It lay exposed in the window for weeks and never drew a crowd, nor caused a sensation of any kind! Not a word in the newspapers! London, the acknowledged art-centre of the world, calmly went its ways.
The sole immediate result was that Priam changed his tobacconist, and the direction of his promenades.
At last another singular event happened.
Alice beamingly put five sovereigns into Priam's hand one evening.
"It's been sold for five guineas," she said, joyous.

"Mr.Aylmer didn't want to keep anything for himself, but I insisted on his having the odd shillings.

I think it's splendid, simply splendid! Of course I always _did_ think it was a beautiful picture," she added.
The fact was that this astounding sale for so large a sum as five pounds, of a picture done in the attic by her Henry, had enlarged her ideas of Henry's skill.

She could no longer regard his painting as the caprice of a gentle lunatic.

There was something _in_ it.