a good deal of difference to Jill'ssimple arrangements. Hitherto two chairs had sufficed, now it wasnecessary to procure a third, but from where? Eventually she dragged tolight an old packing case used for keeping odd papers in, and turning iton end, draped it with a piece of Turkey Twill which once a brilliantscarlet was now owing to having reached a respectable old age subdued toa more artistic shade. This erection would provide sittingaccommodation for herself at any rate, and St. John could use the chairwith the hole in it. This difficulty solved, Jill set to work to alterthe position of the curtain, which partitioned off the end of the room,so as to include the door; thus making a small room in which to receiveher pupils instead of ushering them straightway into the studio; ifnecessary the curtain could be drawn back afterwards to make the artschool larger. The rest of the preparations were postponed untilMonday, and consisted of a thorough turning out of the room, and dustingand rearranging the models. And on Tuesday morning Jill sat on her boxand surveyed the scene of her labour with much inward satisfaction.There was a nice fire burning in the grate and everything was in applepie order, even to Jill, herself, who had twisted her hair up into aloose teapot-handle arrangement at the back of her head, and haddispensed with the studio apron as too childish for so important anoccasion. She wore also her best frock, and had gone to the expense ofnew collar and cuffs; and altogether felt thoroughly equal to receivingeven the heiress to quarter of a million.
The heiress came late as was only to be expected. When St. John hadturned up alone he had been generally sharp on time, but regularity wasat an end now, Jill mentally supposed, as she arranged St. John'sdrawing-board and copy, and sharpened a pencil for him. It doesn't doto judge by appearances, to quote a trite truism, therefore Jill mightreally have been highly delighted at the prospect of an additionalpupil, but she certainly did not look pleased.
It was ten o'clock before the new pupil arrived rather breathless, andclutching desperately at St. John's arm. The latter was lookingworried, and seemed greatly relieved when once inside Jill'sante-chamber, an innovation that evidently met with his approval; for heglanced round with great satisfaction and having greeted Miss Erskine,and presented his cousin, he suddenly disappeared round the curtain intothe art school, leaving the two alone.
Miss Bolton was tall, pretty, and well dressed; she was also bent onbeing polite, and was almost effusive in her manner to Jill, but MissErskine was as cold as the North polar region, and equally distant.
"I am so glad to see you again?" gushed the heiress; "I have so wantedto apologise to you for my stupidity that morning--"
"_My_ stupidity," corrected Jill.
"Oh, no! because there was heaps of room the other side of me, only Ididn't notice that horrid cab. Cabs and busses are a nuisance inLondon, aren't they?"
"It would be a greater nuisance if London were without them," Jillanswered.
"Do you think so? Oh! I don't--But of course, yes; I was forgettingthe working classes."
"Yes," responded Miss Erskine in her North Pole tone; "because you don'tbelong to them, I do."
But Miss Bolton was not in the least disconcerted.
"Ah, no, you're an artist," she replied, "a genius; that's heavenly, youknow. Don't you recollect that an Emperor stooped for an artist's paintbrush because `Titian was worthy to be served by Caesar?'"
Jill's lip curled.
"I am not a Titian," she answered.
"Perhaps not," continued Miss Bolton in a I-know-better tone of voice."Anyway Jack says that you are terribly clever. He considers yourpaintings superior to many of those on the line this year."
"Mr St. John is very kind but I am afraid his criticism wouldn't availme much. Will you tell me how far advanced you are. Of course you havestudied drawing before?"
"Oh, yes! And painting also. My friends considered it a pity for me todrop it altogether with my other studies so I thought that perhaps Iwould take it up again. Like music it is a very useful accomplishment`pour passer le temps,' you know. I am considered fairly good at it."
"Ah!" responded Jill with uncomplimentary vagueness. "And what do youwish to go in for? Mr St. John is studying the figure--"
Miss Bolton interrupted with a little scream.
"How horrid of him," she cried. "Not the nude, Miss Erskine, surely?"
