TheafternoonwaswelladvancedwhenTorpenhowcametothedoorandsawDickdancingawildsarabandundertheskylight。
’IbuildedbetterthanIknew，Torp，’hesaid，withoutstoppingthedance。
’They’regood！They’redamnedgood！They’llgolikeflame！Ishallhaveanexhibitionofthemonmyownbrazenhook。Andthatmanwouldhavecheatedmeoutofit！DoyouknowthatI’msorrynowthatIdidn’tactuallyhithim？’
’Goout，’saidTorpenhow，——’gooutandpraytobedeliveredfromthesinofarrogance，whichyouneverwillbe。Bringyourthingsupfromwhateverplaceyou’restayingin，andwe’lltrytomakethisbarnalittlemoreshipshape。’
’Andthen——oh，then，’saidDick，stillcapering，’wewillspoiltheEgyptians！’？
CHAPTERIV
Thewolf—cubatevenlayhidinthecorn，Whenthesmokeofthecookinghunggray：
Heknewwherethedoemadeacouchforherfawn，Andhelookedtohisstrengthforhisprey。
Butthemoonsweptthesmoke—wreathsaway。
Andheturnedfromhismealinthevillager’sclose，Andhebayedtothemoonassherose。——InSeonee。？
’WELL，andhowdoessuccesstaste？’saidTorpenhow，somethreemonthslater。Hehadjustreturnedtochambersafteraholidayinthecountry。
’Good，’saidDick，ashesatlickinghislipsbeforetheeaselinthestudio。
’Iwantmore，——heapsmore。Theleanyearshavepassed，andIapproveofthesefatones。’
’Becareful，oldman。Thatwayliesbadwork。’
Torpenhowwassprawlinginalongchairwithasmallfox—terrierasleeponhischest，whileDickwaspreparingacanvas。Adais，abackground，andalay—figureweretheonlyfixedobjectsintheplace。Theyrosefromawreckofoddmentsthatbeganwithfelt—coveredwater—bottles，belts，andregimentalbadges，andendedwithasmallbaleofsecond—handuniformsandastandofmixedarms。Themarkofmuddyfeetonthedaisshowedthatamilitarymodelhadjustgoneaway。Thewateryautumnsunlightwasfalling，andshadowssatinthecornersofthestudio。
’Yes，’saidDick，deliberately，’Ilikethepower；Ilikethefun；Ilikethefuss；andaboveallIlikethemoney。Ialmostlikethepeoplewhomakethefussandpaythemoney。Almost。Butthey’reaqueergang，——anamazinglyqueergang！’
’Theyhavebeengoodenoughtoyou，atanyrate。Thantin—potexhibitionofyoursketchesmusthavepaid。Didyouseethatthepaperscalleditthe\"WildWorkShow\"？’
’Nevermind。IsoldeveryshredofcanvasIwantedto；and，onmyword，IbelieveitwasbecausetheybelievedIwasaself—taughtflagstoneartist。
IshouldhavegotbetterpricesifIworkedmythingsonwoolorscratchedthemoncamel—boneinsteadofusingmereblackandwhiteandcolour。Verily，theyareaqueergang，thesepeople。Limitedisn’tthewordtodescribe’em。Imetafellowtheotherdaywhotoldmethatitwasimpossiblethatshadowsonwhitesandshouldbeblue，——ultramarine，——astheyare。Ifoundout，later，thatthemanhadbeenasfarasBrightonbeach；butheknewallaboutArt，confoundhim。Hegavemealectureonit，andrecommendedmetogotoschooltolearntechnique。IwonderwhatoldKamiwouldhavesaidtothat。’
’WhenwereyouunderKami，manofextraordinarybeginnings？’
’IstudiedwithhimfortwoyearsinParis。Hetaughtbypersonalmagnetism。Allheeversaidwas，\"Continuez，mesenfants，\"andyouhadtomakethebestyoucouldofthat。Hehadadivinetouch，andheknewsomethingaboutcolour。Kamiusedtodreamcolour；Iswearhecouldneverhaveseenthegenuinearticle；butheevolvedit；anditwasgood。’
’RecollectsomeofthoseviewsintheSoudan？’saidTorpenhow，withaprovokingdrawl。
Dicksquirmedinhisplace。’Don’t！Itmakesmewanttogetoutthereagain。Whatcolourthatwas！Opalandumberandamberandclaretandbrick—redandsulphur——cockatoo—crest——sulphur——againstbrown，withanigger—blackrockstickingupinthemiddleofitall，andadecorativefriezeofcamelsfestooninginfrontofapurepaleturquoisesky。’Hebegantowalkupanddown。’Andyet，youknow，ifyoutrytogivethesepeoplethethingasGodgaveit，keyeddowntotheircomprehensionandaccordingtothepowersHehasgivenyou————’
’Modestman！Goon。’
’Halfadozenepiceneyoungpaganswhohaven’tevenbeentoAlgierswilltellyou，first，thatyournotionisborrowed，and，secondly，thatitisn’tArt。
’’Thiscomesofmyleavingtownforamonth。Dickie，you’vebeenpromenadingamongthetoy—shopsandhearingpeopletalk。’
’Icouldn’thelpit，’saidDick，penitently。’Youweren’there，anditwaslonelytheselongevenings。Amancan’tworkforever。’
’Amanmighthavegonetoapub，andgotdecentlydrunk。’
’IwishIhad；butIforgatheredwithsomemenofsorts。Theysaidtheywereartists，andIknewsomeofthemcoulddraw，——buttheywouldn’tdraw。Theygavemetea，——teaatfiveintheafternoon！——andtalkedaboutArtandthestateoftheirsouls。Asiftheirsoulsmattered。I’veheardmoreaboutArtandseenlessofherinthelastsixmonthsthaninthewholeofmylife。DoyourememberCassavetti，whoworkedforsomecontinentalsyndicate，outwiththedesertcolumn？HewasaregularChristmas—treeofcontraptionswhenhetookthefieldinfullfig，withhiswater—bottle，lanyard，revolver，writing—case，housewife，gig—lamps，andtheLordknowswhatall。Heusedtofiddleaboutwith’emandshowushowtheyworked；butheneverseemedtodomuchexceptfudgehisreportsfromtheNilghai。See？’
’DearoldNilghai！He’sintown，fatterthanever。Heoughttobeupherethisevening。Iseethecomparisonperfectly。Youshouldhavekeptclearofallthatman—millinery。Servesyouright；andIhopeitwillunsettleyourmind。’
’Itwon’t。IthastaughtmewhatArt——holysacredArt——means。’
’You’velearntsomethingwhileI’vebeenaway。WhatisArt？’
’Give’emwhattheyknow，andwhenyou’vedoneitoncedoitagain。’
Dickdraggedforwardacanvaslaidfacetothewall。’Here’sasampleofrealArt。It’sgoingtobeafacsimilereproductionforaweekly。Icalledit\"HisLastShot。\"It’sworkedupfromthelittlewater—colourImadeoutsideElMaghrib。Well，Iluredmymodel，abeautifulrifleman，upherewithdrink；Idroredhim，andIredroredhim，andIredroredhim，andImadehimaflushed，dishevelled，bedevilledscallawag，withhishelmetatthebackofhishead，andthelivingfearofdeathinhiseye，andthebloodoozingoutofacutoverhisankle—bone。Hewasn’tpretty，buthewasallsoldierandverymuchman。’
’Oncemore，modestchild！’
