Mr. Stoneyheart Gets Down to Business

One day after work, Old Bert decided to go back to Victoriana Harbour and visit the Tissot Gallery. He walked along Knightsbridge Avenue and down towards the Harbour, admiring the scenery as he went and observing that winter was upon them. Feeling the nip in the air, he decided that he needed to get his winter gear out and would do that as soon as he got home.
Arriving at the Tissot Gallery he was pleased to see that the owner was present, as he had not had to opportunity to talk with her last time. Miss O’Riley welcomed Old Bert and invited him in for a cup of tea.

They had a very pleasant chat about the artworks on display and life in general in the Victoriana sims. Miss O’Riley told Old Bert that she had decided to open the gallery because she admired the work of James Tissot - his attention to detail, especially to the clothing of the ladies he portrayed, the astute understanding of and humourous approach to the depiction of every day life, but most of all by the warmth of the domestic scenes the artist had painted of his love and muse, Kathleen Newton. Theirs was a tragic love story. James Tissot (born Joseph-Jacques Tissot in Nantes, France) had come to England to live and work. He became a successful artist and was accepted by the society of the day. Then he met Kathleen Newton, a beautiful young divorcée and they fell in love. The couple did not marry, but lived together in Tissot’s house in St. John’s Wood. This meant that Tissot was no longer accepted in society, so instead he stayed quietly home with Mrs. Newton and her two children, entertaining artist friends and those who accepted the relationship. Unfortunately Mrs. Newton died at the age of 28 from tuberculosis, and Tissot returned to France.

Old Bert, being a soft hearted avatar, was touched by the story and by Miss O’Riley’s decision to bring Tissot’s art into Second Life. He thought Daisy would enjoy seeing the paintings, too, so he planned on bringing her to the gallery sometime.
While Old Bert was busy finding his new life, Merciless0413 Stoneyheart continued running his businesses and advancing his relationship with Gloria. Mr. Stoneyheart was currently doing the rounds of all his businesses, visiting his managers and keeping up to date with all that was going on. One day he stopped into the Pre-Raphaelite Gallery, as he was the owner, to discuss the business with its manager, Miss Merriweather.

Miss Merriweather showed Mr. Stoneyheart the accounts and reported on all that had happened at the gallery since his last visit. She told him “I have hired Old Bert as my assistant. He is a very good worker and easy to get along with. He keeps the gallery in order and has even helped me install some of the artworks as he has some good ideas about display.” Mr. Stoneyheart answered “Yes, I know Old Bert and thought when you first mentioned him that he would make a good employee. He rents an apartment in one of my buildings. He is always punctual with his payments and is a quiet tenant. I am sure he will be an asset here. Has anything else happened since my last visit?”

Miss Merriweather thought for a moment, then replied “Well, the sims recently made it into the SL Showcase, so traffic has increased.” Mr. Stoneyheart was pleased to hear this. She continued on “And a new gallery has opened in Victoriana Harbour, the Tissot Gallery.” Mr. Stoneyheart mulled this over. “Tissot is an interesting painter, perhaps I will go have a look at the gallery. This may bring more people who are interested in 19th Century art into Victoriana.” He then took his leave saying “Thank you, Miss Merriweather, as usual you are doing an excellent job. I will see you again next month”.

Mr. Stoneyheart left the Pre-Raphaelite Gallery and made his way to the Tissot Gallery. He was pleased to see Miss O’Riley was there and upon entering the gallery said “Hello Miss O’Riley, my name is Mercy Stoneyheart. As a fellow gallery owner I would like to welcome you to the neighbourhood.”

Miss O’Riley was quite taken with Mr. Stoneyheart’s charming and open manner as well as his striking appearance. She thanked him for coming, showing him the gallery and then inviting him to her office so they could have a chat about the art business.

Miss O’Riley confided that she was new to the business. Mr. Stoneyheart observed that she seemed to have a great love of the works of Tissot and communicating the passion she felt was going to help her in making a success of her business. He went on “I, too, am a great admirer of this artist, particularly because of his devotion to Mrs. Newton. Who could not be touched by that?”
Miss O’Riley was delighted by this, feeling that there was a bond between Mr. Stoneyheart and herself. As Mr. Stoneyheart rose to leave, he shook her hand warmly, saying “I look forward to seeing you again in the future. If you have any questions about running your business, please do not hesitate to get in touch. I’d be very pleased to help. ”

Miss O’Riley, with sparkling eyes and a happy smile responded that she would indeed look forward to their next meeting.

Hibiscus Hastings