"I’mallinasoak;thereWASamessofpeopleinthe’bus。Iwishyoulivednearastytion，"saidMissChurm。Irequestedhertogetreadyasquicklyaspossible，andshepassedintotheroominwhichshealwayschangedherdress。Butbeforegoingoutsheaskedmewhatshewastogetintothistime。
"It’stheRussianprincess，don’tyouknow？"Ianswered;"theonewiththe’goldeneyes，’inblackvelvet，forthelongthingintheCheapside。"
"Goldeneyes？ISAY！"criedMissChurm，whilemycompanionswatchedherwithintensityasshewithdrew。Shealwaysarrangedherself，whenshewaslate，beforeIcouldturnround;andIkeptmyvisitorsalittleonpurpose，sothattheymightgetanidea，fromseeingher，whatwouldbeexpectedofthemselves。Imentionedthatshewasquitemynotionofailexcellentmodel——shewasreallyveryclever。
"DoyouthinkshelookslikeaRussianprincess？"MajorMonarchaskedwithlurkingalarm。
"WhenImakeher，yes。"
"OhifyouhavetoMAKEher——！"hereasoned，notwithoutpoint。
"That’sthemostyoucanask。Therearesomanywhoarenotmakeable。"
"Wellnow，HERE’Salady"——andwithapersuasivesmilehepassedhisarmintohiswife’s——"who’salreadymade！"
"OhI’mnotaRussianprincess，"Mrs。Monarchprotestedalittlecoldly。Icouldseeshehadknownsomeanddidn’tlikethem。
ThereatoncewasacomplicationofakindIneverhadtofearwithMissChurm。
Thisyoungladycamebackinblackvelvet——thegownwasratherrustyandverylowonherleanshoulders——andwithaJapanesefaninherredhands。IremindedherthatinthesceneIwasdoingshehadtolookoversomeone’shead。"Iforgetwhoseitisbutitdoesn’tmatter。Justlookoverahead。"
"I’dratherlookoverastove，"saidMissChurmandshetookherstationnearthefire。ShefellintoPosition，settledherselfintoatallattitude，gaveacertainbackwardinclinationtoherheadandacertainforwarddrooptoherfan，andlooked，atleasttomyprejudicedsense，distinguishedandcharming，foreignanddangerous。WeleftherlookingsowhileIwentdownstairswithMajorandMrs。Monarch。
"IbelieveIcouldcomeaboutasnearitasthat，"saidMrs。
Monarch。
"Ohyouthinkshe’sshabby，butyoumustallowforthealchemyofart。"
However，theywentoffwithanevidentincreaseofcomfortfoundedontheirdemonstrableadvantageinbeingtherealthing。IcouldfancythemshudderingoverMissChurm。ShewasverydrollaboutthemwhenIwentback，forItoldherwhattheywanted。
"Well，ifSHEcansitI’lltyketobookkeeping，"saidmymodel。
"She’sveryladylike，"Irepliedasaninnocentformofaggravation。
"SomuchtheworseforYOU。Thatmeansshecan’tturnround。"
"She’lldoforthefashionablenovels。"
"Ohyes，she’llDOforthem！"mymodelhumorouslydeclared。"Ain’ttheybadenoughwithouther？"IhadoftensociablydenouncedthemtoMissChurm。
CHAPTERIII
ItwasfortheelucidationofamysteryinoneoftheseworksthatIfirsttriedMrs。Monarch。Herhusbandcamewithher，tobeusefulifnecessary——itwassufficientlyclearthatasageneralthinghewouldprefertocomewithher。AtfirstIwonderedifthiswerefor"propriety’s"sake——ifheweregoingtobejealousandmeddling。Theideawastootiresome，andifithadbeenconfirmeditwouldspeedilyhavebroughtouracquaintancetoaclose。ButIsoonsawtherewasnothinginitandthatifheaccompaniedMrs。Monarchitwas——inadditiontothechanceofbeingwanted——simplybecausehehadnothingelsetodo。Whentheywereseparatehisoccupationwasgone，andtheyneverHADbeenseparate。
Ijudgedrightlythatintheirawkwardsituationtheircloseunionwastheirmaincomfortandthatthisunionhadnoweakspot。Itwasarealmarriage，anencouragementtothehesitating，anutforpessimiststocrack。Theiraddresswashumble——Irememberafterwardsthinkingithadbeentheonlythingaboutthemthatwasreallyprofessional——andIcouldfancythelamentablelodgingsinwhichtheMajorwouldhavebeenleftalone。Hecouldsittheremoreorlessgrimlywithhiswife——hecouldn’tsitthereanyhowwithouther。
Hehadtoomuchtacttotryandmakehimselfagreeablewhenhecouldn’tbeuseful;sowhenIwastooabsorbedinmyworktotalkhesimplysatandwaited。ButIlikedtohearhimtalk——itmademywork，whennotinterruptingit，lessmechanical，lessspecial。Tolistentohimwastocombinetheexcitementofgoingoutwiththeeconomyofstayingathome。Therewasonlyonehindrance——thatI
seemednottoknowanyofthepeoplethisbrilliantcouplehadknown。Ithinkhewonderedextremely，duringthetermofourintercourse，whomthedeuceIDIDknow。Hehadn’tastraysixpenceofanideatofumblefor，sowedidn’tspinitveryfine;weconfinedourselvestoquestionsofleatherandevenofliquor-
saddlersandbreeches-makersandhowtogetexcellentclaretcheap——
andmatterslike"goodtrains"andthehabitsofsmallgame。Hisloreontheselastsubjectswasastonishing——hemanagedtointerweavethestation-masterwiththeornithologist。Whenhecouldn’ttalkaboutgreaterthingshecouldtalkcheerfullyaboutsmaller，andsinceIcouldn’taccompanyhimintoreminiscencesofthefashionableworldhecouldlowertheconversationwithoutavisibleefforttomylevel。
Soearnestadesiretopleasewastouchinginamanwhocouldsoeasilyhaveknockedonedown。Helookedafterthefireandhadanopiniononthedraughtofthestovewithoutmyaskinghim，andI
couldseethathethoughtmanyofmyarrangementsnothalfknowing。
IremembertellinghimthatifIwereonlyrichI’dofferhimasalarytocomeandteachmehowtolive。Sometimeshegavearandomsighofwhichtheessencemighthavebeen："Givemeevensuchabareold-barrackasthis，andI’ddosomethingwithit！"
WhenIwantedtousehimhecamealone;whichwasanillustrationofthesuperiorcourageofwomen。Hiswifecouldbearhersolitarysecondfloor，andshewasingeneralmorediscreet;showingbyvarioussmallreservesthatshewasalivetotheproprietyofkeepingourrelationsmarkedlyprofessional——notlettingthemslideintosociability。ShewishedittoremainclearthatsheandtheMajorwereemployed，notcultivated，andifsheapprovedofmeasasuperior，whocouldbekeptinhisplace，sheneverthoughtmequitegoodenoughforanequal。
