'We will bid a joyful adieu to this hateful town, and settle again in
London,' the artist exclaimed, as, late one evening, he entered his
house in an excited state, after a visit to one of his new patrons.
'Are you in earnest, papa ?' Amy asked, whilst the colour forsook her
cheek.
'In earnest, girl?' he repeated, 'to be sure I am. I think I have
droned here long enough, and it is time that some change took place
for the better. The purchaser of my last picture is a young baronet
who has just come into possession of a princely fortune, and, by a
little flattery, I have so far got myself into his good graces, that
he has promised to provide money to enable me to make a suitable
appearance in town: he says, too, that amongst his acquaintances
alone he can procure me sufficient employment, which shall be
liberally remunerated. 'Tis true,' Beaufort laughingly added,' he has
no more taste for paintings than his valet, and perhaps not so much;
but that matters not: he thinks that he has, and it is not my place
to undeceive him; for, as he is rich and influential, he may be a
valuable friend to us.
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