lip, for a hot flush came to his temples as the last words in the letter he had burned rose before him: “cast consequences to the winds and come to you.”
He shivered at the idea, as for the moment he saw the beautiful, passionate woman standing before him with her pleading eyes and outstretched hands.
“No!” he cried aloud, “she would not go to the man who treats her with silence and – ”
“Did you call me, mon ami?” said a voice at the door.
“No, old fellow; I’m coming,” cried Dale; and then to himself, as one who has mastered self. “That is all past and gone – in ashes to the winds. Now for work.”
Chapter Eight.
In the Scales
“Nothing like hard work. I’ve conquered,” said Dale to himself one morning, as he sat toiling away at his big picture, whose minor portions were standing out definitely round the principal figure, which had been painted in again and again, but always to be cleaned off in disgust, and was now merely sketched in charcoal.
He was waiting patiently for the model who was to attend to stand for that figure – the figure only – for Pacey’s idea had taken hold, and, though he could not dwell upon it without a nervous feeling of dread, and asking himself whether it was not dangerous ground to take, he had determined, as he thought, to prove his strength, to endeavour to idealise the Contessa’s features for his Juno. It was the very countenance he wished to produce, and if he could have caught her expression and fixed it upon canvas that day when the Conte entered, so evidently by preconcerted arrangement with Lady Grayson, the picture would have been perfect.
“It need not be like her,” he argued; “it is the expression I want.”
He knew that in very few hours he could produce that face with its scornful eyes, but he always put it off.
After a time, when the trouble there was not so fresh, it would be more easy – “and the power to paint it as I saw it then have grown faint,” he added in despair, with the consequence that between the desire to paint a masterpiece, and the temptation to which he had been exposed, the face of Lady Dellatoria was always before him, sleeping and waking; though had he made a strong effort to cast out the recollection of those passionate, yearning eyes, the letters he received from time to time would have kept the memory fresh.
“At last!” he cried that morning, as steps were heard upon the stairs. “But she has not a light foot. I remember, though: they told me that she was a fine, majestic-looking woman.”
There was a tap at the door.
“Come in.”
Jupiter himself, in the person of Daniel Jaggs, thrust in his noble head.
“All right, Emperor, come in,” said Dale, going on painting, giving touches to the background of his Olympian scene, with its group of glowing beauties, who were to be surpassed by the majesty of the principal figure still to come. “What is it? Don’t want you to-day.”
“No, sir. I knowed it was a lady day, but I’ve come with a message from one.”
“Not from Lady – ”
He ceased speaking, and his heart beat heavily. Jaggs had been to and from Portland Place with the canvas. Had she made him her messenger?
“Yes, sir; from Lady Somers Town.”
“What?” cried Dale, with a sigh of relief, though, to his agony, he felt that he longed to hear from the Contessa again.
“Lady Somers Town, sir; that’s what Mr Pacey used to call her. Miss Vere Montesquieu of the Kaiserinn.”
“Miss Vere Montesquieu!” said Dale contemptuously.
“Well, that’s what she calls herself, sir. Did you say what was her real name, sir?”
“No, I didn’t, but I thought it. Oh, by the way, Jaggs, I must have another sitting or two from you. We haven’t quite caught the expression of Jupiter’s lips.”
“No, sir, we haven’t, sir,” said the model, looking at the canvas wistfully. “I know azactly what you want, but it’s so hard to put it on.”
“It is, Jaggs.”
“You want him to be looking as he would if he was afraid of his missus, and she’d just found him out at one of his games.”
“That’s it.”
“Well, sir, I’ll try again. Perhaps I can manage it next time. I was a bit on the other night, and I did get it pretty warm when I went home. I’ll try and feel like I did then, next time I’m a settin’.”
“Yes, do,” said Dale, who kept on with his work. “Ah, that’s better. Well, you were going to say something. Is anything wrong?”
“Well, sir, I’m only a poor model, and it ain’t for me to presoom.”
“Lookers-on see most of the game, Jaggs. What is it?”
“Well, sir, I was looking at Jupiter’s corpus.”
“Eh? See something out of drawing?”
“No, sir; your nattomy’s all right, of course. Never see it wrong. You’re splendid on ’ticulation, muskle, and flesh. But that’s Sam Spraggs as sat for the body, wasn’t it?”
“Yes; I’ve fitted it to your head.”
“Well, sir, not to presoom, do you feel sure as it wouldn’t be more god-like, more Jupitery as you may say, if you let me set, painted that out, and give the head the proper body. Be more nat’ral like, wouldn’t it?”
“No. What’s the matter with that? – the composition of a more muscular man with your head is, I think, excellent.”
“But it ain’t nat’ral like, sir. You see, Sam’s too fat.”
“Oh no, Jaggs. He only looks as if Hebe and Ganymede had poured him out good potions of a prime vintage, and as if the honey of Hybla often melted in his mouth.”
“Well, sir, you knows best. Maria Budd says – ”
“Who?”
“Miss Montesquieu, sir. She’s old Budd’s – the Somers Town greengrocer’s – gal.”
“Humph! Idiot! Well, what message has she sent? Not coming again?”
“No, sir. She’s very sorry, sir; but she’s got an engagement to early dinner at Brighton to-day, and won’t only be back in time to take her place in the chorus to-night.”
“Confound the woman! I shall never get the figure done. Do you know of any one else, Jaggs?”
“No, sir; and I’m afraid that you won’t after all be satisfied with her.”
“All, well, you needn’t wait. Seen Mr Pacey lately?”
“Yes, sir. Looks very ill, he do. Good morning, sir.”
“Good morning.”
