The Saint Paul globe., 1904-06-24
o-tt-11- u
g THE WOMAN OF FASHION"
o-o * u * o-1t-o q q q
BY ALBERT KINRosS


dist-and to me was given the revela-
tion!
Things had leaked out, of course.
The sons forgeries had made some
thing of scandal. He swore he had
found the pictures in his fathers
studio; and Nanetti was dead, so no
one could disproVe it. But you remem-
Der that. Then Mary Dyce's death,
knitted by that internal scoundrel, Pic
chino Ia model. beastly Italian
model! The brute said he loved her
and she would not listen. God, she
was beautiful! ! knew her, 1 knew
them all. Nanetti took me to see the
girl before he married her. His was
the first studio she had knocked at.
And then his later days at Winchelsea,
and how it was he who had written the
sonnets that everybody ascribed to
Redmayne. Those closing years were
awful. The son, always cadging for
money and swearing to reform-'on his
honor as an artist and the father
cropping in the dark for Mary Dyce.
She made him, after all. Those faces
that he put on canvas were always
hers, or what he saw when he reached
out for her in that last period. People
called him mad; but [ knew where the
trouble lay. I was with him when he
died-myself and the son. 4
And now l had sold him, lock, stock
and barrel, for 20 guineas! Some novel
art topic we called it. 1t was that;
but when it was over, had written my
tragedy; something Sophoclean = the
pity and terror of it all! Can you un-
derstand 2"
I nodded. eagerly, and he proceeded:
"Inhuman you may call me-perhaps
was-but let that pass. / have done
nothing like it. No, it wasn't for the
money! A child could see that. l have
done nothing like it, in fact or in fic-
tlon, in prose- or in verse, in England
or America. It was a subject; and I
struck it full, deeply enough, broadly
enough to satisfy and surprise myself.
l gasped at the thing when it was over
This will live I said. I had notions of
, printing it off and pasting the town
with it. The Woman of Fashion could
not hold it! In fact. for several hours
I admired myself so hugely that, to
avoid further temptation, I put Ma
netti' into a registered envelope and
sent him to Lola Gamble. Ten pages!
1t was nearer twenty than ten!"
He produced the second letter now,
unfolded it, and cleared his throat.
Act H." 1 said.
I Precisely" was the answer.
The second letter was before him,
and he read it aloud:
Dear Mr.. Lutterworth:
'Nanetti has come. Why did you
make it SO good? 1t is hopelessly
clever.
1T is longer than I expected, and
will run in two numbers instead of one.
/ will let you have the proofs at once.
ct shall have pleasure in sending
you checque for e 21 (Which believe
was the price agreed on--if not, kindly
let me know during the first week of
next month. Yours very truly,
Lola Gamble"
"Businesslfke, ef?a and Lutterworth
laid the letter aside and continued viva
voce:
"On the same day and from the fair
Lola's private address, 1 received an
invitation to take tea with her the fol-
lowing Sunday. I scarcely saw the
necessity for this, but went. Her note
her two notes. were-Well, what shall
call it-rather f1attering? And l was
youngish, and the connection was
worth an effort. Twenty guineas was
a sum and there might be more to
follow. I put on my newest suit and
went. Lola was quite alone in a dis
creetly lighted drawing room. 1 can't
tell you exactly what happened-noth-
ing happened, to be precise-but 1
came away with the notion that was
expected to kiss Lola. She said moth
ing, she did nothing, nothing that