Dicklaughed。’Well，it’sonlytoyouI’mtalking。IdidhimjustaswellasIknewhow，makingallowancefortheslicknessofoils。Thentheart—managerofthatabandonedpapersaidthathissubscriberswouldn’tlikeit。Itwasbrutalandcoarseandviolent，——manbeingnaturallygentlewhenhe’sfightingforhislife。Theywantedsomethingmorerestful，withalittlemorecolour。Icouldhavesaidagooddeal，butyoumightaswelltalktoasheepasanart—manager。Itookmy\"LastShot\"back。Beholdtheresult！Iputhimintoalovelyredcoatwithoutaspeckonit。ThatisArt。Ipolishedhisboots，——observethehighlightonthetoe。ThatisArt。I
cleanedhisrifle，——riflesarealwayscleanonservice，——becausethatisArt。
Ipipeclayedhishelmet，——pipeclayisalwaysusedonactiveservice，andisindispensabletoArt。Ishavedhischin，Iwashedhishands，andgavehimanairoffattedpeace。Result，militarytailor’spattern—plate。Price，thankHeaven，twiceasmuchasforthefirstsketch，whichwasmoderatelydecent。’
’Anddoyousupposeyou’regoingtogivethatthingoutasyourwork？’
’Whynot？Ididit。AloneIdidit，intheinterestsofsacred，home—bredArtandDickenson’sWeekly。’
Torpenhowsmokedinsilenceforawhile。Thencametheverdict，deliveredfromrollingclouds：’Ifyouwereonlyamassofblatheringvanity，Dick，Iwouldn’tmind，——I’dletyougotothedeuceonyourownmahl—stick；butwhenIconsiderwhatyouaretome，andwhenIfindthattovanityyouaddthetwopenny—halfpennypiqueofatwelve—year—oldgirl，thenIbestirmyselfinyourbehalf。Thus！’
ThecanvasrippedasTorpenhow’sbootedfootshotthroughit，andtheterrierjumpeddown，thinkingratswereabout。
’Ifyouhaveanybadlanguagetouse，useit。Youhavenot。Icontinue。
Youareanidiot，becausenomanbornofwomanisstrongenoughtotakelibertieswithhispublic，eventhoughtheybe——whichtheyain’t——allyousaytheyare。’
’Buttheydon’tknowanybetter。Whatcanyouexpectfromcreaturesbornandbredinthislight？’Dickpointedtotheyellowfog。’Iftheywantfurniture—polish，letthemhavefurniture—polish，solongastheypayforit。
Theyareonlymenandwomen。Youtalkasiftheyweregods。’
’Thatsoundsveryfine，butithasnothingtodowiththecase。Theyaretheypeopleyouhavetodoworkfor，whetheryoulikeitornot。Theyareyourmasters。Don’tbedeceived，Dickie，youaren’tstrongenoughtotriflewiththem，——orwithyourself，whichismoreimportant。
Moreover，——Comeback，Binkie：thatreddaubisn’tgoinganywhere，——unlessyoutakepreciousgoodcare，youwillfallunderthedamnationofthecheck—book，andthat’sworsethandeath。Youwillgetdrunk——you—rehalfdrunkalready——oneasilyacquiredmoney。Forthatmoneyandyouowninfernalvanityyouarewillingtodeliberatelyturnoutbadwork。You’lldoquiteenoughbadworkwithoutknowingit。And，Dickie，asIloveyouandasIknowyouloveme，IamnotgoingtoletyoucutoffyournosetospiteyourfaceforallthegoldinEngland。That’ssettled。Nowswear。’
’Don’tknow，saidDick。’I’vebeentryingtomakemyselfangry，butI
can’t，you’resoabominablyreasonable。TherewillbearowonDickenson’sWeekly，Ifancy。’
’WhytheDickensondoyouwanttoworkonaweeklypaper？It’sslowbleedingofpower。’
’Itbringsintheverydesirabledollars，’saidDick，hishandsinhispockets。
Torpenhowwatchedhimwithlargecontempt。’Why，Ithoughtitwasaman！’saidhe。’It’sachild。’
’No，itisn’t，’saidDick，wheelingquickly。’You’venonotionowhatthecertaintyofcashmeanstoamanwhohasalwayswanteditbadly。
Nothingwillpaymeforsomeofmylife’sjoys；onthatChinesepig—boat，forinstance，whenweatebreadandjamforeverymeal，becauseHo—Wangwouldn’tallowusanythingbetter，anditalltastedofpig，——Chinesepig。I’veworkedforthis，I’vesweatedandI’vestarvedforthis，lineonlineandmonthaftermonth。AndnowI’vegotitIamgoingtomakethemostofitwhileitlasts。Letthempay——they’venoknowledge。’
’WhatdoesYourMajestypleasetowant？Youcan’tsmokemorethanyoudo；youwon’tdrink；you’reagrossfeeder；andyoudressinthedark，bythelookofyou。Youwouldn’tkeepahorsetheotherdaywhenI
suggested，because，yousaid，itmightfalllame，andwheneveryoucrossthestreetyoutakeahansom。EvenyouarenotfoolishenoughtosupposethattheatresandallthelivethingsyoucanbythereaboutsmeanLife。
Whatearthlyneedhaveyouformoney？’
’It’sthere，blessitsgoldenheart，’saidDick。’It’sthereallthetime。
ProvidencehassentmenutswhileIhaveteethtocrack’emwith。I
haven’tyetfoundthenutIwishtocrack，butI’mkeepingmyteethfiled。
PerhapssomedayyouandIwillgoforawalkroundthewideearth。’
’Withnoworktodo，nobodytoworryus，andnobodytocompetewith？
Youwouldbeunfittospeaktoinaweek。Besides，Ishouldn’tgo。Idon’tcaretoprofitbythepriceofaman’ssoul，——forthat’swhatitwouldmean。
Dick，it’snousearguing。You’reafool。’
’Don’tseeit。WhenIwasonthatChinesepig—boat，ourcaptaingotcreditforsavingabouttwenty—fivethousandveryseasicklittlepigs，whenouroldtrampofasteamerfellfoulofatimber—junk。Now，takingthosepigsasaparallel————’
’Oh，confoundyourparallels！WheneverItrytoimproveyoursoul，youalwaysdraginsomeanecdotefromyourveryshadypast。Pigsaren’ttheBritishpublic；andself—respectisself—respecttheworldover。Gooutforawalkandtrytocatchsomeself—respect。And，Isay，iftheNilghaicomesupthiseveningcanIshowhimyourdiggings？’
’Surely。’AndDickdeparted，totakecounselwithhimselfintherapidlygatheringLondonfog。
Halfanhourafterhehadleft，theNilghailabouredupthestaircase。Hewasthechiefest，ashewastheyoungest，ofthewarcorrespondents，andhisexperiencesdatedfromthebirthoftheneedle—gun。Savingonlyhisally，KeneutheGreatWarEagle，therewasnomanhigherinthecraftthanhe，andhealwaysopenedhisconversationwiththenewsthattherewouldbetroubleintheBalkansinthespring。Torpenhowlaughedasheentered。
’NevermindthetroubleintheBalkans。Thoselittlestatesarealwaysscreeching。You’veheardaboutDick’sluck？’
’Yes；hehasbeencalleduptonotoriety，hasn’the？Ihopeyoukeephimproperlyhumble。Hewantssuppressingfromtimetotime。’
’Hedoes。He’sbeginningtotakelibertieswithwhathethinksishisreputation。’
’Already！ByJove，hehascheek！Idon’tknowabouthisreputation，buthe’llcomeacropperifhetriesthatsortofthing。’
’SoItoldhim。Idon’tthinkhebelievesit。’
’Theyneverdowhentheyfirststartoff。What’sthatwreckonthegroundthere？’
