Five Nights

year found us install

for the

n Egypt, and had come back with our eyes full of colour, armed a

and Mrs. Lonsdale. There had been no difficulty so far. Every o

made a fairly large and convenient one. We kept on the old

th were sold, the "Phryne" for five thousand pounds, the "Soul of the Wood" for four thou

assion for each other. Viola had written her operetta, and it had been taken for a London theatre. A Captain Lawton had written the libretto under the title of the "Lily of Cant

draining the honey from each new blossom and passing on. New places, new skies, new scenes had a

pt crept into my pictures, the cry of impassioned Eastern music i

tea in our tiny and gimcrack drawing-room tog

ner to-night," Viola remarked. "Lawton tells me he saw the

called here this morning, and wanted me to take her on as a mode

?" asked Vi

n't mind," I ans

. You must want a new model by now. Do enga

's very lovely. Veronica she calls herself. I thou

model for your Roman Forum picture," returned Viola. And then the matt

ronica. I was pleased, interested, elated. The girl was really bea

out sixteen, with a skin of velvet, dark, quite dark, but clear as wine, and with a wonderful red flush glowing through the cheek; the eyes were brilliant, brown to blackness, but full of fire and lustre; her hair, dark as midnight, clustered and

ung person keenly observed my admiration. She smiled, re

. "I have two hours to spare in the

tist have her; not till I had painted her at

o any one else?" I

amily. We are very poor. My mother and

y. All models tell you tha

will take all your time. You

and the lovely cri

if you take the five hou

ever, I don't mind. I'll pay you if I find you sit well. Take off your hat

ively. Now that her hat had been removed I could see the extraordinary wealth and beauty of her hair. It was black with lights of r

he Bacchanalia was slain by the enraged Bacchantes. Suppose I put this one in the foreground.... But then it seemed a pity to spoil such a lovely face with a look of rage.... Well, anyway, let me have a sketch first, and see what inspiration came to me. I got up and looked amongst my odd possessions for a vine-leaf wreath I had. When I found it and some ivy le

my ha

han't employ you," I sa

out her c

to be an artist; they

h a sudden rush of delight I had. The face was just perfect now: the head a little inclined, the leaves in t

dy of it in colour. Her neck, like that of almost all Italians, was a shade too short, but round and lovely in shape and

thered the sheets

in three to six. Are you tired?" I added, as

g her head. "All that was

urried to take much notice of it. I wan

k then," I repeated

at the table. I went over to the window where

rfectly beautiful!" she exclaim

at well, and what

d with p

rnoon and see the model, see me work. Say y

"I'll say we want tea up there. What a good idea

l the background, everything, green vines with clusters of purple grapes, and then have her dancing down the sort

e lovely," Viola answered

cross at h

odel for the body?" I said gent

to be selfish, and I do think y

only

always please and amuse and satisfy the man she loves. How delightful it would be if one could change! One can be pretty, one can b

aug

ly changed into some one else! And whatever models I have, you will alwa

an absent look c

together, and Viola was ensconced in my arm

of the morning. Directly she saw Viola, however, she seeme

epeated, "and

ly and laid down the cha

head here and thinking it s

ittle ungraciously in return, a

nged the fillet on her head, and set

rl to get up and move about if she liked, and I set the canvas aside to dry. Viola offered the girl a c

the great sweetness of the expression in the

head to dry, I could not work more on it then, and asked her if she would pose for

ica looked down and began to pull a

repeated m

re," she muttered i

t the resentment

annoyance. "You can pose befo

, only pulled in sullen

g my time," I s

oked throug

clothes before her," s

Viola who had not moved from her chair on the other

d quickly. "Is it bothering you? Becaus

I'm so sorry, Viola; i

ed brightl

l go. You'll be

ed through and went down the stairs. I waited till her bright head

s. Will you get up and stand as I want y

e by my invitation, she had deprived herself of any possible society for the aft

from the couch and beg

o the armchair Viola had vacated,

nd yet what an awful little devil

good temper or self-command, that I was beginnin

air down, and it fell prettily on her shoulders. I laid down the

in the sense that all healthy, sound, young, well-formed things are, but there was, as it were, no soul in the beauty, nothing transcend

tapering, never coming to a sudden stop, but merging with infinite grace into the next, and the dazzling, immaculate whiteness of it all made it seem like something of

ves quick and expressionless; it would do capitally for the "Bacchant

iable. Most people are when they have got their

green curtain. Now put one foot forward as if you were advanc

to hold as an arch over her, and p

d still, and let's se

able practice, and I obtained an excellent sketch before a

own work. When she had her hat on I looked

"we'll leave it till

d-b

that in my former easy, wandering existence I had always welcomed a beautiful model, not only for the gain to my art, but because of the incidental pleasure it might bring me. But now I realised suddenly that this girl's beauty brought

my whole sleeping being into flame, and given me those keener and stronger desires of the brain, and satisfied them; and till now it had seemed to me that this passion for her was a free gift from the hands of Fate. Now, suddenly, I saw tha

n has its yoke, and that, in return for the great

laze of light that the simple incident of this model'

extra added to my life's-cup that made it full to overflowing, but,

was overjoyed, but who on taking it to the nursery to add to his other treasures, s

not help feeling regret for those other small, glittering toys with which I had

hether she came to the studio again or not except for the picture, but the

sing marriage with me; but, after all, wha

thing that cannot be eliminated from it-is the

t last I rose mechanically, put the sheet

ing as the inspiration came to her, and wholly absorbed and unconscious of my presence. There was a great glass facing her, in which her whole image was reflected, and ha

he thoughts and reflections of an hour back seemed swept out of mind like dead leaves before a storm. No other lighter loves could give me one-tenth of the emotion that the pursuit and conq

at watching her. That body, so slim, so perfect, she had given me, but I w

o wonderfully happy, so independent of me, so unconscious of me; but man loves that which is above him, difficult to

charmed circle in which she lived, in making her yield up

verything to her, and not even

on the couch where I was sitting and g

a divine melody rose from it, floating

rough it all and seemed a fierce reproach of one in anguish. At last one sheet of sound seemed to sweep the piano from end to end, a cry of dismay, o

one awakening from a dream;

ou were so absorbed, you

d waited for you to come down; but you were

ite well, appare

over her face, and she str

ence," she said; "and you know that quite wel

silence, longing to conquer, to come into union wi

of that which always escapes from our most passio