Shesatwithgreatintensity，givingthewholeofhermindtoit，andwascapableofremainingforanhouralmostasmotionlessasbeforeaphotographer’slens。Icouldseeshehadbeenphotographedoften，butsomehowtheveryhabitthatmadehergoodforthatpurposeunfittedherformine。AtfirstIwasextremelypleasedwithherladylikeair，anditwasasatisfaction，oncomingtofollowherlines，toseehowgoodtheywereandhowfartheycouldleadthepencil。ButafteralittleskirmishingIbegantofindhertooinsurmountablystiff;dowhatIwouldwithitmydrawinglookedlikeaphotographoracopyofaphotograph。Herfigurehadnovarietyofexpression——sheherselfhadnosenseofvariety。Youmaysaythatthiswasmybusinessandwasonlyaquestionofplacingher。YetIplacedherineveryconceivablepositionandshemanagedtoobliteratetheirdifferences。Shewasalwaysaladycertainly，andintothebargainwasalwaysthesamelady。Shewastherealthing，butalwaysthesamething。ThereweremomentswhenIratherwrithedundertheserenityofherconfidencethatsheWAStherealthing。Allherdealingswithmeandallherhusband’swereanimplicationthatthiswasluckyforME。MeanwhileIfoundmyselftryingtoinventtypesthatapproachedherown，insteadofmakingherowntransformitself——inthecleverwaythatwasnotimpossibleforinstancetopoorMissChurm。ArrangeasIwouldandtaketheprecautionsIwould，shealwayscameout，inmypictures，tootall——landingmeinthedilemmaofhavingrepresentedafascinatingwomanassevenfeethigh，which（outofrespectperhapstomyownverymuchscantierinches）wasfarfrommyideaofsuchapersonage。
ThecasewasworsewiththeMajor——nothingIcoulddowouldkeepHIMdown，sothathebecameusefulonlyfortherepresentationofbrawnygiants。Iadoredvarietyandrange，Icherishedhumanaccidents，theillustrativenote;Iwantedtocharacteriseclosely，andthethingintheworldImosthatedwasthedangerofbeingriddenbyatype。Ihadquarrelledwithsomeofmyfriendsaboutit;IhadpartedcompanywiththemformaintainingthatoneHADtobe，andthatifthetypewasbeautiful——witnessRaphaelandLeonardo——theservitudewasonlyagain。IwasneitherLeonardonorRaphael——Imightonlybeapresumptuousyoungmodernsearcher;
butIheldthateverythingwastobesacrificedsoonerthancharacter。WhentheyclaimedthattheobsessionalformcouldeasilyBEcharacterIretorted，perhapssuperficially，"Whose？"Itcouldn’tbeeverybody’s——itmightendinbeingnobody’s。
AfterIhaddrawnMrs。MonarchadozentimesIfeltsurereventhanbeforethatthevalueofsuchamodelasMissChurmresidedpreciselyinthefactthatshehadnopositivestamp，combinedofcoursewiththeotherfactthatwhatshedidhavewasacuriousandinexplicabletalentforimitation。Herusualappearancewaslikeacurtainwhich——shecoulddrawupatrequestforacapitalperformance。Thisperformancewassimplysuggestive;butitwasawordtothewise——itwasvividandpretty。SometimesevenI
thoughtit，thoughshewasplainherself，tooinsipidlypretty;I
madeitareproachtoherthatthefiguresdrawnfromherweremonotonously（betement，asweusedtosay）graceful。Nothingmadehermoreangry：itwassomuchherpridetofeelshecouldsitforcharactersthathadnothingincommonwitheachother。Shewouldaccusemeatsuchmomentsoftakingawayher"reputytion。"
Itsufferedacertainshrinkage，thisqueerquantity，fromtherepeatedvisitsofmynewfriends。MissChurmwasgreatlyindemand，neverinwantofemployment，soIhadnoscrupleinputtingheroffoccasionally，totrythemmoreatmyease。Itwascertainlyamusingatfirsttodotherealthing——itwasamusingtodoMajorMonarch’strousers。TheyWEREtherealthing，evenifhedidcomeoutcolossal。Itwasamusingtodohiswife’sbackhair——
itwassomathematicallyneat——andtheparticular"smart"tensionofhertightstays。Shelentherselfespeciallytopositionsinwhichthefacewassomewhatavertedorblurred，sheaboundedinladylikebackviewsandprofilsperdus。Whenshestooderectshetooknaturallyoneoftheattitudesinwhichcourt-paintersrepresentqueensandprincesses;sothatIfoundmyselfwonderingwhether，todrawoutthisaccomplishment，Icouldn’tgettheeditoroftheCheapsidetopublishareallyroyalromance，"ATaleofBuckinghamPalace。"Sometimeshowevertherealthingandthemake-
believecameintocontact;bywhichImeanthatMissChurm，keepinganappointmentorcomingtomakeoneondayswhenIhadmuchworkinhand，encounteredherinvidiousrivals。Theencounterwasnotontheirpart，fortheynoticedhernomorethanifshehadbeenthehousemaid;notfromintentionalloftiness，butsimplybecauseasyet，professionally，theydidn’tknowhowtofraternise，asI
couldimaginetheywouldhaveliked——oratleastthattheMajorwould。Theycouldn’ttalkabouttheomnibus——theyalwayswalked;
andtheydidn’tknowwhatelsetotry——shewasn’tinterestedingoodtrainsorcheapclaret。Besides，theymusthavefelt——intheair——thatshewasamusedatthem，secretlyderisiveoftheireverknowinghow。Shewasn’tapersontoconcealthelimitsofherfaithifshehadhadachancetoshowthem。OntheotherhandMrs。
Monarchdidn’tthinkhertidy;forwhyelsedidshetakepainstosaytome——itwasgoingoutoftheway，forMrs。Monarch——thatshedidn’tlikedirtywomen？
Onedaywhenmyyoungladyhappenedtobepresentwithmyothersitters——sheevendroppedin，whenitwasconvenient，forachat——I
askedhertobesogoodastolendahandingettingtea，aservicewithwhichshewasfamiliarandwhichwasoneofaclassthat，livingasIdidinasmallway，withslenderdomesticresources，I
oftenappealedtomymodelstorender。Theylikedtolayhandsonmyproperty，tobreakthesitting，andsometimesthechina——itmadethemfeelBohemian。ThenexttimeIsawMissChurmafterthisincidentshesurprisedmegreatlybymakingasceneaboutit——sheaccusedmeofhavingwishedtohumiliateher。Shehadn’tresentedtheoutrageatthetime，buthadseemedobligingandamused，enjoyingthecomedyofaskingMrs。Monarch，whosatvagueandsilent，whethershewouldhavecreamandsugar，andputtinganexaggeratedsimperintothequestion。Shehadtriedintonations——
asifshetoowishedtopassfortherealthing——tillIwasafraidmyothervisitorswouldtakeoffence。
Ohtheyweredeterminednottodothis，andtheirtouchingpatiencewasthemeasureoftheirgreatneed。Theywouldsitbythehour，uncomplaining，tillIwasreadytousethem;theywouldcomebackonthechanceofbeingwantedandwouldwalkawaycheerfullyifitfailed。Iusedtogotothedoorwiththemtoseeinwhatmagnificentordertheyretreated。Itriedtofindotheremploymentforthem——Iintroducedthemtoseveralartists。Buttheydidn’t"take，"forreasonsIcouldappreciate，andIbecameratheranxiouslyawarethataftersuchdisappointmentstheyfellbackuponmewithaheavierweight。Theydidmethehonourtothinkmemosttheirform。Theyweren’tromanticenoughforthepainters，andinthosedaystherewerefewseriousworkersinblack-and-white。