’Specimenofhislatestimpertinence。’Torpenhowthrustthetornedgesofthecanvastogetherandshowedthewell—groomedpicturetotheNilghai，wholookedatitforamomentandwhistled。
’It’sachromo，’saidhe，——’achromo—litholeomargarinefake！Whatpossessedhimtodoit？Andyethowthoroughlyhehascaughtthenotethatcatchesapublicwhothinkwiththeirbootsandreadwiththeirelbows！Thecold—bloodedinsolenceoftheworkalmostsavesit；buthemustn’tgoonwiththis。Hasn’thebeenpraisedandcockereduptoomuch？Youknowthesepeopleherehavenosenseofproportion。They’llcallhimasecondDetailleandathird—handMeissonierwhilehisfashionlasts。It’swindydietforacolt。’
’Idon’tthinkitaffectsDickmuch。Youmightaswellcallayoungwolfalionandexpecthimtotakethecomplimentinexchangeforashin—bone。
Dick’ssoulisinthebank。He’sworkingforcash。’
’Nowhehasthrownupwarwork，Isupposehedoesn’tseethattheobligationsoftheservicearejustthesame，onlytheproprietorsarechanged。’
’Howshouldheknow？Hethinksheishisownmaster。’
’Doeshe？Icouldundeceivehimforhisgood，ifthere’sanyvirtueinprint。Hewantsthewhiplash。’
’Layitonwithscience，then。I’dflayhimmyself，butIlikehimtoomuch。’
’I’venoscruples。HehadtheaudacitytotrytocutmeoutwithawomanatCairoonce。Iforgotthat，butIremembernow。’
’Didhecutyouout？’
’You’llseewhenIhavedealtwithhim。But，afterall，what’sthegood？
Leavehimaloneandhe’llcomehome，ifhehasanystuffinhim，draggingorwagginghistailbehindhim。There’smoreinaweekoflifethaninalivelyweekly。NonethelessI’llslatehim。I’llslatehimponderouslyintheCataclysm。’
’Goodlucktoyou；butIfancynothingshortofacrowbarwouldmakeDickwince。Hissoulseemstohavebeenfiredbeforewecameacrosshim。
He’sintenselysuspiciousandutterlylawless。’
’Matteroftemper，’saidtheNilghai。’It’sthesamewithhorses。Someyouwallopandtheywork，someyouwallopandtheyjib，andsomeyouwallopandtheygooutforawalkwiththeirhandsintheirpockets。’
’That’sexactlywhatDickhasdone，’saidTorpenhow。’Waittillhecomesback。Inthemeantime，youcanbeginyourslatinghere。I’llshowyousomeofhislastandworstworkinhisstudio。’
Dickhadinstinctivelysoughtrunningwaterforacomforttohismoodofmind。HewasleaningovertheEmbankmentwall，watchingtherushoftheThamesthroughthearchesofWestminsterBridge。HebeganbythinkingofTorpenhow’sadvice，but，asofcustom，losthimselfinthestudyofthefacesflockingpast。Somehaddeathwrittenontheirfeatures，andDickmarvelledthattheycouldlaugh。Others，clumsyandcoarse—builtforthemostpart，werealightwithlove；othersweremerelydrawnandlinedwithwork；buttherewassomething，Dickknew，tobemadeoutofthemall。Thepooratleastshouldsufferthathemightlearn，andtherichshouldpayfortheoutputofhislearning。Thushiscreditintheworldandhiscashbalanceatthebankwouldbeincreased。Somuchthebetterforhim。Hehadsuffered。Nowhewouldtaketolloftheillsofothers。
Thefogwasdrivenapartforamoment，andthesunshone，ablood—redwafer，onthewater。Dickwatchedthespottillheheardthevoiceofthetidebetweenthepiersdiedownlikethewashoftheseaatlowtide。Agirlhardpressedbyherlovershoutedshamelessly，’Ah，getaway，youbeast！’
andashiftofthesamewindthathadopenedthefogdroveacrossDick’sfacetheblacksmokeofariver—steameratherberthbelowthewall。Hewasblindedforthemoment，thenspunroundandfoundhimselffacetofacewith——Maisie。
Therewasnomistaking。Theyearshadturnedthechildtoawoman，buttheyhadnotalteredthedark—grayeyes，thethinscarletlips，orthefirmlymodelledmouthandchin；and，thatallshouldbeasitwasofold，sheworeacloselyfittinggraydress。
Sincethehumansoulisfiniteandnotintheleastunderitsowncommand，Dick，advancing，said’Halloo！’afterthemannerofschoolboys，andMaisieanswered，’Oh，Dick，isthatyou？’Then，againsthiswill，andbeforethebrainnewlyreleasedfromconsiderationsofthecashbalancehadtimetodictatetothenerves，everypulseofDick’sbodythrobbedfuriouslyandhispalatedriedinhismouth。Thefogshutdownagain，andMaisie’sfacewaspearl—whitethroughit。Nowordwasspoken，butDickfellintostepatherside，andthetwopacedtheEmbankmenttogether，keepingthestepasperfectlyasintheirafternoonexcursionstothemud—flats。ThenDick，alittlehoarsely——
’WhathashappenedtoAmomma？’
’Hedied，Dick。Notcartridges；over—eating。Hewasalwaysgreedy。Isn’titfunny？’
’Yes。No。DoyoumeanAmomma？’
’Ye——es。No。This。Wherehaveyoucomefrom？’
’Overthere，’Hepointedeastwardthroughthefog。’Andyou？’
’Oh，I’minthenorth，——theblacknorth，acrossallthePark。Iamverybusy。’
’Whatdoyoudo？’
’Ipaintagreatdeal。That’sallIhavetodo。’
’Why，what’shappened？Youhadthreehundredayear。’
’Ihavethatstill。Iampainting；that’sall。’
’Areyoualone，then？’
’There’sagirllivingwithme。Don’twalksofast，Dick；you’reoutofstep。’
’Thenyounoticedittoo？’
’OfcourseIdid。You’realwaysoutofstep。’
’SoIam。I’msorry。Youwentonwiththepainting？’
’Ofcourse。IsaidIshould。IwasattheSlade，thenatMerton’sinSt。
John’sWood，thebigstudio，thenIpepper—potted，——ImeanIwenttotheNational，——andnowI’mworkingunderKami。’
’ButKamiisinParissurely？’
’No；hehashisteachingstudioinVitry—sur—Marne。Iworkwithhiminthesummer，andIliveinLondoninthewinter。I’mahouseholder。’
’Doyousellmuch？’
’Nowandagain，butnotoften。Thereismy’bus。Imusttakeitorlosehalfanhour。Good—bye，Dick。’
’Good—bye，Maisie。Won’tyoutellmewhereyoulive？Imustseeyouagain；andperhapsIcouldhelpyou。I——Ipaintalittlemyself。’
’ImaybeintheParkto—morrow，ifthereisnoworkinglight。IwalkfromtheMarbleArchdownandbackagain；thatismylittleexcursion。ButofcourseIshallseeyouagain。’Shesteppedintotheomnibusandwasswallowedupbythefog。
’Well——I——am——damned！’exclaimedDick，andreturnedtothechambers。
TorpenhowandtheNilghaifoundhimsittingonthestepstothestgudiodoor，repeatingthephrasewithanawfulgravity。
’You’llbemoredamnedwhenI’mdonewithyou，’saidtheNilghai，upheavinghisbulkfrombehindTorpenhow’sshoulderandwavingasheafofhalf—drymanuscript。’Dick，itisofcommonreportthatyouaresufferingfromswelledhead。’
