young ladies brought Mr. Logger back to luncheon the visitors
were gone, but Lady Latimer mentioned that they had been there, and she
gave Mr. Logger a short account of them: "Mr. Harry Musgrave is reading
for the bar. He took honors at Oxford, and if his constitution will
stand the wear and tear of a laborious, intellectual life, great things
may be expected from him. But unhappily he is not very strong." Mr.
Logger shook his head, and said it was the London gas. "Mr. Christie is
a son of our village wheelwright, himself a most ingenious person. Mr.
Danberry found him out, and spoke those few words of judicious praise
that revealed the young man to himself as an artist. Mr. Danberry was
staying with me at the time, and we had him here with his sketches,
which were so promising that we encouraged him to make art his study.
And he has done so with much credit."
"Christie? a landscape-painter? does a portrait now and then? I have met
him at Danberry's," said Mr. Logger, whose vocation it was to have met
everybody who was likely to be mentioned in society.
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