The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-24

This completed the decentralization Of the
table. Whatever Herr H0fmeyer was as a
teacher, he was, in person, a short. stout,
old man. and had II been possible to mag
Inc the angular English woman as Tltauia
. the only conclusion to he drawn would
I have been that she had found her Bottom.
| ON the following morning Elizabeth set
| out for the dreaded interview with her
| rival
His studio was at the end Of an alley of
chestnuts which filed she air with a
| vague scented fragrance.
The blossoms seemed to her like VOIiVe
! candles the altar of spring. The green
! rooted avenue was a cathedral aisle. foot
! ed by inenab!e presences. The hymuing
/ birds were heavens chUristers.
! This vivid uplifting of spirit was not the
! best preparation for her task, and the
/ shock with which she always descended
| from these flights onto the lower levels Of
/ existence was more painful than usual
! when she found herself ringing Herr Hof-
meyers bell
| She sent up her card, and after citing
| for some time in the parents pI"lor was
| shown upstairs to the studio. or. as she
described 1t to herself. that laboratory of
uPliness."
The man she found In possession Was not
Herr Hofmeyer, however. ami he was evil
| IDENTIFY painting something that he saw
! through the window. and had his back to-
ward the door. He did not move as she
entered.
''Pardon-a moment. I've just got it,"
She had the fullest sympathy with such
absorption. and remained uuIety standing
In the middle of the room.
She glanced round at the vacu9us Ma
doHnas in their deriVative poses and their
robes of mutually destructive cornr The
grossly vanished surfaces q ye me- q SEN
sdiion Of physical sickuass
And il was that she also might t.rrarre
such things-that ~i,e might dcsecrate
beauty by this h.aspnemy VI tinted ten
cles-that she was there!
Her eye, to its immense comfort. lit on
an unpretentious little canvas. stuck in
congruously among the cihcri
II seemed delicate, vague She crossed
with impulsive delight, to examine il. n
morning.
Living. as she did far from art centres
ana in bourgeois set. she had not even |
heard of the impresslOnist school She
ls ~ II thal inns specimen of it was one
OF Herr iofmeyer's unfinished landscapes
On why does he ever finish them2" she |
slEhed Up TO this point they are right" /
The artist had seen exactly what she ,
saw. This was the record Of that first |
vague aIl-embrac!ng flash Of vision. which
found her merely receptive.
with her the vision had to sink into the
soul, there to be brooded over. Transmitted.
'iy stained. But as n preseutiment OF
that hrst step IN the process IL was won
derful-it was true
The worker ut the easel had now got
what he was trying for. He had come nm (
and was looking over her shoulder.
You are interested?" he said at last
oh, yesi ! have seen II, too" she an
5wered simply. But how can anyone who
has seen this end by seeing that?' ana sht
pointed 10 vulgarized and realistic treat
nent OF the same subject in Herr Hofmev-
sr 8 more familiar style. Here Moruina
jverdressed woman" '
m glad you like the little thing" the
stranger laughed, though you're hard on
Door fofmeyer. 1t doesn't seem fair to he
Il IL Il NE.nN.
studio" ~ o"h
Elizabeth looked fun at the ypeaker IN,
he first time, and the pleasure In her eves
lid not fade '
He was a handsome man; Indeed sucb ,
lawless example of the blond souara
houldered type of masculine beauty maj ,
us individual charm. which was an elm :
most people. A'f
B l,tL IT. was the one Elizabeth's eye flew