COMMUTER'S WIFE 187 



Dear father ! the buying of the Linnaeus portrait 

 had been one of our booksale romances that had 

 culminated in the Dodoen's " Herbal " and Evan. It 

 happened on a dreary February day. Father was 

 browsing along a line of dingy books in the auction 

 room, scanning them closely in the dim light, when 

 his foot struck against a picture-frame that rested on ' 

 the floor, causing it to tip forward. A hasty glance at 

 the face interested him, and he asked an attendant to 

 move the frame into the light. It was the portrait 

 of a man done in oils, life size, and a little more than 

 waist length. The face was clear cut and alert, the 

 head covered by a white wig that curled above the 

 ears. A dark green coat with red collar opening 

 slightly over a buff vest was finished at neck and 

 wrist by lace frills. A glance told that the hands 

 were beautifully painted, the flesh being firm and the 

 colour true. The right hand, partly resting on a 

 stand, was half closed over a few flowers, while the 

 left was held palm out and half extended, as if 

 in explanation. The background was quite dark, 

 though a church spire could be distinguished at one 

 side, and a festoon of ivy on the other. 



" A fine piece of colour, and the face seems 

 strangely familiar," said father, adjusting his 

 " nearby " glasses. " What do they call him ? " 



