ork, he began to speak. Like many
other people, he has not the slightest objection to the infringing of
his own rules. It only behooves others to obey them.

"That's Miss Sophia Van Rossum," he told me, taking his short pipe out
of his mouth and putting it down on his stool. "She's been coming in
from Southampton three times a week, to pose. Drives her own car, you
know, and has been arrested a dozen times for speeding. So I finished
the face and hands first, and now I'm sticking in the dress. Don't need
her for that."

"Very rich people, are they not?" I asked.

"You bet. Zinc and lead, I believe; the old man made it in. Fine buxom
creature, isn't she? And mighty good hearted in her way. She hasn't much
more brains than a linnet, I think, and she swims and rows and shoots.
Golf and tennis, too. Found her rather hard to paint, because it's
difficult for her to keep still. Keeps on asking indignantly why I put
blue on her nose, and reaching out for the box of chocolates. I told her
last time I couldn't paint her with one cheek all bulged out with
_pralines_. It made her laugh, and I lost fifteen minutes before I could
quiet her down."

He worked hard for another ten minutes, during which I considered that
he was rather severe on the young lady, or else had idealized her, which
is not a habit of his. To me she looks kindly and not a bit
unintelligent, a rather fine specimen of the robustious modern young
woman. Gordon picked up his brushes.

"That'll do," he said. "The light is changing. Now what the devil do you
want? Awfully glad to see you."

My friend is a good listener. I told him about Frances Dupont, giving
him a brief account of her story and explaining that Frieda and I wanted
to find something for her to do.

"Of course," I finally said, "I suppose that you are going away very
soon to spend the rest of this hot summer in the country. Otherwise, I
would have asked if you couldn't make use of her for a model, at least
till we can find something else."

"I'm not going away yet," he answered, "and I emphatically cannot employ
her, or, at any rate, I won't, which comes to the same thing. Hitherto I
have kept my serenity of mind unimpaired by the simple process of
fighting shy of females in distress. There are lots of models who can be
depended on to keep their mouths shut and not bother a fellow. My
interest is in my picture and nothing else, and I refuse to have it
diverted by the economical problems of la