But it was not worth while to argue upon it. I pulled out one of the old chairs, and so climbed near enough to dust the surface of the painting with my handkerchief.
"I wish I could buy it!" I exclaimed.
Josephine burst into a loud laugh.
"Grand Dieu!" said she, half pettishly, "if you are so much in love with it as all that, I dare say it would not be difficult!"
The concierge shook her head.
"Everything on this estate is locked up," said she. "Nothing can be sold, nothing given away, nothing even repaired, till the procès is ended."
I sighed, and came down reluctantly from my perch. Josephine was visibly impatient. She had seen the wedding-party going down one of the walks at the back of the house; and the concierge was waiting to let us out. I drew her aside, and slipped a liberal gratuity into her hand.
"If I were to come down here some day with a friend of mine who is a painter," I whispered, "would you have any objection, Madame, to allow him to make a little sketch of that portrait?"
The concierge looked into her palm, and seeing the value of the coin, smiled, hesitated, put her finger to her lip, and said:--
"Ma foi, M'sieur, I believe I have no business to allow it; but--to oblige a gentleman like you--if there was nobody about--"