Back Aa

Marion, the Story of an Artist's Model

Close

<h2>XVII</h2> THE days that followed were happy ones for me. Reggie was with me constantly, and I even got off several afternoons from the studio and spent the time with him. One day we made a little trip up the St. Lawrence, Reggie rowing all the way from the wharf at Montreal to Boucherville. We started at noon and arrived at six. There we tied up our boat and went to look for a place for dinner. We found a little French hotel and Reggie said to the proprietor: “We want as good a dinner as you can give us. We’ve rowed all the way from Montreal and are famished.” “Bien! You sall have ze turkey which is nearly cook,” said the hotel keeper. “M’sieu he row so far. It is too much. Only Beeg John, ze Indian, row so far. He go anny deestance. Also he go in his canoe down those Rapids of Lachine. Vous connais dat man—Beeg John?” Yes, we knew about him. Every one in Montreal did.{98} We waited on the porch while he prepared our dinner. The last rays of the setting sun were dropping down in the wood, and away in the distance the reflections upon the St. Lawrence were turning into dim purple the brilliant orange of a little while ago. Never have I seen a more beautiful sunset than that over our own St. Lawrence. I said wistfully: “Reggie, the sunset makes me think of this poem: <div class="poetry"> <div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> “The sunset gates were opened wide, Far off in the crimson west, As through them passed the weary day In rugged clouds to rest.” </div> </div></div> Before I could finish the last line, Reggie bent over and kissed me right on the mouth. “Funny little girl,” he said. “Suppose instead of quoting poetry you speak to me, and instead of looking at sunsets, you look at me.” “Reggie, don’t you like poetry then?” “It’s all right enough, I suppose, but I’d rather have straight English words. What’s the sense of muddling one’s language? Silly, I call it,” he said. I felt disappointed. Our family had always loved poetry. Mama used to read Tennyson’s “Idyls of the King,” and we knew all of the char{99}acters, and even played them as children. Moreover, papa and Ada and Charles and even Nora could all write poetry. Ada made up poems about every little incident in our lives. When papa went to England, mama would make us little children all kneel down in a row and repeat a prayer to God that she had made up to send him back soon. Ada wrote a lovely poem about God hearing us. She also wrote a poem about our Panama hen who died. She said the wicked cock hen, a hen we had that could crow like a cock, had killed her. How we laughed over that poem. I was sorry Reggie thought it was nonsense, and I wished he would not laugh or sneer at all the things we did and liked. “Dinner is ready pour m’sieu et madame!” Gracious! That man thought I was Reggie’s wife. I colored to my ears, and I was glad Reggie did not understand French. He had set the table for two and there was a big sixteen pound turkey on it, smelling so good and looking brown and delicious. I am sure our Canadian turkeys are better than any I have ever tasted anywhere else. They certainly are not “cold-storage birds.” They charged Reggie for that whole sixteen-pound turkey. He thought it a great joke, but I wanted to take the rest home. The tide being against us, we left the rowboat at the hotel with{100} instructions to return it, and we took the train back to Montreal. Coming home on the train, the conductor proved to be a young man who had gone to school with me and he came up with his hand held out: “Hallo, Marion!” “Hallo, Jacques.” I turned to Reggie to introduce him, but Reggie was staring out of the window and his chin stuck out as if it were in a bad temper. When Jacques had passed along, I said crossly to Reggie: “You needn’t be so rude to my friends, Reggie Bertie.” “Friends!” he sneered. “My word, Marion, you seem to have a passion for low company.” I said: “Jacques is a nice, honest fellow.” “No doubt,” said Reggie loftily. “I’ll give him a tip next time he passes.” “Oh, how can you be so despicably mean?” I cried. He turned around in his seat abruptly: “What in the world has come over you, Marion! You have changed since I came back.” I felt the injustice of this and shut my lips tight. I did not want to quarrel with Reggie, but I was burning with indignation and I was hurt through and through by his attitude.{101} In silence we left the train and in silence went to my home. At the door Reggie said: “We had a pleasant day. Why do you always spoil things so? Good-night.” I could not speak. I had done nothing and he made me feel as if I had committed a crime. The tears ran down my face and I tried to open the door. Reggie’s arms came around me from behind, and, tilting back my face, he kissed me. “There, there, old girl,” he said, “I’ll forgive you this time, but don’t let it happen again.{102}” <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

1 of 2

2 of 2