Jill stared.
"Well, at present," she said, "he is drawing the human foot in outline,and it certainly hasn't a stocking on."
"But you don't teach--that sort of thing, do you?"
"It is usually taught in Art Schools," Jill answered frigidly. "So faras I am concerned I have only just commenced teaching. You do not wishto go in for the figure then?"
"Certainly not; flowers are my forte; I adore nature."
Apparently she did not consider that the human form reckoned in thiscategory, and certainly her own, thanks to the aid of the costumiere,had deviated somewhat from the natural laws of contour; neverthelessnature is at the root of our being and no matter how we attempt todisguise and ignore the fact she will not be denied. It was on the tipof Jill's tongue to remark that flowers alone did not constitute naturebut she restrained herself, and endeavoured to check her increasingirritability.
"You are quite right not to go in for the figure," she said; "feeling asyou do about it nature becomes coarse, and artificiality--or shall wesay the conventional customs of circumstances?--preferable. Will youcome into the studio?"
It just flashed through her mind to wonder what this young lady whosemodesty was only to be equalled by Isobel's would say to the models whenshe saw them, and it must be confessed that the thought of them causedher a certain malicious satisfaction, but when she held aside thecurtain for Miss Bolton to enter she perceived to her unspeakableastonishment that all the models had been carefully draped with the dustcovers in which they were kept encased when not in use, and which shehad herself taken off that morning, and had folded and placed on theshelf. She glanced towards St. John in wrathful indignation, but St.John was busy measuring the length of the big toe in the copy andcomparing it with his own drawing, which, taking into consideration thefact that he was not supposed to be making an enlargement, was notaltogether satisfactory.
"May I enquire," asked Jill with relentless irony, "the meaning of allthese preparations? Was it fear of the models taking cold that inducedyou to cover them so carefully or a desire to study drapery, Mr St.John?"
She paused expectantly, but St. John made no sign of having heard beyondan alarming increase of colour in the back of his neck, a mute appeal toher generosity, which she was not, however, in the mood to heed. MissBolton watched her in bewildered fascination, astonished at herdispleasure and unable to understand the reason thereof. So entirelyunprepared was she for what followed that it was probably a greatershock than if she had walked straight in amongst the models, it couldnot certainly have embarrassed her more. Jill, during the pause, hadapproached one of the figures, and now catching impatiently at thecovering drew it off to the scandalised consternation of the new pupil,who, without waiting for more, burst into a very unexpected flood oftears, and fled precipitately from the room. Jill stared after heropen-mouthed, and for a moment there was dead silence. Then St. Johnpushed back his chair and rose noisily to his feet.
"Con--excuse me," he corrected himself, "but I think that I had bettergo and see after my cousin."
He caught up his hat with marked annoyance, and Jill stood gaping now athim still too astonished for words. She watched him go in silence, andthen sat down on the twill covered box and drew a long breath--a sort ofletting off steam in order to prevent an explosion.
"Well of all the inconceivable, incomparable, extraordinary, andrevolting imbeciles that I have ever come across that girl is theworst," she ejaculated. "Thank heaven that my mind is not of thatgrovelling order which sees vulgarity in nature and coarseness wherethere should only be refinement. What agonies such people must endureat times; they can never go to a gallery that's certain, and I supposethey would blus
h at sight of a doll. Oh! my dear saint, why ever didyou bring such a person here, I wonder?"
And then she sat and stared at his empty chair and saw in retrospectionthe expression of vexed reproach in his eyes as he had risen to hisfeet, their mute enquiry.
"Could you not have spared me this? Was it necessary?"
And in equally mute response her heart made answer,--
"Not necessary perhaps; but I'm not a bit sorry that it happened all thesame."
CHAPTER FIVE.
Jill did not anticipate the return of either of her pupils thatmorning--did not, indeed, expect Miss Bolton to return at all; in bothof which surmises she proved correct. St. John
The Triumph of Jill Page 8