Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-06-15
The Story IF a MASTERPIECE.
BY HENRY JAMES, Jr.
IN TWO PAKTS-PARr II.
tCopyrighted.l

he said, that you have taken your revenge,
| don't mean that you've done so wantonly
or consciously. My dear fellow how could
You help iti The disappointment was pro-
portionate to the loss and the reaction to the
disappointment"
YES, That's all very well; but, meanwhile,
wait in vain to learn wherein I've done
wrong'
"Lennox looked from Baxter to the pict-
ure, and from the pi cture back to Baxter
81 defy you to tell me-" said Baxter. GIVE
simply kept Miss Ev erett as charming as she
is in life"
''Oh damn her chsrms" cried Lennox.
"If you were not the gentleman Mr.. Len
nox," continued the young man, (Which, in
spite Of your high temper, believe you to
be, should believe your
"Well, you should believe mo"
~ should believe you simply bent on cheap
aning the portrait"
Lennox made gesture of vehement impa-
4ieuce. The other burst out laughing and
The discussion closed. Baxter instinctively
tool, up his brushes and approached his can
vas with a vague desire TO detect latent
errors, while Lennox prepared to take his de-
parture.
"Stayl' said the painter, as he was leaving
the room; ''if the picture really oifends you,
Ill rub it out. Say the word,n and he took
up a heavy brush, covered with black paint
But Lennox shook his head with decision
and went out The next moment however.
he reappcared. "You may rub It oM,r he
said. "The picture is, of course, already
mine"
But now Baxter shook his head. "Ah!
now it's too late" he answered. "Your
chance is goncn
Lennox repaired directly to Mr. Everctt's
apartments. Marian was in the drawing
room with some morning callers, and her
lover sat by until she had got rid of them.
When they were alone together Marian began
to laugh at her visitors and to parody certain
of their Alterations, which she did with in
finite grace and spirit. But Lennox cut her
short and returned to the portrait. He had
thought better of his objections of the pre-
cedng evening; he liked it.
"But | wonder, Marian" he said, that
you were willing to go to Mr., Baxtcrf"
"Why sof asked Marian, on her guard.
She saw that her lover knew something, and
she intended not to commit herself until she
knew how much he knew.
AN old lover is always dangerous"
can old loverI' and Marian bluShed a
good honest blush But she rapidly recov
charming newsN
"Oh, it slipped out" said Lennox.
Marian hesitated a moment. Then with
smile: "Well, l was brave" she said. 81
VENT
How came it," pursued Lennox, THAT
you didn't tell meF'
Tell you what, my dear JohnT'
"Why, about Baxter's little passion.
Come, don't be modest"
Modest! Marian brea:Acd freely. "What
do you mean, my dear, by telling your wife
not to be modestf Pray don't ask me about
MIR. Bakers passions What do | know
about theme"
Did you know nothing of this oneN
''Ah, my dear, | know a great deal too
much for my comfort. But he's got bravely
over it, He's engaged"
Engaged, but not quite disengagcd. He's
an honest fellow, but he remembers his pen
chant. 1t was as much as he could do to
keep his picture from turning to the senti-
mental He saw you as he fancied you-as
ne wished you: and he has given you little
look of what he imagines moral loneliness,
which comes within an ace Of spelling the
picture BaXter's Imagination isn't very
strong, and this same look expresses, i'll point
of fact, nothing but inanity. Fortunately
he's man of extraordinary talent, and "a
real painter, and he's made good portrait
in spite of himself"
To such arguments as these was John Len
nox reduced, to sthe the evidence of his
senses. But when once lover begins to
doubt he cannot cease at will. In spite of
his earnest efforts to believe in Marian as be-
fore, to accept her without sciuple and with
out second thought, he was quite unable to
nf n N m u n
aversion The charm was broken, and there
is no mending a charm. Lennox stood half
aloof, watching the poor girls countenance,
weighing her words, Analysing her thoughts,
guessing at her motives.
Marians conduct Under this trying ordeal
was truly heroic. She felt that some subtle
change had taken place in her future hus-
bands feelings, change which, although
she was poweress to discover its cause, YET
obviously imperiled her prospects. Some
thing had snapped between them; she had
lost half of her power. She horribly
distressed, and the more so because that SUI
y,erior depth of character which she had al
along gladly conceded to Lennox, NIGH
now, as she conjectured, cover some bold anC
portentous design. Could he mediate a di
rect rupturel Could it be his intention t.
dash from her lips the sweet, the spiced anC
odorous cup of being the wife of a goot
natured millionaire Marian turned trem
ulous glance upon her past, and wondered i
he had discovered any dark spot Indeed
for that matter, might she not defy him t.
do 500 She had done nothing really amsS
There was no visible blot in her history.
was family discolored, indeed, by certai
vague moral dingiuess; but it compared wei
enough with that of other girls She ha
cared for nothing but pleasure; but to wha
else were girls brought ups On the whole
might she not feel Mt ease' She assured hel
self that she might; but she nevertheless fel
that if John wished to break off his engage
ment, he would do it on high abstraC
grounds, and not because she had committe
a naughtjness the more or the less 1t woul
he simply because he had ceased to love hel
Tt would avail her but little to assure hin
that she would kindly overlook this circuu
stance and remit the obligations of the hear
But, in spite of her hideous apprehension
che continued TO smile and smile,
The days passed by, and John consented {