He heard of Cecile now and then; Cosby had used her for a figure on

a fountain destined to embellish the estate of a wealthy young man

somewhere or other; Greer employed her for the central figure of

Innocence in his lovely and springlike decoration for some Western

public edifice. Quair had met her several times at Manhattan Beach

with various and assorted wealthy young men.

And one evening Guilder came alone to his studio and found him lying

on the lounge, his lank, muscular hands, still clay-stained, hanging

inert to the floor above an evening paper fallen there.

"Hello, Guilder," he said, without rising, as the big architect

shambled loosely through the open doorway.

"How are you, Drene?"

"All right. It's hot."

"There's not a breath of air. It looks like a thunder-storm in the

west."

He pulled up a chair and sprawled on it, wiping his grave features

with a damp handkerchief.

"Drene," he said, "a philanthropic guy of sorts wants to add a

chapel to the church at Shallow Brook, Long Island. We've pinched

the job. Can you do an altar piece?"

"What sort?"

"They want a Virgin. It's to be called the Chapel of the Annunciation.

It's for women to repair to--under certain and natural circumstances."

"I've so much on hand--"

"It's only a single figure-barring the dove. Why don't you do it?"

"There are plenty of other men--"

"They want you. There'll be no difficulty about terms."

Drene said with a shrug: "Terms are coming to mean less and less to me, Guilder. It costs

very little for me to live." He turned his gray, tired face. "Look

at this barn of a place; and go in there and look at my bedroom. I

have no use for what are known as necessities."

"Still, terms are terms--"

"Oh, yes. A truck may run over me. Even at that, I've enough to

live life out as I am living it here--between these empty walls--and

that expanse of glass overhead. That's about all life holds for

me--a sheet of glass and four empty walls--and a fistfull of wet

clay."

"Are you a trifle morbid, Drene?"

"I'm not by any means; I merely prefer to live this way. I have

sufficient means to live otherwise if I wish. But this is enough of

the world to suit me, Guilder--and I can go to a noisy restaurant to

eat in when I'm so inclined--" He laughed a rather mirthless laugh

and glanced up, catching a peculiar expression in Guilder's eyes.




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