"Yes," answers Mr. Benjamin, nodding and smiling.
"Why, bless me," adds Mr. Ned, "we shall have to do quite a nice little piece of acting. But here comes Miss Honor. Now we shall see what she says to our plan. Mind you must be very careful, Ben, not to let the cat out of the bag—you run on at such a rate sometimes, you know; and it would never do for her to think we were paying for the paintings in the first instance, though of course it will be quite the same to us when Spaull refunds the money." And here they trot forward to open the gate for Honor, who has just reached it.
After inquiring rather breathlessly as to the welfare of the roses at the Rookery, and Molly's real, honest opinion about them, they dash straight into the subject of the painting.
"We have been talking it all over, Brother Ben and I, and it seems to us that with your gift for painting, my dear, you might make a very nice thing of this. Now, we happen to know a man in the picture-dealing trade, a Mr. Spaull, a most respectable man, who would be just the very person to suit our purpose; and what we propose—"
"Yes, what we propose," repeats Mr. Ben, nodding at Honor.
"Is," resumes Mr. Ned, "that you shall paint so many pictures, varying in size and style perhaps, for a fixed price, which will be paid—be paid by—by—"
"By the party," says Mr. Ben, frowning a little at his brother.
"Exactly—by the party," repeats Mr. Ned.
"Mr. Spaull," quietly suggests Honor with a smile.
"Just so, just so—Mr. Spaull, of course!" cry both the brothers together. "Dear me, how very warm it is this morning!" continues Mr. Ned. "Did I say that this—er, this person would pay for the pictures at once, on completion, you know? and sell them at his, that is to say, Mr. Spaull's convenience?" And Mr. Ned, concluding rather abruptly, looks helplessly towards his brother for encouragement.