Besides，theyhadaneyetothegreatjobIhadmentionedtothem——
theyhadsecretlysettheirheartsonsupplyingtherightessenceformypictorialvindicationofourfinenovelist。TheyknewthatforthisundertakingIshouldwantnocostume——effects，noneofthefripperyofpastages——thatitwasacaseinwhicheverythingwouldbecontemporaryandsatiricalandpresumablygenteel。IfIcouldworkthemintoittheirfuturewouldbeassured，forthelabourwouldofcoursebelongandtheoccupationsteady。
OnedayMrs。Monarchcamewithoutherhusband——sheexplainedhisabsencebyhishavinghadtogototheCity。WhileshesatthereinherusualrelaxedmajestytherecameatthedooraknockwhichI
immediatelyrecognisedasthesubduedappealofamodeloutofwork。ItwasfollowedbytheentranceofayoungmanwhomIatoncesawtobeaforeignerandwhoprovedinfactanItalianacquaintedwithnoEnglishwordbutmyname，whichheutteredinawaythatmadeitseemtoincludeallothers。Ihadn’tthenvisitedhiscountry，norwasIproficientinhistongue;butashewasnotsomeanlyconstituted——whatItalianis？——astodependonlyonthatmemberforexpressionheconveyedtome，infamiliarbutgracefulmimicry，thathewasinsearchofexactlytheemploymentinwhichtheladybeforemewasengaged。Iwasnotstruckwithhimatfirst，andwhileIcontinuedtodrawIdroppedfewsignsofinterestorencouragement。Hestoodhisgroundhowever——notimportunately，butwithadumbdog-likefidelityinhiseyesthatamountedtoinnocentimpudence，themannerofadevotedservant——hemighthavebeeninthehouseforyears——unjustlysuspected。
Suddenlyitstruckmethatthisveryattitudeandexpressionmadeapicture;whereuponItoldhimtositdownandwaittillIshouldbefree。Therewasanotherpictureinthewayheobeyedme，andI
observedasIworkedthattherewereothersstillinthewayhelookedwonderingly，withhisheadthrownback，aboutthehighstudio。HemighthavebeencrossinghimselfinSaintPeter’s。
BeforeIfinishedIsaidtomyself"Thefellow’sabankruptorange-
monger，butatreasure。"
WhenMrs。Monarchwithdrewhepassedacrosstheroomlikeaflashtoopenthedoorforher，standingtherewiththeraptpuregazeoftheyoungDantespellboundbytheyoungBeatrice。AsIneverinsisted，insuchsituations，ontheblanknessoftheBritishdomestic，Ireflectedthathehadthemakingofaservant——andI
neededone，butcouldn’tpayhimtobeonlythat——aswellasofamodel;inshortIresolvedtoadoptmybrightadventurerifhewouldagreetoofficiateinthedoublecapacity。Hejumpedatmyoffer，andintheeventmyrashness——forIhadreallyknownnothingabouthim——wasn’tbroughthometome。Heprovedasympatheticthoughadesultoryministrant，andhadinawonderfuldegreethesentimentdelapose。Itwasuncultivated，instinctive，apartofthehappyinstinctthathadguidedhimtomydoorandhelpedhimtospelloutmynameonthecardnailedtoit。Hehadhadnootherintroductiontomethanaguess，fromtheshapeofmyhighnorthwindow，seenoutside，thatmyplacewasastudioandthatasastudioitwouldcontainanartist。HehadwanderedtoEnglandinsearchoffortune，likeotheritinerants，andhadembarked，withapartnerandasmallgreenhand-cart，onthesaleofpennyices。
Theiceshadmeltedawayandthepartnerhaddissolvedintheirtrain。MyyoungmanworetightyellowtrouserswithreddishstripesandhisnamewasOronte。Hewassallowbutfair，andwhenIputhimintosomeoldclothesofmyownhelookedlikeanEnglishman。HewasasgoodasMissChurm，whocouldlook，whenrequested，likeanItalian。
CHAPTERIV
IthoughtMrs。Monarch’sfaceslightlyconvulsedwhen，onhercomingbackwithherhusband，shefoundOronteinstalled。ItwasstrangetohavetorecogniseinascrapofalazzaroneacompetitortohermagnificentMajor。Itwasshewhoscenteddangerfirst，fortheMajorwasanecdoticallyunconscious。ButOrontegaveustea，withahundredeagerconfusions——hehadneverbeenconcernedinsoqueeraprocess——andIthinkshethoughtbetterofmeforhavingatlastan"establishment。"TheysawacoupleofdrawingsthatIhadmadeoftheestablishment，andMrs。Monarchhintedthatitneverwouldhavestruckherhehadsatforthem。"NowthedrawingsyoumakefromUS，theylookexactlylikeus，"sheremindedme，smilingintriumph;andIrecognisedthatthiswasindeedjusttheirdefect。WhenIdrewtheMonarchsIcouldn’tanyhowgetawayfromthem——getintothecharacterIwantedtorepresent;andIhadn’ttheleastdesiremymodelshouldbediscoverableinmypicture。
MissChurmneverwas，andMrs。MonarchthoughtIhidher，veryproperly，becauseshewasvulgar;whereasifshewaslostitwasonlyasthedeadwhogotoheavenarelost——inthegainofanangelthemore。
BythistimeIhadgotacertainstartwith"RutlandRamsay，"thefirstnovelinthegreatprojectedseries;thatisIhadproducedadozendrawings，severalwiththehelpoftheMajorandhiswife，andIhadsenttheminforapproval。MyunderstandingwiththepublishersasIhavealreadyhinted，hadbeenthatIwastobelefttodomywork，inthisparticularcase，asIliked，withthewholebookcommittedtome;butmyconnexionwiththerestoftheserieswasonlycontingent。Thereweremomentswhen，frankly，itWASacomforttohavetherealthingunderone’shandfortherewerecharactersin"RutlandRamsay"thatwereverymuchlikeit。TherewerepeoplepresumablyaserectastheMajorandwomenofasgoodafashionasMrs。Monarch。Therewasagreatdealofcountry-houselife-treated，itistrue，inafinefancifulironicalgeneralisedway——andtherewasaconsiderableimplicationofknickerbockersandkilts。TherewerecertainthingsIhadtosettleattheoutset;
suchthingsforinstanceastheexactappearanceoftheheroandtheparticularbloomandfigureoftheheroine。Theauthorofcoursegavemealead，buttherewasamarginforinterpretation。
ItooktheMonarchsintomyconfidence，ItoldthemfranklywhatI
wasabout，Imentionedmyembarrassmentsandalternatives。"OhtakeHIM！"Mrs。Monarchmurmuredsweetly，lookingatherhusband;
and"Whatcouldyouwantbetterthanmywife？"theMajorinquiredwiththecomfortablecandourthatnowprevailedbetweenus。
