But the next morning he dressed with care, choosing with fastidiousness
among his flowing silk ties, and went off to Grosvenor Place, stopping
only on the way to get a new canvas for Lady Betty's portrait. It was as
if some great arm had encircled him irresistibly, and hurried him out of
his studio, and jerked him into a hansom.
The first thing that caught his eye as he entered the usual room was a
travelling easel opened out at its full length, brass-jointed, proudly
agleam; and he marked his appreciation of the significance of its
presence in equally significant fashion--by standing the newly-acquired
canvas upon it. Then he installed himself at his window, and after a
little preliminary fumbling he found himself well under weigh. At last
he had struck the clear, even light he wanted, and he worked rapidly
with his note-taking till the time the butler appeared with
refreshments.
He sipped his wine, with one eye on the folding-door and the other
maintaining some interest in the sketches before him. But the more
vigilant eye of the two soon found its reward. Lady Betty appeared on
the very stroke of noon, and came to him all fresh and smiling, in sunny
contrast to his sense of the dull wintry universe.
"You seem a trifle thoughtful," she observed.
"I was speculating about the mysterious gift you promise."
She laughed merrily. "I observe, then, it is a bargain." She nodded
towards the easel.
"I have had a charming idea as well," he said. "Could you give me two
hours a day till the end of the month?"
"By all means."
"I should like to send you to the Salon."
"That is indeed a charming idea. But you must not risk your big work,"
she reminded him. "That, too, has to be ready in a few weeks."
"I shall have the whole of March for it exclusively. I am finishing my
portraits this month."
"Your sketches are satisfactory?"
"One or two mornings more, and I shall have as much as I need. My
difficulty with the picture all these years has been that I have had to
build it up largely out of my own mind. My actual scene has of course
never really existed in nature--though once or twice I managed to catch
something of the kind here on the spot. But that was quite tumultuous
and indiscriminate, whereas I wanted to catch the essence of the thing."
"You frighten the poor little amateur out of her wits."
They both laughed. "I had to snatch bits as best I could. Whilst
striving to suggest the tumult and movement, I yet picked my material so
as to give contrast and symbolism. Then I had to get my workmen and all
the other kinds of folk to pose separately in the studio. Fortunately my
old studio opened at the back into a little glass-house, and so I was
able to pose the model as in the open. Naturally with the work on so
huge a scale, I was wrestling with almost every drawback that could be
conceived. It was no doubt a great mistake to have planned it at all,
but I have learnt lessons I shall never forget."
"But you have conquered at last."
"Honestly, no. But it will succeed. My first idea was that the whole
scene should be bathed in sunlight. But this, by throwing a vibration
and glow over everything, would have submerged the social contrast of
Fashion and Labour--would have made the whole thing primarily a piece of
pure technique, and weakened its human significance. I did not want the
sunshine to be the motive of the picture; I wanted the human side to
stand out first, and speak with its full force. I therefore chose a
dull light, so that the smartness of Fashion glows in relief against the
drab tones of Labour. I am afraid though I am exaggerating the contrast
more than I really like. That, however, will help it with the great
public."
"I don't think I approve of such sentiments. I want you to strive for
the highest."
"That is the future. But here it was a question of extricating myself
from wreckage. As art it is far from perfect. But its success will help
me to higher things."
"On that ground only we must pass it this time. But I have been
wondering how you will use these last sketches you have been making."
She examined them attentively awhile. "To me they are not very
intelligible, though I have a vague idea of their purpose."
"They are mere notes," he explained. "If you will come here by the
window and get the point of view, I think I can make them perfectly
intelligible."
She came and stood by his side, and one by one he took up the little
canvasses, explaining his tones and masses and relative values. As he
spoke his words seemed to evoke a strange life from the blurs and brush
marks. A splash of colour changed before her eyes into an omnibus; a
darker blob into a brougham; vistas and spaces, buildings and foliage
stood revealed out of chaos. She listened with a pretty interest, her
lips daintily parted, her breath coming lightly, yet her features
composed into a characteristic stateliness--of which catching a sudden
glimpse as she brushed close to him, he mentally registered the judgment
"surpassingly fine!" He was glad he had caught that aspect; it summed
her up in a way so perfectly. There was his Salon picture!
"And while you have been listening I have been studying you," he
confessed, as he placed the sketches aside.
"I should have thought you knew me by heart."
"You are not so definite and limited. Beauty is always flashing
surprises on the eye that can see."
"I think I like that," she said gaily. "I must bear it in mind.... It's
only a toy easel," she flew off as he drew it forward. "In spite of its
excellent preservation, it is a relic of my childhood: in the family I
was supposed to have talent, so an aunt gave it to me for a birthday
present, pegs and all, to take into the country and sketch all sorts of
pretty bits. There was a little stool that went with it."
"It will serve admirably--without the stool," he added, with a smile. "I
should like you to stand with the folding-door as a background. I think
we're lucky to have such an interesting stretch of panelling in the
room. We must get all the light on it we can."
She tripped down the room gaily, and stood as he indicated. Then he
manipulated the blinds and the curtain till a clear, soft light, melting
gradually into the surrounding greyer tones, fell on the wood-work, and
Lady Betty stood illuminated with a suggestion of airy phantasm.
"The face a shade more to the left," he commanded. "There! Now I have
caught you again."
He worked with an appearance of rapidity. "A very dream of elusiveness!"
he exclaimed presently. "I must seize it whilst I'm in form."
"Ah, I was just thinking it over," she said gravely. "I am not sure that
I am really so pleased at being 'elusive.' If my features are not to be
seized, how are they to be remembered? Definite women have the best of
it--they are less easily forgotten, I should say."
