Part 18 (2/2)
That night Ruth spoke her mind about Miss Vince. It was in vain that Kirk touched on the work-shy father, dwelt feelingly on the young gentleman who travelled in hats. Ruth had made up her mind. It was thumbs down for Miss Vince.
”But if I'm to paint,” said Kirk, ”I must have models.”
”There must be hundreds who don't call you by your Christian name.”
”After about five minutes they all do,” said Kirk. ”It's a way they've got. They mean no harm.”
Ruth then made this brilliant suggestion: ”Kirk, dear, why don't you paint landscapes?”
In spite of his annoyance, he laughed.
”Why don't I paint landscapes, Ruth? Because I'm not a landscape painter, that's why.”
”You could learn.”
”It's a different branch of the trade altogether. You might just as well tell a catcher to pitch.”
”Well, anyhow,” reported Ruth with spirit, ”I won't have that Vince creature in the place again.”
It was the first time she had jerked at the reins or given any sign that she was holding them, and undoubtedly this was the moment at which Kirk should have said: ”My dearest, the time has come for me to state plainly that my soul is my own. I decline to give in to this absurd suggestion. Marriage is an affair of give and take, not a circus where one party holds the hoop while the other jumps through and shams dead.
We shall be happier later on if we get this clearly into our heads now.”
What he did say was: ”Very well, dear. I'll write and tell her not to come.”
He knew he was being abominably weak, but he did not care. He even felt a certain pleasure in his surrender. Big, muscular men are given to this feebleness with women. Hercules probably wore an idiotic grin of happiness when he spun wool for Omphale.
Since then the picture had been laid aside, but Kirk's desire to be up and at it had grown with inaction. When a lazy man does make up his mind to a.s.sail a piece of work, he is like a dog with a bone.
The music had stopped. Ruth swung round.
”What are you dreaming about Kirk?”
Kirk came to himself with a start.
”I was thinking of a lot of things. For one, about that picture of mine.”
”What about it?”
”Well, when I was going to finish it.”
”Why don't you?”
Kirk laughed.
”Where's my model? You've scared her up a tree, and I can't coax her down.”
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