Iwasn’tobligedtoanswertheseremarks——Iwasonlyobligedtoplacemysitters。Iwasn’teasyinmind，andIpostponedalittletimidlyperhapsthesolvingofmyquestion。Thebookwasalargecanvas，theotherfigureswerenumerous，andIworkedoffatfirstsomeoftheepisodesinwhichtheheroandtheheroinewerenotconcerned。WhenonceIhadsetTHEMupIshouldhavetosticktothem——Icouldn’tmakemyyoungmansevenfeethighinoneplaceandfivefeetnineinanother。Iinclinedonthewholetothelattermeasurement，thoughtheMajormorethanonceremindedmethathelookedaboutasyoungasanyone。Itwasindeedquitepossibletoarrangehim，forthefigure，sothatitwouldhavebeendifficulttodetecthisage。AfterthespontaneousOrontehadbeenwithmeamonth，andafterIhadgivenhimtounderstandseveraltimesoverthathisnativeexuberancewouldpresentlyconstituteaninsurmountablebarriertoourfurtherintercourse，Iwakedtoasenseofhisheroiccapacity。Hewasonlyfivefeetseven，buttheremainingincheswerelatent。Itriedhimalmostsecretlyatfirst，forIwasreallyratherafraidofthejudgementmyothermodelswouldpassonsuchachoice。IftheyregardedMissChurmaslittlebetterthanasnarewhatwouldtheythinkoftherepresentationbyapersonsolittletherealthingasanItalianstreet-vendorofaprotagonistformedbyapublicschool？
IfIwentalittleinfearofthemitwasn’tbecausetheybulliedme，becausetheyhadgotanoppressivefoothold，butbecauseintheirreallypatheticdecorumandmysteriouslypermanentnewnesstheycountedonmesointensely。IwasthereforeverygladwhenJackHawleycamehome：hewasalwaysofsuchgoodcounsel。Hepaintedbadlyhimself，buttherewasnoonelikehimforputtinghisfingerontheplace。HehadbeenabsentfromEnglandforayear;hehadbeensomewhere——Idon’trememberwhere——togetafresheye。Iwasinagooddealofdreadofanysuchorgan，butwewereoldfriends;hehadbeenawayformonthsandasenseofemptinesswascreepingintomylife。Ihadn’tdodgedamissileforayear。
Hecamebackwithafresheye，butwiththesameoldblackvelvetblouse，andthefirsteveninghespentinmystudiowesmokedcigarettestillthesmallhours。Hehaddonenoworkhimself，hehadonlygottheeye;sothefieldwasclearfortheproductionofmylittlethings。HewantedtoseewhatIhadproducedfortheCheapside，buthewasdisappointedintheexhibition。Thatatleastseemedthemeaningoftwoorthreecomprehensivegroanswhich，asheloungedonmybigdivan，hislegfoldedunderhim，lookingatmylatestdrawings，issuedfromhislipswiththesmokeofthecigarette。
"What’sthematterwithyou？"Iasked。
"What’sthematterwithyou？"
"NothingsavethatI’mmystified。"
"Youareindeed。You’requiteoffthehinge。What’sthemeaningofthisnewfad？"Andhetossedme，withvisibleirreverence，adrawinginwhichIhappenedtohavedepictedbothmyelegantmodels。Iaskedifhedidn’tthinkitgood，andherepliedthatitstruckhimasexecrable，giventhesortofthingIhadalwaysrepresentedmyselftohimaswishingtoarriveat;butIletthatpass——Iwassoanxioustoseeexactlywhathemeant。Thetwofiguresinthepicturelookedcolossal，butIsupposedthiswasnotwhathemeant，inasmuchas，foraughtheknewtothecontrary，I
mighthavebeentryingforsomesucheffect。ImaintainedthatI
wasworkingexactlyinthesamewayaswhenhelasthaddonemethehonourtotellmeImightdosomethingsomeday。"Well，there’sascrewloosesomewhere，"heanswered;"waitabitandI’lldiscoverit。"Idependeduponhimtodoso：whereelsewasthefresheye？
Butheproducedatlastnothingmoreluminousthan"Idon’tknow——I
don’tlikeyourtypes。"Thiswaslameforacriticwhohadneverconsentedtodiscusswithmeanythingbutthequestionofexecution，thedirectionofstrokesandthemysteryofvalues。
"Inthedrawingsyou’vebeenlookingatIthinkmytypesareveryhandsome。"
"Ohtheywon’tdo！"
"I’vebeenworkingwithnewmodels。"
"Iseeyouhave。THEYwon’tdo。"
"Areyouverysureofthat？"
"Absolutely——they’restupid。"
"YoumeanIam——forIoughttogetroundthat。"
"Youcan’t——withsuchpeople。Whoarethey？"
Itoldhim，sofaraswasnecessary，andheconcludedheartlessly：
"Cesontdesgensqu’ilfautmettrealaporte。"
"You’veneverseenthem;they’reawfullygood"——Iflewtotheirdefence。
"Notseenthem？Whyallthisrecentworkofyoursdropstopieceswiththem。It’sallIwanttoseeofthem。"
"Nooneelsehassaidanythingagainstit——theCheapsidepeoplearepleased。"
"Everyoneelseisanass，andtheCheapsidepeoplethebiggestassesofall。Come，don’tpretendatthistimeofdaytohaveprettyillusionsaboutthepublic，especiallyaboutpublishersandeditors。It’snotforSUCHanimalsyouwork——it’sforthosewhoknow，colorochesanno;sokeepstraightformeifyoucan’tkeepstraightforyourself。Therewasacertainsortofthingyouusedtotryfor——andaverygoodthingitwas。Butthistwaddleisn’tinit。"WhenItalkedwithHawleylaterabout"RutlandRamsay"anditspossiblesuccessorshedeclaredthatImustgetbackintomyboatagainorIshouldgotothebottom。Hisvoiceinshortwasthevoiceofwarning。
Inotedthewarning，butIdidn’tturnmyfriendsoutofdoors。
Theyboredmeagooddeal;buttheveryfactthattheyboredmeadmonishedmenottosacrificethem——iftherewasanythingtobedonewiththem——simplytoirritation。AsIlookbackatthisphasetheyseemtometohavepervadedmylifenotalittle。Ihaveavisionofthemasmostofthetimeinmystudio，seatedagainstthewallonanoldvelvetbenchtobeoutoftheway，andresemblingthewhileapairofpatientcourtiersinaroyalantechamber。I’mconvincedthatduringthecoldestweeksofthewintertheyheldtheirgroundbecauseitsavedthemfire。Theirnewnesswaslosingitsgloss，anditwasimpossiblenottofeelthemobjectsofcharity。WheneverMissChurmarrivedtheywentaway，andafterI
wasfairlylaunchedin"RutlandRamsay"MissChurmarrivedprettyoften。TheymanagedtoexpresstometacitlythattheysupposedI
wantedherforthelowlifeofthebook，andIletthemsupposeit，sincetheyhadattemptedtostudythework——itwaslyingaboutthestudio——withoutdiscoveringthatitdealtonlywiththehighestcircles。Theyhaddippedintothemostbrilliantofournovelistswithoutdecipheringmanypassages。Istilltookanhourfromthem，nowandagain，inspiteofJackHawley’swarning：itwouldbetimeenoughtodismissthem，ifdismissalshouldbenecessary，whentherigouroftheseasonwasover。Hawleyhadmadetheiracquaintance——
