Five Nights
ad made trips up there already for the sake of taking photographs of the people and the s
e you to have tea with the pr
invitation to accept, a
s own cabin, which was next mine, and as I heard him laughing, I concluded he was joking and thought no more about it. However, as the ship glided up over flat she
oods of yellow sunshine filled all the shining air. The green copper dome of the c
h with a mat before it on which the owner had set out his little store of wares-bottles of vari
ns looked up at us with quaint brown
ou to buy, but wat
nd, "we'll go up and get t
gazing about interested in this quaint lit
ght hand. I followed, and saw we had entered a little square court or compound, simila
walls about seven feet high, and numerous
house door, and we found ourselves in a very small, dark passage, hung with red
below the level of the street. There were diminutive windows in the outer wall, but they were close to the low ceiling and though the glorious light from without tried hard to come in, it was successfully obstructed by little rush blinds of red and green. The rushes were placed vertically side by side and fastened together with st
and sat down on some very ordinary American chairs, a hideous note in the
ley," I said as I took m
ng on the table. At the touch of his finger the head of the figure disappeared betwee
ins that hung over the doorway part
ry spirit of poetic girlhoo
eighteen years; seventeen or eighteen according to our
ped. The eyes inclined a little to the Chinese shape, but were large, wide, and well-opened and brimming to the lids with extraordinary light and fire; delicately narrow black eyebrows arched above on the
by the earrings of turquoise-blue stone that swung aga
e darkness that lies behind closed lids! How often I was back in the crimson darkness of the tin
dressed, yet so fitl
white muslin vest. Her skirts hung like the full trousers of Persian women, and
do, Suzee?"
ned the girl lightly, smiling and sho
want some tea? Ve
d disappeared as rapidly and
Morley wit
ovely, p
she's married, old man, so don't you thi
dulously, "that child? Im
. She has a great roarin
Yes, horrible. You've spoiled
hat's the sort that does these things, isn't it?
h an exquisite sight float before one for a moment, and then to be roughly d
n her hands which she set on our table, and deftly a
a faint scent of roses reached me from the little buds behind her ear. The blue stones
asked Morley with a tone
ll, thank you,
you bring him in?" he continued,
," she returned nonchalantly, and, in spite of
n her arms an enormous baby. Its face was red, and it was roaring lustily. The girl-mother did not seem disturbed in the least by
tely dainty mother. She was short and small, and the child really, a
oy he is," re
e?" said the
ed down its scarlet face, and it dug its
s in pain,"
llowing. She might have been deaf for all the effect it had upon her. She stood there placidly holding it, though it seemed very heavy
suddenly I should like to paint it, just as
one, certainly not the British pu
one at that. "Beauty and the Beast" would
bsorbingly beautiful than the mother; n
the smallest notice of it; she laid one shapely hand on the small of its back, as if to make sure it was there, and continued her convers
al of yells, during which the baby rolled, apparently in the las
ting her glorious almond eyes to m
s," I said evasively, "and I don
" she returned composedly;
about the child's waist, as a tired gardener ha
relessly did she seem to manage it, and as she rose and carried it to the do
happy child was hauled to a back room, I drew a breath of relief and began to drink my
ou to be di
is a divine piece of physical beauty.
old curmudgeon of a husban
a temper, judging by his offspring,"
g one up between supple fingers. She had an air of extraordinary unruffled placidity. The dragging about of the child had not disturbed her d
Suzee?" questione
ned, and my spirits leapt up at her words. Her husband awa
hat sweet little dainty curves showed beneath the blue silk jacket and sleeve! What a glo
him laying down on the table the money for ou
out before dinner, hadn't w
azing a
sked her. "Later in the evening perhaps
rise in those wonderful eyes, b
but I don't walk, I smoke and go to sleep. But I will come w
tive of surprise and disappro
ere at six; so don't be as
of the little room into the passage. In the outer court, as we passed t
best of it,"
h that girl. Do be careful or you'll have
turned laughing. "You hav
is unearthly boat. Aren't you g
k up something. I thought six when all the men
you going to
pose for me,
hing
s in life," I a
arded me t
o manage to ha
ust the same if y
answered slowly. "I am not so devilishly
difference with women, do you think? Isn't it rather a p
ot that. I don't think I have. I don't seem to wa
e gold, light-filled streets towards the church now, and
em I should think it'
ry much and you get it, and have no end of fun. I don't want it and
brain-do enjoy everything tremendously. They have such a much wider field of desires, as you say; a
with that girl if you don't look out. Here we are at the church. T
ed on the chairs for a few minutes
y pulses were beating merrily. I was keenly alive. Morley was right in what he said. An artist is Nature's pet, and she has mixed all his blood wit
n burning spice, apparently, before one of the idols that stood
doing?" I said. "H
ills to chase away the
ze
any here?"
