She saw the average price of ten pounds rising to fifteen, or even twenty, pounds--provided her husband was given no opportunity to ruin the affair by his absurd, retiring shyness.
"Will you come this way ?" she suggested briskly.
And all that elegance followed her up to the attic door: which door she threw open, remarking simply-- "Henry, here is a gentleman come to see you about pictures." _A Connoisseur_ Priam recovered more quickly than might have been expected.

His first thought was naturally that women are uncalculated, if not incalculable, creatures, and that the best of them will do impossible things--things inconceivable till actually done! Fancy her introducing a stranger, without a word of warning, direct into his attic! However, when he rose he saw the visitor's nose (whose nostrils were delicately expanding and contracting in the fumes of the oil-stove), and he was at once reassured.

He knew that he would have to face neither rudeness, nor bluntness, nor lack of imagination, nor lack of quick sympathy.

Besides, the visitor, with practical assurance, set the tone of the interview instantly.
"Good-morning, _maitre_," he began, right off.

"I must apologize for breaking in upon you.