hehadmetthematmyfireside——andthoughtthemaridiculouspair。Learningthathewasapaintertheytriedtoapproachhim，toshowhimtoothattheyweretherealthing;buthelookedatthemacrossthebigroom，asiftheyweremilesaway：theywereacompendiumofeverythinghemostobjectedtointhesocialsystemofhiscountry。Suchpeopleasthat，allconventionandpatent-
leather，withejaculationsthatstoppedconversation，hadnobusinessinastudio。Astudiowasaplacetolearntosee，andhowcouldyouseethroughapairoffeather-beds？
ThemaininconvenienceIsufferedattheirhandswasthatatfirstIwasshyoflettingitbreakuponthemthatmyartfullittleservanthadbeguntosittomefor"RutlandRamsay。"TheyknewI
hadbeenoddenough——theywerepreparedbythistimetoallowodditytoartists——topickaforeignvagabondoutofthestreetswhenImighthavehadapersonwithwhiskersandcredentials;butitwassometimebeforetheylearnedhowhighIratedhisaccomplishments。Theyfoundhiminanattitudemorethanonce，buttheyneverdoubtedIwasdoinghimasanorgan-grinder。Therewereseveralthingstheyneverguessed，andoneofthemwasthatforastrikingsceneinthenovel，inwhichafootmanbrieflyfigured，itoccurredtometomakeuseofMajorMonarchasthemenial。Ikeptputtingthisoff，Ididn’tliketoaskhimtodonthelivery——
besidesthedifficultyoffindingaliverytofithim。Atlast，onedaylateinthewinter，whenIwasatworkonthedespisedOronte，whocaughtone’sideaonthewing，andwasintheglowoffeelingmyselfgoverystraight，theycamein，theMajorandhiswife，withtheirsocietylaughaboutnothing（therewaslessandlesstolaughat）;cameinlikecountry-callers——theyalwaysremindedmeofthat——whohavewalkedacrosstheparkafterchurchandarepresentlypersuadedtostaytoluncheon。Luncheonwasover，buttheycouldstaytotea——Iknewtheywantedit。Thefitwasonme，however，andIcouldn’tletmyardourcoolandmyworkwait，withthefadingdaylight，whilemymodelpreparedit。SoI
askedMrs。Monarchifshewouldmindlayingitout——arequestwhichforaninstantbroughtallthebloodtoherface。Hereyeswereonherhusband’sforasecond，andsomemutetelegraphypassedbetweenthem。Theirfollywasoverthenextinstant;hischeerfulshrewdnessputanendtoit。Sofarfrompityingtheirwoundedpride，Imustadd，IwasmovedtogiveitascompletealessonasI
could。Theybustledabouttogetherandgotoutthecupsandsaucersandmadethekettleboil。Iknowtheyfeltasiftheywerewaitingonmyservant，andwhentheteawaspreparedIsaid：
"He’llhaveacup，please——he’stired。"Mrs。Monarchbroughthimonewherehestood，andhetookitfromherasifhehadbeenagentlemanatapartysqueezingacrush-hatwithanelbow。
Thenitcameovermethatshehadmadeagreateffortforme——madeitwithakindofnobleness——andthatIowedheracompensation。
EachtimeIsawherafterthisIwonderedwhatthecompensationcouldbe。Icouldn’tgoondoingthewrongthingtoobligethem。
OhitWASthewrongthing，thestampoftheworkforwhichtheysat——Hawleywasnottheonlypersontosayitnow。IsentinalargenumberofthedrawingsIhadmadefor"RutlandRamsay，"andI
receivedawarningthatwasmoretothepointthanHawley’s。TheartisticadviserofthehouseforwhichIwasworkingwasofopinionthatmanyofmyillustrationswerenotwhathadbeenlookedfor。MostoftheseillustrationswerethesubjectsinwhichtheMonarchshadfigured。WithoutgoingintothequestionofwhatHAD
beenlookedfor，IhadtofacethefactthatatthisrateI
shouldn’tgettheotherbookstodo。IhurledmyselfindespaironMissChurm——Iputherthroughallherpaces。InotonlyadoptedOrontepubliclyasmyhero，butonemorningwhentheMajorlookedintoseeifIdidn’trequirehimtofinishaCheapsidefigureforwhichhehadbeguntosittheweekbefore，ItoldhimIhadchangedmymind——I’ddothedrawingfrommyman。Atthismyvisitorturnedpaleandstoodlookingatme。"IsHEyourideaofanEnglishgentleman？"heasked。
Iwasdisappointed，Iwasnervous，Iwantedtogetonwithmywork;
so。Irepliedwithirritation："OhmydearMajor——Ican’tberuinedforYOU！"
Itwasahorridspeech，buthestoodanothermoment——afterwhich，withoutaword，hequittedthestudio。Idrewalongbreath，forI
saidtomyselfthatIshouldn’tseehimagain。Ihadn’ttold——himdefinitelythatIwasindangerofhavingmyworkrejected，butI
wasvexedathisnothavingfeltthecatastropheintheair，readwithmethemoralofourfruitlesscollaboration，thelessonthatinthedeceptiveatmosphereofarteventhehighestrespectabilitymayfailofbeingplastic。
Ididn’towemyfriendsmoney，butIdidseethemagain。Theyreappearedtogetherthreedayslater，and，givenalltheotherfacts，therewassomethingtragicinthatone。Itwasaclearprooftheycouldfindnothingelseinlifetodo。Theyhadthreshedthematteroutinadismalconference——theyhaddigestedthebadnewsthattheywerenotinfortheseries。Iftheyweren’tusefultomeevenfortheCheapsidetheirfunctionseemeddifficulttodetermine，andIcouldonlyjudgeatfirstthattheyhadcome，forgivingly，decorously，totakealastleave。ThismademerejoiceinsecretthatIhadlittleleisureforascene;forIhadplacedbothmyothermodelsinpositiontogetherandIwaspeggingawayatadrawingfromwhichIhopedtoderiveglory。Ithadbeensuggestedbythepassagein-whichRutlandRamsay，drawingupachairtoArtemisia’spiano-stool，saysextraordinarythingstoherwhilesheostensiblyfingersoutadifficultpieceofmusic。IhaddoneMissChurmatthepianobefore——itwasanattitudeinwhichsheknewhowtotakeonanabsolutelypoeticgrace。Iwishedthetwofiguresto"compose"togetherwithintensity，andmylittleItalianhadenteredperfectlyintomyconception。Thepairwerevividlybeforeme，thepianohadbeenpulledout;itwasacharmingshowofblendedyouthandmurmuredlove，whichIhadonlytocatchandkeep。Myvisitorsstoodandlookedatit，andIwasfriendlytothemovermyshoulder。
Theymadenoresponse，butIwasusedtosilentcompanyandwentonwithmywork，onlyalittledisconcerted——eventhoughexhilaratedbythesensethatthiswasatleasttheidealthing——atnothavinggotridofthemafterall。PresentlyIheardMrs。Monarch’ssweetvoicebesideorratheraboveme："Iwishherhairwerealittlebetterdone。"IlookedupandshewasstaringwithastrangefixednessatMissChurm，whosebackwasturnedtoher。"Doyoumindmyjusttouchingit？"shewenton——aquestionwhichmademespringupforaninstantaswiththeinstinctivefearthatshemightdotheyoungladyaharm。ButshequietedmewithaglanceI