’Halloo，Nilghai。Backagain？HowaretheBalkansandallthelittleBalkans？Onesideofyourfaceisoutofdrawing，asusual。’
’Nevermindthat。Iamcommissionedtosmiteyouinprint。Torpenhowrefusesfromfalsedelicacy。I’vebeenoverhaulingthepot—boilersinyourstudio。Theyaresimplydisgraceful。’
’Oho！that’sit，isit？Ifyouthinkyoucanslateme，you’rewrong。Youcanonlydescribe，andyouneedasmuchroomtoturnin，onpaper，asaP。andO。cargo—boat。Butcontinue，andbeswift。I’mgoingtobed。’
’H’m！h’m！h’m！Thefirstpartonlydealswithyourpictures。Here’stheperoration：\"Forworkdonewithoutconviction，forpowerwastedontrivialities，forlabourexpendedwithlevityforthedeliberatepurposeofwinningtheeasyapplauseofafashion—drivenpublic————\"
’That’s\"HisLastShot，\"secondedition。Goon。’
’————\"public，thereremainsbutoneend，——theoblivionthatisprecededbytolerationandcenotaphedwithcontempt。FromthatfateMr。Heldarhasyettoprovehimselfoutofdanger。’
’Wow——wow——wow——wow——wow！’saidDick，profanely。’It’saclumsyendingandvilejournalese，butit’squitetrue。Andyet，’——hesprangtohisfeetandsnatchedatthemanuscript，——’youscarred，deboshed，batteredoldgladiator！you’resentoutwhenawarbegins，toministertotheblind，brutal，Britishpublic’sbestialthirstforblood。Theyhavenoarenasnow，buttheymusthavespecialcorrespondents。You’reafatgladiatorwhocomesupthroughatrap—doorandtalksofwhathe’sseen。Youstandonpreciselythesamelevelasanenergeticbishop，anaffableactress，adevastatingcyclone，or——mineownsweetself。Andyoupresumetolecturemeaboutmywork！Nilghai，ifitwereworthwhileI’dcaricatureyouinfourpapers！’
TheNilghaiwinced。Hehadnotthoughtofthis。
’Asitis，Ishalltakethisstuffandtearitsmall——so！’Themanuscriptflutteredinslipsdownthedarkwellofthestaircase。’Gohome，Nilghai，’
saidDick；’gohometoyourlonelylittlebed，andleavemeinpeace。Iamabouttoturnintillto—morrow。’
’Why，itisn’tsevenyet！’saidTorpenhow，withamazement。
’Itshallbetwointhemorning，ifIchoose，’saidDick，backingtothestudiodoor。’Igotograpplewithaseriouscrisis，andIshan’twantanydinner。’
Thedoorshutandwaslocked。
’Whatcanyoudowithamanlikethat？’saidtheNilghai。
’Leavehimalone。He’sasmadasahatter。’
Ateleventherewasakickingonthestudiodoor。’IstheNilghaiwithyoustill？’saidavoicefromwithin。’Thentellhimhemighthavecondensedthewholeofhislumberingnonsenseintoanepigram：\"Onlythefreearebond，andonlythebondarefree。\"Tellhimhe’sanidiot，Torp，andtellhimI’manother。’
’Allright。Comeoutandhavesupper。You’resmokingonanemptystomach。’
Therewasnoanswer。
CHAPTERV
’Ihaveathousandmen，’saidhe，’Towaituponmywill，AndtowersnineupontheTyne，AndthreeupontheTill。’？
’AndwhatcareIforyoumen，’saidshe，’OrtowersfromTynetoTill，Sithyoumustgowithme，’shesaid，’Towaituponmywill？’
SirHoggieandtheFairiesNEXTmorningTorpenhowfoundDicksunkindeepestreposeoftobacco。
’Well，madman，howd’youfeel？’
’Idon’tknow。I’mtryingtofindout。’
’Youhadmuchbetterdosomework。’
’Maybe；butI’minnohurry。I’vemadeadiscovery。Torp，there’stoomuchEgoinmyCosmos。’
’Notreally！Isthisrevelationduetomylectures，ortheNilghai’s？’
’Itcametomesuddenly，allonmyownaccount。MuchtoomuchEgo；
andnowI’mgoingtowork。’
Heturnedoverafewhalf—finishedsketches，drummedonanewcanvas，cleanedthreebrushes，setBinkietobitethetoesofthelayfigure，rattledthroughhiscollectionofarmsandaccoutrements，andthenwentoutabruptly，declaringthathehaddoneenoughfortheday。
’Thisispositivelyindecent，’saidTorpenhow，’andthefirsttimethatDickhaseverbrokenupalightmorning。Perhapshehasfoundoutthathehasasoul，oranartistictemperament，orsomethingequallyvaluable。
Thatcomesofleavinghimaloneforamonth。Perhapshehasbeengoingoutofevenings。Imustlooktothis。’Herangforthebald—headedoldhousekeeper，whomnothingcouldastonishorannoy。
’Beeton，didMr。HeldardineoutatallwhileIwasoutoftown？’
’Neverlaid’isdress—clothesoutonce，sir，allthetime。Mostly’edinedin；
but’ebroughtsomemostremarkableyounggentlemenup’ereaftertheatresonceortwice。Remarkablefancytheywas。Yougentlemenonthetopfloordoesverymuchasyoulikes，butitdoseemtome，sir，droppin’awalkin’—stickdownfiveflightso’stairsan’thengoin’downfourabreasttopickitupagainathalf—pasttwointhemornin’，singin’
\"Bringbackthewhiskey，Williedarlin，’\"——notonceortwice，butscoreso’times，——isn’tcharitytotheothertenants。WhatIsayis，\"Doasyouwouldbedoneby。\"That’smymotto。’
’Ofcourse！ofcourse！I’mafraidthetopfloorisn’tthequietestinthehouse。’
’Imakenocomplaints，sir。IhavespoketoMr。Heldarfriendly，an’helaughed，an’didmeapictureofthemissisthatisasgoodasacolouredprint。It’asn’tthehighshineofaphotograph，butwhatIsayis，\"Neverlookagift—horseinthemouth。\"Mr。Heldar’sdress—clothes’aven’tbeenonhimforweeks。’
’Thenit’sallright，’saidTorpenhowtohimself。’Orgiesarehealthy，andDickhasaheadofhisown，butwhenitcomestowomenmakingeyesI’mnotsocertain，——Binkie，neveryoubeaman，littledorglums。They’recontrarybrutes，andtheydothingswithoutanyreason。’
DickhadturnednorthwardacrossthePark，buthewaswalkinginthespiritonthemud—flatswithMaisie。HelaughedaloudasherememberedthedaywhenhehaddeckedAmomma’shornswiththeham—frills，andMaisie，whitewithrage，hadcuffedhim。Howlongthosefouryearsseemedinreview，andhowcloselyMaisiewasconnectedwitheveryhourofthem！Stormacrossthesea，andMaisieinagraydressonthebeach，sweepingherdrenchedhairoutofhereyesandlaughingatthehomewardraceofthefishing—smacks；hotsunshineonthemud—flats，andMaisiesniffingscornfully，withherchinintheair；Maisieflyingbeforethewindthatthreshedtheforeshoreanddrovethesandlikesmallshotaboutherears；Maisie，verycomposedandindependent，tellingliestoMrs。JennettwhileDicksupportedherwithcoarserperjuries；Maisiepickingherwaydelicatelyfromstonetostone，apistolinherhandandherteethfirm—set；andMaisieinagraydresssittingonthegrassbetweenthemouthofacannonandanoddingyellowsea—poppy。Thepicturespassedbeforehimonebyone，andthelaststayedthelongest。
