Part 33 (1/2)
”You suggested that perhaps Forbes was not the born artist that Musgrave is. What is your opinion now, Wigan?”
”I am chiefly impressed with the fact that Zena was right when she said the real woman was probably between Forbes's bust and Musgrave's picture.”
”And I am chiefly impressed with the fact that they are both great artists,” said Quarles. ”I said Musgrave was, but I reserved my opinion of Forbes until I had seen this group. It has convinced me. Now, for my idea concerning the dancer. The first germ was in the notion that in Musgrave's picture lay the key to the mystery. Knowing something of the painter's power and ideals, I felt that the portrait must be true from one point of view. What was his standpoint? He explained it to you. He was detached, unbiased, putting on to his canvas that which he saw behind the mere outer mask. When I saw Forbes's bust, one of two things was certain: either he was incapable of seeing below the surface, or in this particular case he was incapable of doing so. I could not decide until I had seen other work of his. To-day I know he is as capable with his chisel as Musgrave is with his brush. You have only to study the standing and crouching figures in the group to see how virile and full of insight he can be.”
”But the rec.u.mbent figure--” I began.
”You remember that he said it was idealized,” Quarles said. ”It is undoubtedly full of--of strength, but for the moment I am more interested in the bust. Why does it differ so widely from Musgrave's portrait? Well, I think Forbes was only capable of seeing Madame Vatrotski like that, and we have to discover the reason.”
”Temperament,” I suggested. ”He said himself he was content as a rule to show the beautiful exterior.”
”He also said one or two other interesting things,” said Quarles, ”For instance, he was certain she was dead, or he would hardly have sold the bust he had executed specially for her. Why was he so certain? Again, he suggested she was French and not Russian, scorned the idea of her being afraid of any one, and altogether he showed rather an intimate knowledge of her, which makes one fancy that she had been more open with him than she had been with others.”
”The fact that she was sitting to him might account for that,” said Zena.
”One would also expect that it would have made him come forward and give what help he could in clearing up the mystery.” Quarles answered; ”but he does nothing of the kind. We do not hear that he has used her as a model for his Agricultural group until we hear it casually on the day the bust was exhibited, and he tells us that he did not know of her disappearance until he telephoned to her rooms two days afterwards. Does that sound quite a likely story, Wigan?”
”I think you are building a theory on a frail foundation, Professor.”
”It has served its purpose; I have built my theory--the artistic mind fascinated and becoming revengeful in a moment of repulsion. I think Madame Vatrotski had an appointment with Forbes that day, and more, that she kept it.”
”Where?”
”At his studio. It may have been to give him a final sitting, or it may have been a lovers' meeting. Forbes could only see her beauty and fascination; he put what he saw into the bust. He loved her with all the unreasoning power that was in him; it is possible that in her limited way she loved him, that he was more to her than all the rest. Then came the sudden revulsion, perhaps because stories concerning her had reached Forbes, stories he was convinced were true. She was alone with him in the studio, and--well, I do not think she left it alive.”
”But the body?” I said.
”Always the great difficulty,” Quarles returned. ”Yesterday I spent an interesting day in Ess.e.x, Wigan, watching the various processes used in making artificial stone, from its liquid and plastic state to its setting into a hard block. I was amazed at what can be done with it.”
”You mean that--”
”It is impossible!” Zena exclaimed.
”It is not a very difficult matter to treat a body so as to preserve it, but to cover it with a preparation and with such precision that when it is set you shall see nothing but a stone figure is, of course, only possible to an artist.”
”But she had sat for him, the figure must have been far advanced before--before she disappeared.”
”I have no doubt it was, Wigan; but, far advanced as it was, that stone figure was removed and replaced by one that only superficially was stone.”
”I do not believe it. It is absurd.”
”Measurement proved that the rec.u.mbent figure was out of proportion in comparison with the other figures, accounted for by the stone casing. Of course with the secretary there I could not look too closely.”
”No, or you would have found--”
”You seem to forget that I went back for my gloves,” said Quarles. ”I left them on purpose. I ran up to the library; no one was about. I had a chisel and hammer with me. By this time some one may have discovered that the group has been chipped. There are the pieces.”
He took from his pocket some fragments of stone, pieces of a stone mold, in fact.