The Common Law eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 491 pages of information about The Common Law.

The Common Law eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 491 pages of information about The Common Law.

Then flat on the cheek lay a patch of brilliant colour, another on the mouth.  A great swirl of cloud forms sprang into view high piled in a corner of the canvas.

And now he seemed to be eternally running up and down his ladder, shifting it here and there across the vast white background of canvas, drawing great meaningless lines in distant expanses of the texture, then, always consulting her with his keen, impersonal gaze, he pushed back his ladder, mounted, wiped the big brushes, selected others smaller and flatter, considering her in penetrating silence between every brush, stroke.

She saw a face and hair growing lovely under her eyes, bathed in an iris-tinted light; saw little exquisite flecks of colour set here and there on the white expanse; watched all so intently, so wonderingly, that the numbness of her body became a throbbing pain before she was aware that she was enduring torture.

She strove to move, gave a little gasp; and he was down from his ladder and up on hers before her half-paralysed body had swayed to the edge of danger.

“Why didn’t you say so?” he asked, sharply.  “I can’t keep track of time when I’m working!”

With arms and fingers that scarcely obeyed her she contrived to gather the white wool covering around her shoulders and limbs and lay back.

“You know,” he said, “that it’s foolish to act this way.  I don’t want to kill you, Miss West.”

She only lowered her head amid its lovely crown of hair.

“You know your own limits,” he said, resentfully.  He looked down at the big clock:  “It’s a full hour.  You had only to speak.  Why didn’t you?”

“I—­I didn’t know what to say.”

“Didn’t know!” He paused, astonished.  Then:  “Well, you felt yourself getting numb, didn’t you?”

“Y-yes.  But I thought it was—­to be expected”—­she blushed vividly under his astonished gaze:  “I think I had better tell you that—­that this is—­the first time.”

“The first time!”

“Yes....  I ought to have told you.  I was afraid you might not want me.”

“Lord above!” he breathed.  “You poor—­poor little thing!”

She began to cry silently; he saw the drops fall shining on the white wool robe, and leaned one elbow on the ladder, watching them.  After a while they ceased, but she still held her head low, and her face was bent in the warm shadow of her hair.

“How could I understand?” he asked very gently.

“I—­should have told you.  I was afraid.”

He said:  “I’m terribly sorry.  It must have been perfect torture for you to undress—­to come into the studio.  If you’d only given me an idea of how matters stood I could have made it a little easier.  I’m afraid I was brusque—­taking it for granted that you were a model and knew your business....  I’m terribly sorry.”

She lifted her head, looked at him, with the tears still clinging to her lashes.

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Project Gutenberg
The Common Law from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.