shallneverforget——IconfessIshouldliketohavebeenabletopaintthat——andwentforamomenttomymodel。Shespoketohersoftly，layingahandonhershoulderandbendingoverher;andasthegirl，understanding，gratefullyassented，shedisposedherroughcurls，withafewquickpasses，insuchawayastomakeMissChurm’sheadtwiceascharming。ItwasoneofthemostheroicpersonalservicesI’veeverseenrendered。ThenMrs。Monarchturnedawaywithalowsighand，lookingaboutherasifforsomethingtodo，stoopedtothefloorwithanoblehumilityandpickedupadirtyragthathaddroppedoutofmypaint-box。
TheMajormeanwhilehadalsobeenlookingforsomethingtodo，and，wanderingtotheotherendofthestudio，sawbeforehimmybreakfast-thingsneglected，unremoved。"Isay，can’tIbeusefulHERE？"hecalledouttomewithanirrepressiblequaver。I
assentedwithalaughthatIfearwasawkward，andforthenexttenminutes，whileIworked，Iheardthelightclatterofchinaandthetinkleofspoonsandglass。Mrs。Monarchassistedherhusband——
theywashedupmycrockery，theyputitaway。Theywanderedoffintomylittlescullery，andIafterwardsfoundthattheyhadcleanedmyknivesandthatmyslenderstockofplatehadanunprecedentedsurface。Whenitcameoverme，thelatenteloquenceofwhattheyweredoing，Iconfessthatmydrawingwasblurredforamoment——thepictureswam。Theyhadacceptedtheirfailure，buttheycouldn’taccepttheirfate。Theyhadbowedtheirheadsinbewildermenttotheperverseandcruellawinvirtueofwhichtherealthingcouldbesomuchlesspreciousthantheunreal;buttheydidn’twanttostarve。Ifmyservantsweremymodels，thenmymodelsmightbemyservants。Theywouldreversetheparts——theotherswouldsitfortheladiesandgentlemenandTHEYwoulddothework。Theywouldstillbeinthestudio——itwasanintensedumbappealtomenottoturnthemout。"Takeuson，"theywantedtosay——"we’lldoANYTHING。"
Mypencildroppedfrommyhand;mysittingwasspoiledandIgotridofmysitters，whowerealsoevidentlyrathermystifiedandawestruck。Then，alonewiththeMajorandhiswifeIhadamostuncomfortablemoment。Heputtheirprayerintoasinglesentence：
"Isay，youknow——justletUSdoforyou，can’tyou？"Icouldn’t——
itwasdreadfultoseethememptyingmyslops;butIpretendedI
could，toobligethem，foraboutaweek。ThenIgavethemasumofmoneytogoaway，andIneversawthemagain。Iobtainedtheremainingbooks，butmyfriendHawleyrepeatsthatMajorandMrs。
Monarchdidmeapermanentharm，gotmeintofalseways。IfitbetrueI’mcontenttohavepaidtheprice——forthememory。
THESTORYOFIT
CHAPTERI
Theweatherhadturnedsomuchworsethattherestofthedaywascertainlylost。Thewindhadrisenandthestormgatheredforce;
theygavefromtimetotimeathumpatthefirmwindowsanddashedevenagainstthoseprotectedbytheverandahtheirvicioussplotchesofrain。Beyondthelawn，beyondthecliff，thegreatwetbrushoftheskydippeddeepintothesea。Butthelawn，alreadyvividwiththetouchofMay，showedaviolenceofwateredgreen;thebuddingshrubsandtreesrepeatedthenoteastheytossedtheirthickmasses，andthecoldtroubledlight，fillingtheprettysaloon，markedthespringafternoonassufficientlyyoung。
Thetwoladiesseatedthereinsilencecouldpursuewithoutdifficulty——aswellas，clearly，withoutinterruption——theirrespectivetasks;aconfidenceexpressed，whenthenoiseofthewindallowedittobeheard，bythesharpscratchofMrs。Dyott’spenatthetablewhereshewasbusywithletters。
Hervisitor，settledonasmallsofathat，withapalm-tree，ascreen，astool，astand，abowlofflowersandthreephotographsinsilverframes，hadbeenarrangednearthelightwood-fireasachoice"corner"——MaudBlessingbourne，herguest，turnedaudibly，thoughatintervalsneitherbriefnorregular，theleavesofabookcoveredinlemon-colouredpaperandnotyetdespoiledofacertainfreshcrispness。Thiseffectofthevolume，fortheeye，wouldhavemadeit，aspresumablythenewestFrenchnovel——andevidently，fromtheattitudeofthereader，"good"——consorthappilywiththespecialtoneoftheroom，aconsistentairofselectionandsuppression，oneofthefineraestheticevolutions。IfMrs。DyottwasfondofancientFrenchfurnitureanddistinctlydifficultaboutit，herinmatescouldbefond——withwhatevercriticalcocksofcharmingdark-braidedheadsoverslenderslopingshoulders——ofmodernFrenchauthors。Nothingbadpassedforhalfanhour——
nothingatleast，tobeexact，butthateachofthecompanionsoccasionallyandcovertlyintermittedherpursuitinsuchamannerastoascertainthedegreeofabsorptionoftheotherwithoutturninground。Whattheirsilencewaschargedwiththereforewasnotonlyasenseoftheweather，butasense，sotospeak，ofitsownnature。MaudBlessingbourne，whensheloweredherbookintoherlap，closedhereyeswithaconsciouspatiencethatseemedtosayshewaited;butitwasneverthelessshewhoatlastmadethemovementrepresentingasnapoftheirtension。Shegotupandstoodbythefire，intowhichshelookedaminute;thencameroundandapproachedthewindowasiftoseewhatwasreallygoingon。
AtthisMrs。Dyottwrotewithrefreshedintensity。Herlittlepileoflettershadgrown，andifalookofdeterminationwascompatiblewithherfairandslightlyfadedbeautythehabitofattendingtoherbusinesscouldalwayskeeppacewithanyexcursionofherthought。Yetshewasthefirstwhospoke。
"Itrustyourbookhasbeeninteresting。"
"Wellenough;alittlemild。"
Alouderthrobofthetempesthadblurredthesoundofthewords。
"Alittlewild？"
"Dearno——timidandtame;unlessI’vequitelostmysense。"
"Perhapsyouhave，"Mrs。Dyottplacidlysuggested——"readingsomany。"
Hercompanionmadeamotionoffeigneddespair。"Ahyoutakeawaymycourageforgoingtomyroom，asIwasjustmeaningto，foranother。"
"AnotherFrenchone？"
"I’mafraid。"
"Doyoucarrythembythedozen——？"
"IntoinnocentBritishhomes？"Maudtriedtoremember。"IbelieveIbroughtthree——seeingtheminashop-windowasIpassedthroughtown。Itneverrainsbutitpours！ButI’vealreadyreadtwo。"
"Andaretheytheonlyonesyoudoread？"
"Frenchones？"Maudconsidered。"Ohno。D’Annunzio。"
"Andwhat’sthat？"Mrs。Dyottaskedassheaffixedastamp。
"Ohyoudearthing！"Herfriendwasamused，yetalmostshowedpity。"Iknowyoudon’tread，"Maudwenton;"butwhyshouldyou？
YOUlive！"