Dickwasperfectlyhappywithaquietpeacethatwasasnewtohismindasitwasforeigntohisexperiences。ItneveroccurredtohimthattheremightbeothercallsuponhistimethanloafingacrosstheParkintheforenoon。
’There’sagoodworkinglightnow，’hesaid，watchinghisshadowplacidly。’Somepoordeviloughttobegratefulforthis。Andthere’sMaisie。’
ShewaswalkingtowardshimfromtheMarbleArch，andhesawthatnomannerismofhergaithadbeenchanged。ItwasgoodtofindherstillMaisie，and，sotospeak，hisnext—doorneighbour。Nogreetingpassedbetweenthem，becausetherehadbeennoneintheolddays。
’Whatareyoudoingoutofyourstudioatthishour？’saidDick，asonewhowasentitledtoask。
’Idling。Justidling。Igotangrywithachinandscrapeditout。ThenIleftitinalittleheapofpaint—chipsandcameaway。’
’Iknowwhatpalette—knifingmeans。Whatwasthepiccy？’
’Afancyheadthatwouldn’tcomeright，——horridthing！’
’Idon’tlikeworkingoverscrapedpaintwhenI’mdoingflesh。Thegraincomesupwoollyasthepaintdries。’
’Notifyouscrapeproperly。’Maisiewavedherhandtoillustratehermethods。Therewasadabofpaintonthewhitecuff。Dicklaughed。
’You’reasuntidyasever。’
’Thatcomeswellfromyou。Lookatyourowncuff。’
’ByJove，yes！It’sworsethanyours。Idon’tthinkwe’vemuchalteredinanything。Let’ssee，though。’HelookedatMaisiecritically。Thepalebluehazeofanautumndaycreptbetweenthetree—trunksoftheParkandmadeabackgroundforthegraydress，theblackvelvettoqueabovetheblackhair，andtheresoluteprofile。
’No，there’snothingchanged。Howgooditis！D’yourememberwhenI
fastenedyourhairintothesnapofahand—bag？’
Maisienodded，withatwinkleinhereyes，andturnedherfullfacetoDick。
’Waitaminute，’saidhe。’Thatmouthisdownatthecornersalittle。
Who’sbeenworryingyou，Maisie？’
’Noonebutmyself。Ineverseemtogetonwithmywork，andyetItryhardenough，andKamisays————’
’\"Continuez，mesdemoiselles。Continueztoujours，mesenfants。\"Kamiisdepressing。Ibegyourpardon。’
’Yes，that’swhathesays。HetoldmelastsummerthatIwasdoingbetterandhe’dletmeexhibitthisyear。’
’Notinthisplace，surely？’
’Ofcoursenot。TheSalon。’
’Youflyhigh。’
’I’vebeenbeatingmywingslongenough。Wheredoyouexhibit，Dick？’
’Idon’texhibit。Isell。’
’Whatisyourline，then？’
’Haven’tyouheard？’Dick’seyesopened。Wasthisthingpossible？Hecastaboutforsomemeansofconviction。TheywerenotfarfromtheMarbleArch。’ComeupOxfordStreetalittleandI’llshowyou。’
Asmallknotofpeoplestoodroundaprint—shopthatDickknewwell。
’Somereproductionofmyworkinside，’hesaid，withsuppressedtriumph。Neverbeforehadsuccesstastedsosweetuponthetongue。’YouseethesortofthingsIpaint。D’youlikeit？’
Maisielookedatthewildwhirlingrushofafield—batterygoingintoactionunderfire。Twoartillery—menstoodbehindherinthecrowd。
’They’vechuckedtheofflead—’orse’saidonetotheother。’’E’storeupawful，butthey’remakin’goodtimewiththeothers。Thatlead—driverdrivesbetternoryou，Tom。See’owcunnin’’e’snursin’’is’orse。’
’NumberThree’llbeoffthelimber，nextjolt，’wastheanswer。
’No，’ewon’t。See’ow’isfoot’sbracedagainsttheiron？’E’sallright。’
DickwatchedMaisie’sfaceandswelledwithjoy——fine，rank，vulgartriumph。Shewasmoreinterestedinthelittlecrowdthaninthepicture。
Thatwassomethingthatshecouldunderstand。
’AndIwanteditso！Oh，Ididwantitso！’shesaidatlast，underherbreath。
’Me，——allme！’saidDick，placidly。’Lookattheirfaces。Ithits’em。Theydon’tknowwhatmakestheireyesandmouthsopen；butIknow。AndI
knowmywork’sright。’
’Yes。Isee。Oh，whatathingtohavecometoone！’
’Cometoone，indeed！Ihadtogooutandlookforit。Whatdoyouthink？’
’Icallitsuccess。Tellmehowyougotit。’
TheyreturnedtothePark，andDickdeliveredhimselfofthesagaofhisowndoings，withallthearroganceofayoungmanspeakingtoawoman。
Fromthebeginninghetoldthetale，theI——I——I’sflashingthroughtherecordsastelegraph—polesflypastthetraveller。Maisielistenedandnoddedherhead。Thehistoriesofstrifeandprivationdidnotmoveherahair’s—breadth。Attheendofeachcantohewouldconclude，’Andthatgavemesomenotionofhandlingcolour，’orlight，orwhateveritmightbethathehadsetouttopursueandunderstand。Heledherbreathlessacrosshalftheworld，speakingashehadneverspokeninhislifebefore。
Andintheflood—tideofhisexaltationtherecameuponhimagreatdesiretopickupthismaidenwhonoddedherheadandsaid，’Iunderstand。Goon，’——topickherupandcarryherawaywithhim，becauseshewasMaisie，andbecausesheunderstood，andbecauseshewashisright，andawomantobedesiredaboveallwomen。
Thenhecheckedhimselfabruptly。’AndsoItookallIwanted，’hesaid，’andIhadtofightforit。Nowyoutell。’
Maisie’stalewasalmostasgrayasherdress。Itcoveredyearsofpatienttoilbackedbysavagepridethatwouldnotbebrokenthoughtdealerslaughed，andfogsdelayedwork，andKamiwasunkindandevensarcastic，andgirlsinotherstudioswerepainfullypolite。Ithadafewbrightspots，inpicturesacceptedatprovincialexhibitions，butitwoundupwiththeoftrepeatedwail，’Andsoyousee，Dick，Ihadnosuccess，thoughIworkedsohard。’
ThenpityfilledDick。EventhushadMaisiespokenwhenshecouldnothitthebreakwater，halfanhourbeforeshehadkissedhim。Andthathadhappenedyesterday。
’Nevermind，’hesaid。’I’lltellyousomething，ifyou’llbelieveit。’Thewordswereshapingthemselvesoftheirownaccord。’Thewholething，lock，stock，andbarrel，isn’tworthonebigyellowsea—poppybelowFortKeeling。’
Maisieflushedalittle。’It’sallverywellforyoutotalk，butyou’vehadthesuccessandIhaven’t。’
’Letmetalk，then。Iknowyou’llunderstand。Maisie，dear，itsoundsabitabsurd，but5thosetenyearsneverexisted，andI’vecomebackagain。Itreallyisjustthesame。Can’tyousee？You’realonenowandI’malone。
What’stheuseofworrying？Cometomeinstead，darling。’
Maisiepokedthegravelwithherparasol。Theyweresittingonabench。
’Iunderstand，’shesaidslowly。’ButI’vegotmyworktodo，andImustdoit。’
’Doitwithme，then，dear。Iwon’tinterrupt。’
’No，Icouldn’t。It’smywork，——mine，——mine，——mine！I’vebeenaloneallmylifeinmyself，andI’mnotgoingtobelongtoanybodyexceptmyself。I
