As for Beatrice, she enjoyed herself just as little at the Castle as
Geoffrey did on the beach. Owen Davies took them through the great
unused rooms and showed them the pictures, but she had seen them before,
and though some of them were very fine, did not care to look at them
again--at any rate, not that afternoon. But Elizabeth gazed at them with
eager eyes and mentally appraised their value, wondering if they would
ever be hers.
"What is this picture?" she asked, pointing to a beautiful portrait of a
Dutch Burgomaster by Rembrandt.
"That," answered Davies heavily, for he knew nothing of painting and
cared less, "that is a Velasquez, valued for probate at L3,000--no,"
referring to the catalogue and reading, "I beg your pardon, the next is
the Velasquez; that is a Rembrandt in the master's best style, showing
all his wonderful mastery over light and shade. It was valued for
probate at L4,000 guineas."
"Four thousand guineas!" said Elizabeth, "fancy having a thing worth
four thousand guineas hanging on a wall!"
And so they went on, Elizabeth asking questions and Owen answering them
by the help of the catalogue, till, to Beatrice's relief, they came at
length to the end of the pictures.
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