Chapter XVI

THE idea of the National Gallery had been with
her from the moment of her hearing from Sir Luke
Strett about his hour of coming. It had been in her
mind as a place so meagrely visited, as one of the
places that had seemed at home one of the attractions
of Europe and one of its highest aids to culture, but
that the old story the typical frivolous always
ended by sacrificing to vulgar pleasures. She had
had perfectly, at those whimsical moments on the
Briinig, the half-shamed sense of turning her back
on such opportunities for real improvement as had
figured to her, from of old, in connection with the
continental tour, under the general head of " pictures
and things "; and now she knew for what she had
done so. The plea had been explicit she had done
so for life, as opposed to learning; the upshot of
which had been that life was now beautifully pro
vided for. In spite of those few dips and dashes
into the many-coloured stream of history for which
of late Kate Croy had helped her to find time, there
were possible great chances she had neglected, possi
ble great moments she should, save for to-day, have
all but missed. She might still, she had felt, over
take one or two of them among the Titians and the
Turners; she had been honestly nursing the hour,

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v?