D. S. MacColl. Let us be thankful he’s as dead as Bill Bailey.
Sir Charles Holroyd (smoothing things
over). I think we ought to have an example for the Tate. (MacColl winces.) The Chantrey Bequest—(MacColl winces again)—might do something; and I must write to Lord Balcarres. The National Arts Collections Fund may have something over from the subscriptions to the Rokeby Velasquez; but I want to see what Colvin is going to choose for the British Museum.
Sidney Colvin. I think we might have this drawing; it stands on its legs. A most interesting fellow Dubedat. He reminds me of Con—
George Moore. Not Stevenson, though he had no talent whatever. My dear Mr. Colvin, have you ever read ‘Vailima Letters’? I have read parts of them.
Sidney Colvin (coldly). Ah, really! Did you suffer very much?
Sir Hugh P. Lane. Do you think, Mr. Gersaint, the artist’s widow would give me one of the pictures for the Dublin Gallery? We have no money at all. I have no money, but all the artists are giving pictures: Sargent, Shannon, Lavery, Frank Dicksee; and Rodin is giving a plaster cast.
Gersaint. How charming and insinuating you are, Sir Hugh. We can make special reductions for the Dublin Gallery, but you can hardly expect charitable bequests from picture dealers.
Sir Hugh P. Lane. Oh! but Dowdeswell, Agnew, Sulley, Wertheimer, P. and D. Colnaghi, and Humphry Ward are all giving me pictures. Now, look here, I’ll buy these five drawings, and you can give me these two. I’ll give you a Gainsborough drawing in exchange for them. It has a very good history. First it belonged to Ricketts, then to Rothenstein, then Wilson Steer, and then to the Carfax Gallery, and . . . then it came into my possession, and all that in three months. (Bargain concluded.)
Mr. Pffungst (aside). But is there any evidence that it belonged to Gainsborough?