white foreign devils," she ret
aug
ind," I expostulated. "Is
up with a
weetly-her eyes were black lakes with fire moving in thei
in of the cheeks dimpled and the b
n her, and put up my hand gently to touch one. S
e others upstairs. Will you c
d we went on down the passage and then up th
horror, as we reached the small square land
n one corner. The windows were mere narrow horizontal slits close to the ceiling. In the centre, blocking up all the space, stood a high narrow chest. It looked very old, of blackened wood
ad, I would buy them if I could for my cousin Viola, I thought. Viola was exce
quickly. "I have a pair here ju
I like. Do you want to sell th
e wall and looked in hastily, fearfully, as if she thought that by w
blue stones and her own cream-hued skin, and the value of it in setting
er, going to the pile of scarlet
to rearrange them for me with Oriental politeness. I sat down, dra
ee," I said; "I have so
l portfolio of some of my sketches with the object of introducing the subject of her posing for me. I opened it and drew out the topmost sketch. It was the figure of a young Italian girl lying on a green
ace with her hands. Over any portion I could still see of it spread the Eastern's
prise. There was nothing in the picture which would
fingers before her face and looking at me with one eye through them. Then she made
aug
se 'things,' as you call them, are not only very much looked at, but also ad
ough her fingers with both
quickly shutting her fingers. "It
able girl. I have quantities of these portraits and sketches. Look here,
d up her and looked down at them with alar
as a dissenting minister's wife; and lowered her eye
sketches together and pus
"that I might have your picture, too;
r like that? I would die first." Her face had thickened all ov
er waist, drew her to me, and pressed my lips on the ridiculous little s
I said, laughing, as I released her. "What do you thin
ing her pliable body only
he admitted; "but it's
ad-not so wicked?"
rly," she retur
draw them would not let me kiss them-some of them," I added. "So, you see, it's a matt
nows. It is gone." She spread out her hands and waved them in the air with an e
ir. In life one must always take exactly what it offers, and neither refuse its goods nor ask for more,
ce for some seconds, mus
tkar-i-buccheesh,'" I
ned and made a rapid
e asked. "It sound
red. "This city has given you to me, has i
owards me as a flower swayed by the breeze, h
a devil," I said laugh
are an awful
evils," returned
enly before my vision-a face all white and g
band say to all this
l him quite different. He
gh me. Deceit of any kind specially repels me, and deceit
ctively, for she said next, in a pl
cruel, he beats
he lay in the cradle of m
Lee did beat his wife; moreover, the delicate, fragile, untouched beauty of the g
eeve with some trouble from one velvet-skinned arm and pushed it up before
! Look at t
it, then at
ur husband mak
ard in a rage with me,"
your arm,
sleeve back a little farther, and in it found a heavy gold bangle with
pressed into the flesh," I said, "that has marked it. That is about what his c
charm of her beauty. Her prudery, her deceit, her
w herself on her knees, clasping her a
t because he is better and stronger than she. Because he has great muscles, as you have, and could kill her, and because she can't
e moment when I had been drawn to her had go
ked her hands and put he
w I will come and take you for a walk. You must
e, but did not offer to mo
m, went down the stairs and through the pas
on the long twist of fair hair that lay upon his shoulders. The whole air was full of incense that rose in white clouds to the domed roof. I sat down near the door and listened while the priest intoned a Latin hymn. The figure of the young priest at the altar attract
these I got out a sheet of loose paper and made a sketch of the fair, long-haired priest, with the quain
some time I was sudde
hy, I thought you would be in the a
up from the sketch, "but I got put off someh
urst out
as offended you, has she? Do you know, I think that's where we ordinary people get ahead of fellows like you. You are too sensitive. We'
painting i
don't they?" he remarked after a moment, as
que, don't you
d the Briton stoutly.
d the portrait, slipped it into my portf
inner?" asked Morley.
But, now you mention it, perhaps I am. Do you
where you can have soup and bread," repl
nd saw that strange colour in it of the Alaskan sunset that I have never found in any other sky, a bright magenta, or deep h
other cloud, no other colour appeared anywhere in the sky. It was painted
ll ever shows this tone of colour. Pink, scarlet, rose, and all the shades of blood or flame
en fade, and softly disappear as