rememberthingsaswellasyoudo，butthatdoesn’tcount。Wewerebabiesthen，andwedidn’tknowwhatwasbeforeus。Dick，don’tbeselfish。IthinkIseemywaytoalittlesuccessnextyear。Don’ttakeitawayfromme。’
’Ibegyourpardon，darling。It’smyfaultforspeakingstupidly。Ican’texpectyoutothrowupallyourlifejustbecauseI’mback。I’llgotomyownplaceandwaitalittle。’
’But，Dick，Idon’twantyouto——go——outof——mylife，nowyou’vejustcomeback。’
’I’matyourorders；forgiveme。’Dickdevouredthetroubledlittlefacewithhiseyes。Therewastriumphinthem，becausehecouldnotconceivethatMaisieshouldrefusesoonerorlatertolovehim，sincehelovedher。
’It’swrongofme，’saidMaisie，moreslowlythanbefore；’it’swrongandselfish；but，oh，I’vebeensolonely！No，youmisunderstand。NowI’veseenyouagain，——it’sabsurd，butIwanttokeepyouinmylife。’
’Naturally。Webelong。’
’Wedon’t；butyoualwaysunderstoodme，andthereissomuchinmyworkthatyoucouldhelpmein。Youknowthingsandthewaysofdoingthings。Youmust。’
’Ido，Ifancy，orelseIdon’tknowmyself。Thenyouwon’tcaretolosesightofmealtogether，and——youwantmetohelpyouinyourwork？’
’Yes；butremember，Dick，nothingwillevercomeofit。That’swhyIfeelsoselfish。Can’tthingsstayastheyare？Idowantyourhelp。’
’Youshallhaveit。Butlet’sconsider。Imustseeyourpicsfirst，andoverhaulyoursketches，andfindoutaboutyourtendencies。Youshouldseewhatthepaperssayaboutmytendencies！ThenI’llgiveyougoodadvice，andyoushallpaintaccording。Isn’tthatit，Maisie？’
AgaintherewastriumphinDick’seye。
’It’stoogoodofyou，——muchtoogood。Becauseyouareconsolingyourselfwithwhatwillneverhappen，andIknowthat，andyetIwanttokeepyou。Don’tblamemelater，please。’
’I’mgoingintothematterwithmyeyesopen。MoreovertheQueencandonowrong。Itisn’tyourselfishnessthatimpressesme。It’syouraudacityinproposingtomakeuseofme。’
’Pooh！You’reonlyDick，——andaprint—shop。’
’Verygood：that’sallIam。But，Maisie，youbelieve，don’tyou，thatIloveyou？Idon’twantyoutohaveanyfalsenotionsaboutbrothersandsisters。’
Maisielookedupforamomentanddroppedhereyes。
’It’sabsurd，but——Ibelieve。IwishIcouldsendyouawaybeforeyougetangrywithme。But——butthegirlthatliveswithmeisred—haired，andanimpressionist，andallournotionsclash。’
’Sodoours，Ithink。Nevermind。Threemonthsfromto—dayweshallbelaughingatthistogether。’
Maisieshookherheadmournfully。’Iknewyouwouldn’tunderstand，anditwillonlyhurtyoumorewhenyoufindout。Lookatmyface，Dick，andtellmewhatyousee。’
Theystoodupandfacedeachotherforamoment。Thefogwasgathering，anditstifledtheroarofthetrafficofLondonbeyondtherailings。Dickbroughtallhispainfullyacquiredknowledgeoffacestobearontheeyes，mouth，andchinunderneaththeblackvelvettoque。
’It’sthesameMaisie，andit’sthesameme，’hesaid。’We’vebothnicelittlewillsofourown，andoneorotherofushastobebroken。Nowaboutthefuture。Imustcomeandseeyourpicturessomeday，——Isupposewhenthered—hairedgirlisonthepremises。’
’Sundaysaremybesttimes。YoumustcomeonSundays。TherearesuchheapsofthingsIwanttotalkaboutandaskyouradviceabout。NowI
mustgetbacktowork。’
’TrytofindoutbeforenextSundaywhatIam，’saidDick。’Don’ttakemywordforanythingI’vetoldyou。Good—bye，darling，andblessyou。’
Maisiestoleawaylikealittlegraymouse。Dickwatchedhertillshewasoutofsight，buthedidnothearhersaytoherself，verysoberly，’I’mawretch，——ahorrid，selfishwretch。Butit’sDick，andDickwillunderstand。’
Noonehasyetexplainedwhatactuallyhappenswhenanirresistibleforcemeetstheimmovablepost，thoughmanyhavethoughtdeeply，evenasDickthought。HetriedtoassurehimselfthatMaisiewouldbeledinafewweeksbyhismerepresenceanddiscoursetoabetterwayofthinking。Thenherememberedmuchtoodistinctlyherfaceandallthatwaswrittenonit。
’IfIknowanythingofheads，’hesaid，’there’severythinginthatfacebutlove。Ishallhavetoputthatinmyself；andthatchinandmouthwon’tbewonfornothing。Butshe’sright。Sheknowswhatshewants，andshe’sgoingtogetit。Whatinsolence！Me！Ofallthepeopleinthewideworld，touseme！Butthenshe’sMaisie。There’snogettingoverthatfact；andit’sgoodtoseeheragain。Thisbusinessmusthavebeensimmeringatthebackofmyheadforyears……She’llusemeasIusedBinatatPortSaid。
She’squiteright。Itwillhurtalittle。IshallhavetoseehereverySunday，——likeayoungmancourtingahousemaid。She’ssuretocomearound；andyet——thatmouthisn’tayieldingmouth。Ishallbewantingtokissherallthetime，andIshallhavetolookatherpictures，——Idon’tevenknowwhatsortofworkshedoesyet，——andIshallhavetotalkaboutArt，——Woman’sArt！Therefore，particularlyandperpetually，damnallvarietiesofArt。Itdidmeagoodturnonce，andnowit’sinmyway。I’llgohomeanddosomeArt。’
Half—waytothestudio，Dickwassmittenwithaterriblethought。Thefigureofasolitarywomaninthefogsuggestedit。
’She’sallaloneinLondon，withared—hairedimpressionistgirl，whoprobablyhasthedigestionofanostrich。Mostred—hairedpeoplehave。
Maisie’sabiliouslittlebody。They’lleatlikelonewomen，——mealsatallhours，andteawithallmeals。IrememberhowthestudentsinParisusedtopigalong。Shemayfallillatanyminute，andIshan’tbeabletohelp。
Whew！thisistentimesworsethanowningawife。’
Torpenhowenteredthestudioatdusk，andlookedatDickwitheyesfulloftheausterelovethatspringsupbetweenmenwhohavetuggedatthesameoartogetherandareyokedbycustomanduseandtheintimaciesoftoil。Thisisagoodlove，and，sinceitallows，andevenencourages，strife，recrimination，andbrutalsincerity，doesnotdie，butgrows，andisproofagainstanyabsenceandevilconduct。
DickwassilentafterhehandedTorpenhowthefilledpipeofcouncil。HethoughtofMaisieandherpossibleneeds。ItwasanewthingtothinkofanybodybutTorpenhow，whocouldthinkforhimself。Hereatlastwasanoutletforthatcashbalance。HecouldadornMaisiebarbaricallywithjewelry，——athickgoldnecklaceroundthatlittleneck，braceletsupontheroundedarms，andringsofpriceuponherhands，——thiecool，temperate，ringlesshandsthathehadtakenbetweenhisown。Itwasanabsurdthought，forMaisiewouldnotevenallowhimtoputoneringononefinger，andshewouldlaughatgoldentrappings。Itwouldbebettertositwithherquietlyinthedusk，hisarmaroundherneckandherfaceonhisshoulder，asbefittedhusbandandwife。Torpenhow’sbootscreakedthatnight，andhisstrongvoicejarred。Dick’sbrowscontractedandhemurmuredanevilwordbecausehehadtakenallhissuccessasarightandpartpaymentforpastdiscomfort，andnowhewascheckedinhisstridebyawomanwhoadmittedallthesuccessanddidnotinstantlycareforhim。
