A round of applause swept through the gallery.  Marjorie held out her hand and beckoned Braden to join her at the front.  The artist stepped forward; taking her hand for a moment, then came to stand on the opposite side of the draped portrait.

            “For many of you when you hear the word artistyou immediately think of men such as Da Vinci, Raphael, Rembrandt or even our homegrown Thomas Gainesborough.  They have all made their own indelible mark on the arts.  In the past several years a group of artists has grown up here with its roots in France.  These artists stress light and color over shape and form.  As a result their work appears brighter and more alive than any work that preceded it.  Mister Frederick Braden, because of his bold `dash` with the brush, has completed a timeless work for the Harcourt family.  Without further ado, to Crystal and Michael, Archie and I and the entire Harcourt family present a portrait of my grandfather, the forgotten hero of Waterloo, Lord James Francis Harcourt III!”

            Braden snapped the drape from off the painting as though he were a magician producing a rabbit from a hat.  On the canvas was the figure of a tall and lean gentleman in his full army cavalry officer regalia.  Braden’s representation was photographic.  Harcourt appeared to be in his middle thirties.  His light brown hair, nearing blonde, was touched with grey and receded to the middle of his crown.  He wore a full handle bar mustache that arched around to his jaw line to become a full mane of mutton chop side burns.  The expression on his face was one of quiet determination in the face of seemingly overwhelming odds.  He had all the verve and swagger of a cavalry officer, but had been suddenly cut down by a French cannonball.

            Lady Marjorie beheld the portrait.  She closed her eyes to fight back the tears.  There was a wholesale expression of surprise from the guests and then a hefty round of applause.  Once it slowly died away the guests came forward to get a closer look at the painting and greet the artist and the betrothed couple.  They filed by shaking their hands and giving them their best wishes.  It was as if they were visitors who decided to join a community church.  Hardly an hour passed before all the guests were gone.