Hunt last evening."
He watched her closely, but he could detect no flash of interest at
Hunt's name.
"You went down to your grandmother's?"
"Yes."
"That was a very great risk for you to take," she reproved him. "I'm
glad you got back safely."
Despite the disturbance Maggie had been to his thoughts, part of his
brain had been trying to make plans to forward this other aim; so he
now told Miss Sherwood of his wager with Hunt and his bringing away a
picture--he said "one picture." He wanted to awaken the suppressed
interest each had in the other; to help bridge or close the chasm
which he sensed had opened between them. So he brought the picture of
the Italian mother from his room. She regarded it critically, but with
no sign of approval or disapproval.
"What do you think of it?" she asked.
"It's a most remarkable piece of work!" he said emphatically--wishing
he could bring in that picture of Maggie as additional evidence
supporting his opinion.
She made no further comment, and it was up to Larry to keep the
conversation alive. "What is the most Mr. Hunt ever was paid for a
painting? I mean one of what he swears at as his `pretty pictures'?"
"I believe about two thousand dollars."
That was part of the information necessary to Larry's plan.
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