First Maiden Aunt.  Is that a guitar one of those girls is playing, or what?

Second Ditto, Ditto.  A mandolin more likely; it looks like mother-o’-pearl—­is it supposed to be King ARTHUR, and are they fairies or angels, ROBERT?

The G.Y.M. (a little at sea himself). “Oskold and the Elle-maids,” the title is.

Third Aunt.  Scolding the Elements! Who’s scolding them, ROBERT?

Robert (in her ear). “Oskold and the Elle-maids!” it’s a Scandinavian legend, Aunt TABITHA,

Aunt Tabitha (severely).  Then it’s a pity they can’t find better subjects to paint, in my opinion! (They move on to Mr. PETTIE’s “Musician.”) Dear me, that young man looks dreadfully poorly, to be sure!

Robert (loudly).  He’s not poorly, Aunt; he’s a Musician—­he’s supposed to be (quoting from Catalogue) “thinking out a composition, imagining an orchestral effect, with the occasional help of an organ.”

First Aunt.  I see the organ plain enough—­but where’s the orchestral effect?

Robert.  Well, you wouldn’t see that, you know, he only imagines it.

Second Aunt.  Oh, yes, I see.  Subject to delusions, poor man!  I thought he looked as if he wanted someone to look after him.

First Loyal Old Lady (reading from Catalogue).  “No. 35.  ’Lent by Her Majesty the QUEEN.’”

Second Ditto, Ditto.  Lent by HER MAJESTY, my dear!  Oh, I don’t want to miss that—­which is it—­where?

    [She prepares herself to regard it with a special and
    reverent interest.

AMONG THE PRE-RAPHAELITE PAINTERS.

Matter-of-Fact Person (to her Irrelevant Friend).  Here’s a Millais, you see. Ophelia drowning herself.

The Irrelevant Friend (who doesn’t approve of suicide).  Yes, dear, very peculiar—­but I don’t quite like it, I must say.  Do you remember whether I told SARAH to put out the fiddle-pattern forks and the best cruetstand before I came away?  Dear Mr. HOMERTON is coming in to supper to-night, and I want everything to be nice for him.

The Good Young Man.  There’s Ophelia again, you see. (Searches for an appropriate remark.) She—­ah—­evidently understood the art of natation.

First Aunt.  She looks almost too comfortable in the water, I think.  Her mouth’s open, as if she was singing.

Second Aunt (extenuatingly).  Yes—­but those wild roses are very naturally done—­and so are her teeth.

A Discriminating Person.  I like it all but the figure.

A Well-informed Person.  There’s the “Dream of Dante,” d’ye see?  No mistaking the figure of DANTE.  Here he is, down below, having his dream—­that’s the dream in that cloud—­and up above you get the dream done life-size—­queer sort of idea, isn’t it?