"Yes——wretchedlyenough，"Mrs。Dyottreturned，gettingherletterstogether。Sheleftherplace，holdingthemasaneatachievedhandful，andcameovertothefire，whileMrs。Blessingbourneturnedoncemoretothewindow，whereshewasmetbyanotherflurry。
Maudspokethenasifmovedonlybytheelements。"Doyouexpecthimthroughallthis？"
Mrs。Dyottjustwaited，andithadtheeffect，indescribably，ofmakingeverythingthathadgonebeforeseemtohaveleduptothequestion。Thiseffectwasevendeepenedbythewayshethensaid"Whomdoyoumean？"
"WhyIthoughtyoumentionedatluncheonthatColonelVoytwastowalkover。Surelyhecan’t。"
"Doyoucareverymuch？"Mrs。Dyottasked。
Herfriendnowhesitated。"Itdependsonwhatyoucall’much。’IfyoumeanshouldIliketoseehim——thencertainly。"
"Well，mydear，Ithinkheunderstandsyou’rehere。"
"Sothatasheevidentlyisn’tcoming，"Maudlaughed，"it’sparticularlyflattering！Orrather，"sheadded，givinguptheprospectagain，"itwouldbe，Ithink，quiteextraordinarilyflatteringifhedid。Exceptthatofcourse，"shethrewin，"hemightcomepartlyforyou。"
"’Partly’ischarming。Thankyoufor’partly。’IfyouAREgoingupstairs，willyoukindly，"MrsDyottpursued，"puttheseintotheboxasyoupass？"
Theyoungerwoman，takingthelittlepileofletters，consideredthemwithenvy。"Nine！YouAREgood。You’realwaysalivingreproach！"
Mrs。Dyottgaveasigh。"Idon’tdoitonpurpose。Theonlything，thisafternoon，"shewenton，revertingtotheotherquestion，"wouldbetheirnothavingcomedown。"
"Andastothatyoudon’tknow。"
"No——Idon’tknow。"Butshecaughtevenasshespokearat-tat-tatoftheknocker，whichstruckherasasign。"Ahthere！"
"ThenIgo。"AndMaudwhiskedout。
Mrs。Dyott，leftalone，movedwithanairofselectiontothewindow，anditwasassostationed，gazingoutatthewildweather，thatthevisitor，whosedelaytoappearspokeofthewipingofbootsandthedisposalofdrenchedmackintoshandcap，finallyfoundher。Hewastallleanfine，withlittleinhim，onthewhole，toconfirmthetitularinthe"ColonelVoyt"bywhichhewasannounced。Buthehadleftthearmy，sothathisreputationforgallantrymainlydependednowonhisfightingLiberalismintheHouseofCommons。Eventhesefacts，however，hisaspectscantilymatched;partly，nodoubt，becausehelooked，aswasusuallysaid，un-English。Hisblackhair，croppedclose，waslightlypowderedwithsilver，andhisdenseglossybeard，thatofanemiroracaliph，andgrownforcivilreasons，repeateditshandsomecolouranditssomewhatforeigneffect。Hisnosehadastrongandshapelyarch，andthedarkgreyofhiseyeswastintedwithblue。Ithadbeensaidofhim——inrelationtothesesigns——thathewouldhavestruckyouasaJewhadhenot，inspiteofhisnose，struckyousomuchasanIrishman。Neitherresponsibilitycouldinfacthavebeenfixeduponhim，andjustnow，atallevents，hewasonlyapleasantweather-washedwind-batteredBriton，whobroughtinfromastrugglewiththeelementsthatheappearedquitetohaveenjoyedacertainamountofunremovedmudandanunusualquantityofeasyexpression。Itwasexactlythesilenceensuingontheretreatoftheservantandthecloseddoorthatmarkedbetweenhimandhishostessthedegreeofthisease。Theymet，asitwere，twice：thefirsttimewhiletheservantwasthereandthesecondassoonashewasnot。Thedifferencewasgreatbetweenthetwoencounters，thoughwemustaddinjusticetothesecondthatitsmarkswereatfirstmainlynegative。Thiscommunionconsistedonlyintheirhavingdrawneachotherforaminuteascloseaspossible——aspossible，thatis，withnohelpbutthefullclaspofhands。Thustheyweremutuallyheld，andtheclosenesswasatanyratesuchthat，foralittle，thoughittookaccountofdangers，itdidwithoutwords。Whenwordspresentlycamethepairweretalkingbythefireandshehadrungfortea。Hehadbythistimeaskedifthenotehehaddespatchedtoherafterbreakfasthadbeensafelydelivered。
"Yes，beforeluncheon。ButI’malwaysinastatewhen——exceptforsomeextraordinaryreason——yousendsuchthingsbyhand。Iknew，withoutit，thatyouhadcome。Itneverfails。I’msurewhenyou’rethere——I’msurewhenyou’renot。"
Hewiped，beforetheglass，hiswetmoustache。"Isee。ButthismorningIhadanimpulse。"
"Itwasbeautiful。Buttheymakemeasuneasy，sometimes，yourimpulses，asiftheywerecalculations;makemewonderwhatyouhaveinreserve。"
"Becausewhensmallchildrenaretooawfullygoodtheydie？Well，IAMasmallchildcomparedtoyou——butI’mnotdeadyet。Iclingtolife。"
Hehadcoveredherwithhissmile，butshecontinuedgrave。"I’mnothalfsomuchafraidwhenyou’renasty。"
"Thankyou！Whatthendidyoudo，"heasked，"withmynote？"
"YoudeservethatIshouldhavespreaditoutonmydressing-table——
orleftit，betterstill，inMaudBlessingbourne’sroom。"
Hewonderedwhilehelaughed。"OhbutwhatdoesSHEdeserve？"
Itwashergravitythatcontinuedtoanswer。"Yes——itwouldprobablykillher。"
"Shebelievessoinyou？"
"ShebelievessoinYOU。Sodon’tbeTOOnicetoher。"
Hewasstilllooking，inthechimney-glass，atthestateofhisbeard——brushingfromit，withhishandkerchief，thetracesofwindandwet。"IfshealsothenprefersmewhenI’mnastyitseemstomeIoughttosatisfyher。ShallInowatanyrateseeher？"
"She’ssolikeapeaonapanoverthepossibilityofitthatshe’spullingherselftogetherinherroom。"
"Ohthenwemusttryandkeephertogether。Butwhy，gracefultender，prettytoo——quiteoralmostassheis——doesn’tshere-
marry？"
Mrs。Dyottappeared——andasifthefirsttime——tolookforthereason。"Becauseshelikestoomanymen。"
Itkeptuphisspirits。"AndhowmanyMAYaladylike——？"
"Inordernottolikeanyofthemtoomuch？Ahthat，youknow，I
neverfoundout——andit’stoolatenow。When，"shepresentlypursued，"didyoulastseeher？"
Hereallyhadtothink。"WouldithavebeensincelastNovemberorso？——somewhereorotherwherewespentthreedays。"
"OhatSurredge？Iknowallaboutthat。Ithoughtyoualsometafterwards。"
Hehadagaintorecall。"Sowedid！Wouldn’tithavebeensomewhereatChristmas？Butitwasn’tbyarrangement！"helaughed，givingwithhisforefingeralittlepleasantnicktohishostess’schin。Thenasifsomethinginthewayshereceivedthisattentionputhimbacktohisquestionofamomentbefore："Haveyoukeptmynote？"
Sheheldhimwithherprettyeyes。"Doyouwantitback？"
"Ahdon’tspeakasifIdidtakethings——！"