’Isay，oldman，’saidTorpenhow，whohadmadeoneortwovainattemptsatconversation，’Ihaven’tputyourbackupbyanythingI’vesaidlately，haveI？’
’You！No。Howcouldyou？’
’Liveroutoforder？’
’Thetrulyhealthymandoesn’tknowhehasaliver。I’monlyabitworriedaboutthingsingeneral。Isupposeit’smysoul。’
’Thetrulyhealthymandoesn’tknowhehasasoul。Whatbusinesshaveyouwithluxuriesofthatkind？’
’Itcameofitself。Who’sthemanthatsaysthatwe’reallislandsshoutingliestoeachotheracrossseasofmisunderstanding？’
’He’sright，whoeverheis，——exceptaboutthemisunderstanding。Idon’tthinkwecouldmisunderstandeachother。’
Thebluesmokecurledbackfromtheceilinginclouds。ThenTorpenhow，insinuatingly——
’Dick，isitawoman？’
’Behangedifit’sanythingremotelyresemblingawoman；andifyoubegintotalklikethat，I’llhireared—brickstudiowithwhitepainttrimmings，andbegoniasandpetuniasandblueHungariastoplayamongthree—and—sixpennypot—palms，andI’llmountallmypicsinaniline—dyeplushplasters，andI’llinviteeverywomanwhomaundersoverwhatherguide—bookstellherisArt，andyoushallreceive’em，Torp，——inasnuff—brownvelvetcoatwithyellowtrousersandanorangetie。You’lllikethat？’
’Toothin，Dick。Abettermanthanyouoncedeniedwithcursingandswearing。You’veoverdoneit，justashedid。It’snobusinessofmine，ofcourse，butit’scomfortingtothinkthatsomewhereunderthestarsthere’ssavingupforyouatremendousthrashing。Whetherit’llcomefromheavenorearth，Idon’tknow，butit’sboundtocomeandbreakyouupalittle。Youwanthammering。’
Dickshivered。’Allright，’saidhe。’Whenthisislandisdisintegrated，itwillcallforyou。’
’Ishallcomeroundthecornerandhelptodisintegrateitsomemore。
We’retalkingnonsense。Comealongtoatheatre。’？
CHAPTERVI
’Andyoumayleadathousandmen，Noreverdrawtherein，ButereyeleadtheFaeryQueen’Twillburstyourheartintwain。’？
Hehasslippedhisfootfromthestirrup—bar，Thebridlefromhishand，AndheisboundbyhandandfootTotheQueeno’Faery—land。
SirHoggieandtheFairies。
SOMEweekslater，onaveryfoggySunday，DickwasreturningacrosstheParktohisstudio。’This，’hesaid，’isevidentlythethrashingthatTorpmeant。IthurtsmorethanIexpected；buttheQueencandonowrong；andshecertainlyhassomenotionofdrawing。’
HehadjustfinishedaSundayvisittoMaisie，——alwaysunderthegreeneyesofthered—hairedimpressionistgirl，whomhelearnedtohateatsight，——andwastinglingwithakeensenseofshame。SundayafterSunday，puttingonhisbestclothes，hehadwalkedovertotheuntidyhousenorthofthePark，firsttoseeMaisie’spictures，andthentocriticiseandadviseuponthemasherealisedthattheywereproductionsonwhichadvicewouldnotbewasted。SundayafterSunday，andhislovegrewwitheachvisit，hehadbeencompelledtocramhisheartbackfrombetweenhislipswhenitpromptedhimtokissMaisieseveraltimesandverymuchindeed。SundayafterSunday，theheadabovethehearthadwarnedhimthatMaisiewasnotyetattainable，andthatitwouldbebettertotalkasconnectedlyaspossibleuponthemysteriesofthecraftthatwasallinalltoher。Thereforeitwashisfatetoendureweeklytortureinthestudiobuiltoutovertheclammybackgardenofafrailstuffylittlevillawherenothingwaseverinitsrightplaceandnobodyeverycalled，——toendureandtowatchMaisiemovingtoandfrowiththeteacups。Heabhorredtea，but，sinceitgavehimalittlelongertimeinherpresence，hedrankitdevoutly，andthered—hairedgirlsatinanuntidyheapandeyedhimwithoutspeaking。Shewasalwayswatchinghim。
Once，andonlyonce，whenshehadleftthestudio，Maisieshowedhimanalbumthatheldafewpoorcuttingsfromprovincialpapers，——thebriefestofhurriednotesonsomeofherpicturessenttooutlyingexhibitions。Dickstoopedandkissedthepaint—smudgedthumbontheopenpage。’Oh，mylove，mylove，’hemuttered，’doyouvaluethesethings？Chuck’emintothewaste—paperbasket！’
’NottillIgetsomethingbetter，’saidMaisie，shuttingthebook。
ThenDick，movedbynorespectforhispublicandaverydeepregardforthemaiden，diddeliberatelypropose，inordertosecuremoreofthesecovetedcuttings，thatheshouldpaintapicturewhichMaisieshouldsign。
’That’schildish，’saidMaisie，’andIdidn’tthinkitofyou。Itmustbemywork。Mine，——mine，——mine！’
’Goanddesigndecorativemedallionsforrichbrewers’houses。Youarethoroughlygoodatthat。’Dickwassickandsavage。
’Betterthingsthanmedallions，Dick，’wastheanswer，intonesthatrecalledagray—eyedatom’sfearlessspeechtoMrs。Jennett。Dickwouldhaveabasedhimselfutterly，butthatothergirltrailedin。
NextSundayhelaidatMaisie’sfeetsmallgiftsofpencilsthatcouldalmostdrawofthemselvesandcoloursinwhosepermanencehebelieved，andhewasostentatiouslyattentivetotheworkinhand。Itdemanded，amongotherthings，anexpositionofthefaiththatwasinhim。
Torpenhow’shairwouldhavestoodonendhadheheardthefluencywithwhichDickpreachedhisowngospelofArt。
Amonthbefore，Dickwouldhavebeenequallyastonished；butitwasMaisie’swillandpleasure，andhedraggedhiswordstogethertomakeplaintohercomprehensionallthathadbeenhiddentohimselfofthewhysandwhereforesofwork。Thereisnottheleastdifficultyindoingathingifyouonlyknowhowtodoit；thetroubleistoexplainyourmethod。
’IcouldputthisrightifIhadabrushinmyhand，’saidDick，despairingly，overthemodellingofachinthatMaisiecomplainedwouldnot’lookflesh，’——itwasthesamechinthatshehadscrapedoutwiththepaletteknife，——’butIfinditalmostimpossibletoteachyou。There’saqueergrin，DutchtouchaboutyourpaintingthatIlike；butI’veanotionthatyou’reweakindrawing。Youforeshortenasthoughyouneverusedthemodel，andyou’vecaughtKami’spastywayofdealingwithfleshinshadow。Then，again，thoughyoudon’tknowityourself，youshirkhardwork。Supposeyouspendsomeofyourtimeonlinelone。Linedoesn’tallowofshirking。Oilsdo，andthreesquareinchesofflashy，trickystuffinthecornerofapicsometimescarryabadthingoff，——asIknow。That’simmoral。Doline—workforalittlewhile，andthenIcantellmoreaboutyourpowers，asoldKamiusedtosay。’
