“Good for you to be disillusioned.”

“I’m not in the least, with her.  She is a divine piece of physical beauty.  I wish I could get her on my canvas.”

“You won’t be able to; that old curmudgeon of a husband of hers will see to that.”

“I should think he has the devil of a temper, judging by his offspring,” I answered.  “She looks sweet enough.”

Morley nodded, and we finished our tea in silence.  Suzee came back presently with cigarettes for us and sat down on the floor herself, rolling one up between supple fingers.  She had an air of extraordinary unruffled placidity.  The dragging about of the child had not disturbed her dress nor heated her face.  In cool, tranquil, placid beauty she sat and rolled cigarettes while the child’s cries dimly echoed in the distance.

“Where’s the boss, Suzee?” questioned Morley presently.

“He has gone down to Fort Wrangle for two days,” she returned, and my spirits leapt up at her words.  Her husband away for two days!  Perhaps there was a chance for a picture....

My eyes swept over her seated on the floor in front of us.  What exquisite supple lines!  What sweet little dainty curves showed beneath the blue silk jacket and sleeve!  What a glory of light and passionate expression in the liquid dark eyes when she raised them to us!

After a few minutes Morley got up, and I saw him laying down on the table the money for our tea.  I added my share, and Morley remarked,

“We’d better go and walk about before dinner, hadn’t we?  You’d like a look round?”

I was gazing at Suzee.

“Do you have any time to yourself?” I asked her.  “Later in the evening perhaps when you could come for a walk with me.”

Suzee looked up.  There was surprise in those wonderful eyes, but I thought I saw pleasure too.

“At six,” she said.  “I close the restaurant for a short time, but I don’t walk, I smoke and go to sleep.  But I will come with you if it is not too far,” she added as an after-thought.

Morley gave a whistle, indicative of surprise and disapproval, but I answered composedly.

“Very well, I shall come here at six; so don’t be asleep and fail to let me in!”

Suzee laughed and shook her head, and we picked up our hats and went out of the little room into the passage.  In the outer court, as we passed through, we saw most of the tables occupied, and an elderly woman serving.

“We had the best of it,” I remarked.

“Yes, rather.  But you are going ahead with that girl.  Do be careful or you’ll have the old terror of a husband down on you.”

“You introduced me,” I returned laughing.  “You have all the responsibility.”

“You know dinner’s at six on this unearthly boat.  Aren’t you going to get any dinner to-night?”

“I’m not very particular about it.  I shall pick up something.  I thought six when all the men would be back on board would be her free time.”