"That would be true if one had any desire to remember them," he
returned. "But no," he corrected himself; "it is not true in any case.
Where there is only one definite set of features to forget, it is
forgotten wholly and absolutely, once that point is reached. But the
woman with the elusive features has so many sides that it would take a
long time to forget them all. And then a man is always so entrancingly
occupied calling up her picture. You let all the fleeting phases float
around you. What more engrossing than to choose among these rival
gleams of loveliness, yet find them all enchanting and precious?"
"You convince me of the absolute unforgetableness of the elusive woman,"
she laughed. Then, abruptly, she grew grave again.
When he stopped work for that morning, they both inspected the canvas
critically. "I think I have made the right beginning--you see the spirit
of the idea is all there."
"With the help of the lesson you gave me before," she ventured.
"If I continue equally well, we shall find oceans of time before the end
of the month. Wouldn't it be splendid if the Salon received it!"
She was full of joyous delight at the prospect, but, glancing at the
clock, gave an exclamation of horror. "We are forgetting lunch!"
A minute or two later Wyndham was shaking hands with the old earl, who
was gazing into his face with apparently affectionate interest.
"This is very pleasant," said the earl. "Why, bless my soul, I haven't
caught a glimpse of you for--let me see--three or four years is it? What
has been amiss? Genius starving in a garret?--eh?"
"Pretty good guess," said Wyndham.
"You look fat enough, and sleek enough," laughed the earl. "On the face
of things, I should have taken it that you've done very much better than
I have. Now, if you had had to put up with my scoundrel of a cook----"
"There was only one sauce on one occasion, father."
"So you insist, so you insist. Well, you seem pretty straight on your
feet again, my boy; so all's well that ends well."
They sat down to table.
"Making lots of nice little pictures?--eh?" recommenced the earl
genially.
"Oh, the one I am making sketches for here is rather tremendous--the
size of a wall!"
"The size of a wall!" echoed the earl. "My gracious!"
"And now Mr. Wyndham has started a tiny one of me," put in Lady Betty.
"I'm going to stand to him an hour or two every morning, and we'll send
it to the Salon next month."
"Bless my soul! That'll be a very pretty little thing."
"It's only one side of me. Mr. Wyndham thinks I've so many sides, and he
selected just one of them."
"Mr. Wyndham's a genius, but, with all deference to him, I don't see
that you've any more sides to you than I have or Mr. Wyndham has. We
have each two sides and no more." He raised his tumbler of egg-and-milk
and whiskey, and drank deeply. The others laughed.
"Oh, Mr. Wyndham thinks I'm so many persons rolled into one," explained
Lady Betty, "and that you can take your choice."
"Many persons rolled into one! You are!" said the earl emphatically,
setting down his glass. "Only I never _can_ take my choice. If Mr.
Wyndham has succeeded in doing so, I offer him my congratulations. Oh,
by the way, talking of congratulations, it is true, I suppose, that you
are going to be married!"
Lady Betty looked down and manipulated her fish.
"One of these days," said Wyndham lightly. "There is no date fixed yet."
"Ah," said the earl. "How is your _fiancee_?"
"Perfectly well," said Wyndham. "First-rate."
"A Miss--er--Llewellyn--wasn't it?"
"Miss Robinson," corrected Wyndham.
"Oh, ah--Miss Robinson! Yes, yes, that was the name--perfectly!" said
the earl. "Mind you give her my compliments and respects.... By the way,
Betty, did I tell you I'm sick of the climate? We shall have thrown out
the Embankment Bill by the end of the week, and then I can turn my back
on the House. It'll be Egypt or a voyage to Japan--why, I might meet Mr.
Wyndham on his honeymoon!--eh?--what? I'll go across to Cockspur Street
this afternoon, and see what's sailing."
"Shall I come with you, father, and help you to make up your mind?"
"If you'll be so kind," said the earl. "It was my intention to suggest
that you should accompany me a great deal further than that, but I
changed my mind just now."
"That is very considerate of you, father."
"Not at all, not at all." The earl made a movement of deprecation. "You
couldn't come till the end of the month, so I simply make a virtue of
necessity."
"You horrify me, father. You are making Mr. Wyndham think you are sorry
I am standing to him."
"It's only my fun, little girl. You don't really suppose I want my own
daughter trotting behind my tail, and keeping her watchful, charming eye
on all my doings. No, no, no! I had it in mind to suggest your joining
me as a matter of form. You might have liked it, and I wanted to do the
proper thing. But I'm only too glad of the opportunity of having you off
my hands. Mr. Wyndham was really providential. Meanwhile I shall be
proud to think of the nice little picture of you--I beg your pardon, of
one side of you--hanging in the Salon."
"If you take one of the long voyages, I presume you'll be away some
months," ventured Wyndham.
"Probably till the autumn. I assure you my daughter long since washed
her hands of me. She carries off her maid and disappears for years at
the time. When I think she's in Paris, somebody says, 'I saw your
daughter last week at Baden-Baden. How well she's looking!' When I
imagine she's in Baden-Baden, somebody says, 'I met your daughter at
Florence last week. How well she's looking!' Nowadays I never speculate
as to her whereabouts. I give her absolutely _carte blanche_. I'm
prepared to hear and believe anything of her, and what's more! to
approve of it and give her my blessing. On one point, you will observe,
the testimony is unanimous: 'How well she's looking!' That's the one
settled thing about her--and the sides of her. For I suppose no two
people ever do see the same side of her." He scrutinised her beamingly.
"Very well, father. It shall be goodbye till the autumn. We shall part
friends."
"So far as I see at present. We've to get through the week yet. You'll
lunch with us these days, Mr. Wyndham?"
Wyndham murmured his acceptance, enchanted at being so cordially
recognised as a friend of the house.