Maisieprotested；shedidnotcareforthepureline。
’Iknow，’saidDick。’Youwanttodoyourfancyheadswithabunchofflowersatthebaseofthenecktohidebadmodelling。’Thered—hairedgirllaughedalittle。’Youwanttodolandscapeswithcattleknee—deepingrasstohidebaddrawing。Youwanttodoagreatdealmorethanyoucando。Youhavesenseofcolour，butyouwantform。Colour’sagift，——putitasideandthinknomoreaboutit，——butformyoucanbedrilledinto。
Now，allyourfancyheads——andsomeofthemareverygood——willkeepyouexactlywhereyouare。Withlineyoumustgoforwardorbackward，anditwillshowupallyourweaknesses。’
’Butotherpeople————’beganMaisie。
’Youmustn’tmindwhatotherpeopledo。Iftheirsoulswereyoursoul，itwouldbedifferent。Youstandandfallbyyourownwork，remember，andit’swasteoftimetothinkofanyoneelseinthisbattle。’
Dickpaused，andthelongingthathadbeensoresolutelyputawaycamebackintohiseyes。HelookedatMaisie，andthelookaskedasplainlyaswords，WasitnottimetoleaveallthisbarrenwildernessofcanvasandcounselandjoinhandswithLifeandLove？
MaisieassentedtothenewprogrammeofschoolingsoadorablythatDickcouldhardlyrestrainhimselffrompickingherupthenandthereandcarryingherofftothenearestregistrar’soffice。Itwastheimplicitobediencetothespokenwordandtheblankindifferencetotheunspokendesirethatbaffledandbuffetedhissoul。Heheldauthorityinthathouse，——authoritylimited，indeed，toone—halfofoneafternooninseven，butveryrealwhileitlasted。Maisiehadlearnedtoappealtohimonmanysubjects，fromtheproperpackingofpicturestotheconditionofasmokychimney。Thered—hairedgirlneverconsultedhimaboutanything。
Ontheotherhand，sheacceptedhisappearanceswithoutprotest，andwatchedhimalways。Hediscoveredthatthemealsoftheestablishmentwereirregularandfragmentary。Theydependedchieflyontea，pickles，andbiscuit，ashehadsuspectedfromthebeginning。Thegirlsweresupposedtomarketweekandweekabout，buttheylived，withthehelpofacharwoman，ascasuallyastheyoungravens。Maisiespentmostofherincomeonmodels，andtheothergirlrevelledinapparatusasrefinedasherworkwasrough。Armedwithknowledge，dear—boughtfromtheDocks，DickwarnedMaisiethattheendofsemi—starvationmeantthecripplingofpowertowork，whichwasconsiderablyworsethandeath。
Maisietookthewarning，andgavemorethoughttowhatsheateanddrank。Whenhistroublereturneduponhim，asitgenerallydidinthelongwintertwilights，theremembranceofthatlittleactofdomesticauthorityandhiscoercionwithahearth—brushofthesmokydrawing—roomchimneystungDicklikeawhip—lash。
Heconceivedthatthismemorywouldbetheextremeofhissufferings，tilloneSunday，thered—hairedgirlannouncedthatshewouldmakeastudyofDick’shead，andthathewouldbegoodenoughtositstill，and——quiteasanafterthought——lookatMaisie。Hesat，becausehecouldnotwellrefuse，andforthespaceofhalfanhourhereflectedonallthepeopleinthepastwhomhehadlaidopenforthepurposesofhisowncraft。HerememberedBinatmostdistinctly，——thatBinatwhohadoncebeenanartistandtalkedaboutdegradation。
Itwasthemerestmonochromeroughinginofahead，butitpresentedthedumbwaiting，thelonging，and，aboveall，thehopelessenslavementoftheman，inaspiritofbittermockery。
’I’llbuyit，’saidDick，promptly，’atyourownprice。’
’Mypriceistoohigh，butIdaresayyou’llbeasgratefulif————’Thewetsketch，flutteredfromthegirl’shandandfellintotheashesofthestudiostove。Whenshepickeditupitwashopelesslysmudged。
’Oh，it’sallspoiled！’saidMaisie。’AndIneversawit。Wasitlike？’
’Thankyou，’saidDickunderhisbreathtothered—hairedgirl，andheremovedhimselfswiftly。
’Howthatmanhatesme！’saidthegirl。’Andhowhelovesyou，Maisie！’
’Whatnonsense？IknewDick’sveryfondofme，buthehadhisworktodo，andIhavemine。’
’Yes，heisfondofyou，andIthinkheknowsthereissomethinginimpressionism，afterall。Maisie，can’tyousee？’
’See？Seewhat？’
’Nothing；only，IknowthatifIcouldgetanymantolookatmeasthatmanlooksatyou，I’d——Idon’tknowwhatI’ddo。Buthehatesme。Oh，howhehatesme！’
Shewasnotaltogethercorrect。Dick’shatredwastemperedwithgratitudeforafewmoments，andthenheforgotthegirlentirely。Onlythesenseofshameremained，andhewasnursingitacrosstheParkinthefog。’There’llbeanexplosiononeofthesedays，’hesaidwrathfully。’Butitisn’tMaisie’sfault；she’sright，quiteright，asfarassheknows，andI
can’tblameher。Thisbusinesshasbeengoingonforthreemonthsnearly。
Threemonths！——anditcostmetenyears’knockingabouttogetatthenotion，themerestrawnotion，ofmywork。That’strue；butthenIdidn’thavepins，drawing—pins，andpalette—knives，stuckintomeeverySunday。
Oh，mylittledarling，ifeverIbreakyou，somebodywillhaveaverybadtimeofit。No，shewon’t。I’dbeasbigafoolaboutherasIamnow。I’llpoisonthatred—hairedgirlonmywedding—day，——she’sunwholesome，——andnowI’llpassonthesepresentbadtimestoTorp。’
TorpenhowhadbeenmovedtolectureDickmorethanoncelatelyonthesinoflevity，andDickandlistenedandrepliednotaword。IntheweeksbetweenthefirstfewSundaysofhisdisciplinehehadflunghimselfsavagelyintohiswork，resolvedthatMaisieshouldatleastknowthefullstretchofhispowers。ThenhehadtaughtMaisiethatshemustnotpaytheleastattentiontoanyworkoutsideherown，andMaisiehadobeyedhimalltoowell。Shetookhiscounsels，butwasnotinterestedinhispictures。
’Yourthingssmelloftobaccoandblood，’shesaidonce。’Can’tyoudoanythingexceptsoldiers？’
’Icoulddoaheadofyouthatwouldstartleyou，’thoughtDick，——thiswasbeforethered—hairedgirlhadbroughthimundertheguillotine，——butheonlysaid，’Iamverysorry，’andharrowedTorpenhow’ssoulthateveningwithblasphemiesagainstArt。Later，insensiblyandtoalargeextentagainsthisownwill，heceasedtointeresthimselfinhisownwork。