Literary Love-Letters and Other Stories

and finding no response, tried stones at the windows above. She kept saying to herself, to keep up her courage: "He wo

joke; but wait a bit, a

ce downward in disgust and covered with paint-rags, lay scattered about. She tip-toed around, carefully raising her skirt, and examined everything. Finally,

ist of me at six in th

nswering thrush. Miss Marston gave a sigh of content. The warm, strong sunlight strengthened her and filled her wan cheeks, as the sudden interest in the artist's life seemed to have awakened once more the vigor of her feelings. She clasped her thin hands and accepted both blessings. Clayton also revived. At first he leant

" said Miss Ma

replied, "that su

it, but it will do as well as any

u want those a

oment: her lazy artist could scatter insults a

didn't come here

rised, opened his sle

rston, I can't insult anybo

in preparing his brushes. Miss Marston had to leave him just as he was ready to throw himself into his work. He was discontented, and, instead of improving the good light an

that

sat vacantly watching the young man at work. Her only standard of accomplishment was quantity. One day, when Clayton had industriously employed a rainy afternoon in putting in the drapery for the figure, she

like that," the woman

jabber about

o realize her position of galley-slave, and welcom

a certain favorite club that she wanted to see him. He called at her modest hotel, dejected, listless, and somewhat shamefaced; he found Miss Marston calm and commonplace as usual. But it was the calm of a desperate resolve, won after

on was that he never expected the conventional. It did not occur to him as particularly absurd that this woman, ten years his senior, should hunt him up in this fashion. He took such eccentri

interest and enthusiasm in my poor attempts have been most kind, my dear Miss Marston. But you must allow me to go to the dogs in my own fash

erhaps, but I know you ought to do something more than talk. You're terribly ambitious, but you're too weak to do anything but talk. I don't care what you think about my interferen

n, slowly, "I believe you're a

enthusiasm had evaporated under the influence of a long railroad ride. While they were waiting for the steamer at the Mount De

ill never succeed," he added, gloomily. "Of course I am greatly obliged and all that, and I will stick

omething to show for his day. She never attempted to criticise except as to the amount performed, and she soon learned enough not to measure this by the area of canvas. Although Clayton had abandoned the Magdalen in utter disgust, Miss Marston persisted in the early morning sittings. She made herself useful in preparing his coffee and in getting his canvas ready

the town, and the island and sea resumed the air of free-hearted peace which was theirs by right. Clayton wo

the last of September. "I really don't know the first thing about co

r?" asked Miss Marston

much that I have lost a lot I

you get-get

lly. "I am pretty old t

ars to my name, and a

d at the usual hour and made the coffee. After Clayton had fi

I'm sick of living about like a neglected cat, and I am going to New York to-to keep boarde

dence a burden?" comment

lied. "And if I were a man," she went on, with gre

st isn't a man," remarked Clayton,

e that," Miss Marston remar

pretty often! But con

differences in temp

nd out of them I think I shall find enough boarders-enough to keep me from starving. And th

"and you're thinking that

ted Miss Marston

for you don't suppose that I a

nwilling. But you can borrow two or three hundred dollars from your brother, and by the time that's g

ms and looked into her face. She

began, but the w

't be quite such a brute, for you are a brute, a grasping, egotistical, intolerant brute." She

shment. "I think I was going to

e 'stuff that dreams are made on.' You want some noble young woman-a goddess