An Engagement of Convenience

his adventure of the previous evening. His next thought was one of pleasure that he had at last carried out his resolution of rising early. The autumn had developed with unusual

nter again on the contest with men. As his thought ran back through the past intolerable year or two, his inaction and sloth seemed almost incredible. He saw himself rising at midday, suffering moral tor

ticable odds and ends, mere bits of wreckage from his disastrous life's venture. Then, too, the filth and disorder all around him struck him brusquely, stung him to annoyance. On every

must return to the luxury of a daily bed-maker. This preoccupation with household things took off the k

lloy. He might explain the situation to Mr. Robinson, and ask for money in advance; but that seemed as impolitic as it was repugnant in this new rapture of fine upstanding dignity. Payment of the quarter's rent that was already due could be

, and at last they had turned up. But he did not at all dislike the Robinsons: they were very much better than the great run of their class-they had evidently ideals, and aspired to a higher degree of refinement than they as yet possessed, or, perhaps, were capa

s of enthusiasm on the part of the observer, might even be conceived to be there. Yes, the profile was undoubtedly the thing: that way, too, the great coil of hair could be handled the more effectively. Indeed, it seemed to him that, taking into consideration her dark eye with its soft lashes, and the long shapely arms, and the exquisite ivory tones of the old l

rt of Lady Betty, in fact: he might as well admit he had Lady Betty in mind! Such a portrait, appropriately conceived, would form a remarkable pendant to this one. Then, too, he might make another dash at his masterpiece! Such a display of versatility in the

, however, affected a cheerful good morning to the postman; then, no sooner alone, tore open the letter, with the bitter taste of yesterday's scene with his sister full in his throat. To his astonishment, he pulled out two five-pound Bank of England notes, and only a few words accompanied them. "Dearest," she wrote,-"Since you left me to-day I have suffered beyond endurance. That you will ever forgive me for my harshness I cannot hope. I am t

e was inflicting on her. What it must have cost her to gather up her strength for tha

w only too clearly that at bottom it was a failure of strength. The idea of using the money was singularly distasteful; ev

for the present in the hope that counsel would come to him later. And in the meanwhile he went on with his programme. He tidied his papers, went to hunt out his old charwo

folk jacket and knickerbockers was making purchases at one of the counters, and his back seemed not unfamiliar. Wyndham brought out his list and was going through the various items wi

!" he e

ith laughter, and Wyndham's

I've just ferreted out your address; yo

ted," said Wyndham genially. "

es. Gee! First-rate! Cheapest place in Europe-exchange thirty-five to the sovereign-and lots of good eating. Went to see a bit of V

en there," s

te freshness for him, after the long interval since their last meeting. He was pleased at the enco

of years at Munich; saw som

his, though," said Wyndham. "I remem

and then I came right along here. Been getting lots of fun in London; been round with the boys, and had a rattling good time. Taking the opportunity, too, of getting some nice suits of clothes." And here Sadler turned abruptly from art, and plunged into sartorial details. His interest in such mat

at last

mpelled to ask, observing that Wyndham was exercising

Wyndham. "Not a bad

er, his face shining en

ham, "and I've rathe

They were running your work down-some of the boys, and I said they were ta

gging his shoulders. After all, the past had to be lived dow

of you. You always d

y. You just go ahead, and you'll

est," said Wy

said Sadler. "Perhaps this portrait

inquired

e a job or two-you can always put decent work into them. Now there's Jim Harley-he struck a rich middle-class lot ten years ago,

me. After all, the main thin

married young. A boy and girl affair. His wife's family weren't satisfied with his financial p

prove of idealist

forty, and I've seen

w places in London where the food was fit to eat! Why, the cooking was even better than at Lavenue's in the Quarter, and that was saying a great deal. He, Sadler, could not endure any other place during his sojournings in London. Wyndham let the dear fellow gallop on to his heart's content. Sadler was a fine painter, and in the old days Wyndham as the junior had sat at his feet, and in the matter of techn

own, grumbled a little, held a fussy colloquy with the waiter, and finally ordered oys

genius, and was painting awful stuff out in California; and Snyders, who had shared his studio, had built himself a Moorish house high up on a mountain-side overlooking the Gulf of Salerno; a third had settled down to "black-and-white" in a queer little creeper-clad house in St. John's Wood; a fourth was decorating a municipal building at Toronto. Marlowe was still in the avenue du Maine, where t

tinies had found definite declaration and were visible to all Wyndham expressed his pleasure that his own future, on the cont

But I'm forty, and I tell you I'd give up the interest of the drama for a safe income, and th

gain," said Wyndham; "not for itself, but f

f? And I tell you what, my boy, the right thing for an artist is to marry a woman with

So that's what you were driving at! T

claimed Sadler. "But you can't go on f

rdid," insisted Wyndham, shuddering v

gh to steady things. Taking it all round, we artists have less chance of making money for ourselves than other men of the same

r about. If a man marries to make himself comfortable, he's no better than a contented pig wallowing in m

outed Sadler. He lifted a juicy morsel to his

," admitte

wrought himself up to a tense excitement, and put the question with a hoarse shout. "Nothing! It prints your name in the papers, it talks about you at dinner parties! Painting is starvation-painting is death! By the time you've worried along till you're forty, you begin to see a bit straight, my boy. Look around you-what do you see on all sides? You see the best of us and the luckiest of us fixing up some pretty little nook here in

ndham; "but I detest it. Better to

get everything in life. Life's a compromise. You've got to give and take. And when women have money, you'll find they understand these things better than when they haven't. A romantic boy runs after a rosy-cheeked, bread-and-butter miss with nothing. The chit gives herself airs, expects what the

things might happen even if

re; look how the husband and wife are comrades and stick together. I tell you the French system is the best in the world. Every girl brings her husband a do

very elastic as to the type of person, whereas, for my own part," he declared, with the Lady Betty type in his mind

or ideals, you'll never get

m. "For instance, I could never marry a woman who wasn't i

too obviously beautiful, you'll have every man a mile round making love to her, like flies round a h

hance all that,

beauty?" in

I see it," la

a sort of sweet reasonableness, of course. If a woman's features aren't quite classic

nly half a sovereign, then felt in his pockets for loose silver. "It's rather awkward," he said, pulling the longest of faces. "I'm af

en swiftly Wyndham accepted the situation, and threw down one of

aid Sadler. "You pay this

hange, the conversation had passed on to the

eplacing the furniture. A not unpleasant tinge of turpentine permeated the atmosphere. The oak presses, newly polished with beeswax, shone and glow

w sensation of spotlessness, appreciating the professional hand, the skill of which had never be

hese seasons of leanness! You will guess that I am now ambitious of getting to grips again with the big picture. I have taken a deep and engrossing look at it again, and I see how to resolve all its difficulties, I daresay, by the spring. I know this letter will make you happy, so, fo

t you to come here as soon as I have made some headway with the new work, as I should like yo

oving b

lte