Shedroppedhergazetothefire。"No，youdon’t;noteventhehardthingsareallygenerousnatureoftenwould。"Shequitted，however，asiftoforgetthat，thechimney-place。"IputitTHERE！"
"You’veburntit？Good！"Itmadehimeasier，buthenoticedthenextmomentonatablethelemon-colouredvolumelefttherebyMrs。
Blessingbourne，and，takingitupforalook，immediatelyputitdown。"Youmightwhileyouwereaboutithaveburntthattoo。"
"You’vereadit？"
"Dearyes。Andyou？"
"No，"saidMrs。Dyott;"itwasn’tformeMaudbroughtit。"
Itpulledhervisitorup。"Mrs。Blessingbournebroughtit？"
"Forsuchadayasthis。"Butshewondered。"Howyoulook！Isitsoawful？"
"Ohlikehisothers。"Somethinghadoccurredtohim;histhoughtwasalreadyfar。"Doessheknow？"
"Knowwhat？"
"Whyanything。"
ButthedooropenedtoosoonforMrs。Dyott，whocouldonlymurmurquickly——"Takecare！"
CHAPTERII
ItwasinfactMrs。Blessingbourne，whohadunderherarmthebookshehadgoneupfor——apairofcoversshowingthistimeapretty，acandidblue。Shewasfollowednextminutebytheservant，whobroughtintea，theconsumptionofwhich，withthepassageofgreetings，inquiriesandotherlightcivilitiesbetweenthetwovisitors，occupiedaquarterofanhour。Mrs。Dyottmeanwhile，asacontributiontosomuchamenity，mentionedtoMaudthatherfellowguestwishedtoscoldherforthebookssheread——astatementmetbythisfriendwiththeremarkthathemustfirstbesureaboutthem。Butassoonashehadpickedupthenew，thebluevolumehebrokeoutintoafrank"Dear，dear！"
"Haveyoureadthattoo？"Mrs。Dyottinquired。"Howmuchyou’llhavetotalkovertogether！Theotherone，"sheexplainedtohim，"Maudspeaksofasterriblytame。"
"AhImusthavethatoutwithher！Youdon’tfeeltheextraordinaryforceofthefellow？"VoytwentontoMrs。
Blessingbourne。
Andso，roundthehearth，theytalked——talkedsoon，whiletheywarmedtheirtoes，withzestenoughtomakeitseemashappyachanceasanyofthequieteropportunitiestheirimprisonmentmighthaveinvolved。Mrs。Blessingbournedidfeel，itthenappeared，theforceofthefellow，butshehadherreservesandreactions，inwhichVoytwasmuchinterested。Mrs。Dyottratherdetachedherself，mainlygazing，assheleanedback，atthefire;sheintervened，however，enoughtorelieveMaudofthesenseofbeinglistenedto。Thatsense，withMaud，wastooapttoconveythatonewaslistenedtoforafool。"Yes，whenIreadanovelImostlyreadaFrenchone，"shehadsaidtoVoytinanswertoaquestionaboutherusualpractice;"forIseemwithittogetholdmoreoftherealthing——togetmorelifeformymoney。OnlyI’mnotsoinfatuatedwiththembutthatsometimesformonthsandmonthsonendIdon’treadanyfictionatall。"
Thetwobookswerenowtogetherbesidethem。"Thenwhenyoubeginagainyoureadamass？"
"Dearno。Ionlykeepupwiththreeorfourauthors。"
Helaughedatthisoverthecigarettehehadbeenallowedtolight。
"Ilikeyour’keepingup，’andkeepingupinparticularwith’authors。’"
"Onemustkeepupwithsomebody，"Mrs。Dyottthrewoff。
"IdaresayI’mridiculous，"Mrs。Blessingbourneconcededwithoutheedingit;"butthat’sthewayweexpressourselvesinmypartofthecountry。"
"Ionlyalluded，"saidVoyt，"tothetremendousconscienceofyoursex。It’smorethanminecankeepupwith。Youtakeeverythingtoohard。Butifyoucan’treadthenovelofBritishandAmericanmanufacture，heavenknowsI’matonewithyou。Itseemsreallytoshowoursenseoflifeasthesenseofpuppiesandkittens。"
"Well，"Maudmorepatientlyreturned，"I’mtoldallsortsofpeoplearenowdoingwonderfulthings;butsomehowIremainoutside。"
"Ahit’sTHEY，it’sourpoortwangersandtwaddlerswhoremainoutside。Theypickupalivinginthestreet。Andwhoindeedwouldwantthemin？"
Mrs。Blessingbourneseemedunabletosay，andyetatthesametimetohaveheridea。Thesubject，intruth，sheevidentlyfound，wasnotsoeasytohandle。"Peoplelendmethings，andItry;butattheendoffiftypages——"
"Thereyouare！Yes——heavenhelpus！"
"ButwhatImean，"shewenton，"isn’tthatIdon’tgetwoefullywearyoftheeternalFrenchthing。What’sTHEIRsenseoflife？"
"Ahvoila！"Mrs。Dyottsoftlysounded。
"OhbutitISone;youcanmakeitout，"Voytpromptlydeclared。
"Theydowhattheyfeel，andtheyfeelmorethingsthanwe。Theystrikesomanymorenotes，andwithsodifferentahand。Whenitcomestoanyaccountofarelationsaybetweenamanandawoman——I
meananintimateoracuriousorasuggestiveone——wherearewecomparedtothem？Theydon’texhaustthesubject，nodoubt，"headmitted;"butwedon’ttouchit，don’tevenskimit。It’sasifwedenieditsexistence，itspossibility。You’lldoubtlesstellme，however，"hewenton，"thatasallsuchrelationsAREforusatthemostmuchsimplerwecanonlyhaveallroundlesstosayaboutthem。"
Shemetthisimputationwiththequickestamusement。"Ibegyourpardon。Idon’tthinkIshalltellyouanythingofthesort。I
don’tknowthatIevenagreewithyourpremiss。"
"Aboutsuchrelations？"Helookedagreeablysurprised。"Youthinkwemakethemlarger？——orsubtler？"
Mrs。Blessingbourneleanedback，notlooking，likeMrs。Dyott，atthefire，butattheceiling。"Idon’tknowwhatIthink。"
"It’snotthatshedoesn’tknow，"Mrs。Dyottremarked。"It’sonlythatshedoesn’tsay。"
ButVoythadthistimenoeyefortheirhostess。ForamomenthewatchedMaud。"Itsticksoutofyou，youknow，thatyou’veyourselfwrittensomething。Haven’tyou——andpublished？I’veanotionIcouldreadYOU。"
"WhenIdopublish，"shesaidwithoutmoving，"you’llbethelastoneIshalltell。IHAVE，"shewenton，"alovelysubject，butitwouldtakeanamountoftreatment——！"
"Tellusthenatleastwhatitis。"
Atthissheagainmethiseyes。"Ohtotellitwouldbetoexpressit，andthat’sjustwhatIcan’tdo。WhatImeanttosayjustnow，"sheadded，"wasthattheFrench，tomysense，giveusonlyagainandagain，foreverandever，thesamecouple。Theretheyareoncemore，asonehashadthemtosatiety，inthatyellowthing，andthereIshallcertainlyagainfindthemintheblue。"
"Thenwhydoyoukeepreadingaboutthem？"Mrs。Dyottdemanded。
Maudcastabout。"Idon’t！"shesighed。"Atallevents，Ishan’tanymore。Igiveitup。"
"You’vebeenlookingforsomething，Ijudge，"saidColonelVoyt，"thatyou’renotlikelytofind。Itdoesn’texist。"
"Whatisit？"Mrs。Dyottdesiredtoknow。
"Ineverlook，"Maudremarked，"foranythingbutaninterest。"
"Naturally。Butyourinterest，"Voytreplied，"isinsomethingdifferentfromlife。"
"Ahnotabit！ILOVElifeinart，thoughIhateitanywhereelse。