human
See these miniatures! he exclaimed, fretfully.
gpt
There are plenty more, but the best are in this cabinet; and there's a millionaire chap, in New York--perhaps you can guess his name, Smith?--who has offered a hundred thousand pounds for the thirty little bits of ivory in it.
human
I think that must have been the great Paul Van Vreck,
gpt
I thought you'd guess! There aren't many who'd make such an offer. Think what it would mean to me if it could be accepted, and I could have the handling of the money. There are three small pictures in the little octagon gallery next door, too, Van Vreck took a fancy to on a visit he paid us from Saturday to Monday last summer. We never thought much of them, and they're in a dark place, labelled in the catalogue 'Artist unknown: School of Fragonard'; but _he_ swore they were authentic Fragonards, and would have backed his opinion to the tune of fifteen thousand pounds for the trio, or six thousand for the one he liked best. Isn't it aggravating? In the Chinese room he went mad over some bits of jade, especially a Buddha nobody else had ever admired.
human
He's one of the few millionaire collectors who is really a judge of all sorts of things, Knight replied.
gpt
But, great Scott! I'm no expert, yet it strikes me these miniatures are something out of the ordinary!
human
Well, yes, they are, Annesley-Seton admitted, modestly.
gpt
That queer one at the top is a Nicholas Hilliard. I believe he was the first of the miniaturists. And the two just underneath are Samuel Coopers. They say he stood at the head of the Englishmen. There are three Richard Cosways and rather a nice Angelica Kauffmann.
human
It was the Fragonard miniature Mr. Van Vreck liked best, put in Constance.
gpt
It seems he painted only a few. And next, the Goya----
human
Good heavens! where is the Fragonard? cried Dick, his eyes bulging behind his pince-nez.
gpt
Surely it was here----
human
Oh, surely, yes! panted his wife.
gpt
It was never anywhere else.