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Marion, the Story of an Artist's Model

<h2>XX</h2> LU FRAZER went with me to look for a room. Lu was an Irish-Canadian girl with whom I had gone to school. She worked as a stenographer for an insurance firm, and was very popular with all the girls. There was something about her that made nearly all the girls go to her and consult her about this or that, and tell her all about their love affairs. I think the attraction lay in Lu’s absolute interest in others. She never talked about her own feelings or affairs, but was always willing to listen to the outpourings of others. When you told her anything she was full of sympathetic murmurs, or screams of joy, or expressions of indignation if the story you told her called for that. I had formed the habit of going to Lu about all my worries and anxieties over Reggie, and I always found a willing listener and staunch champion. The girls called her the Irish Jew, as she kept a bank account and whenever the girls were short of money they would borrow from Lu, who would charge them interest. Reggie{112} heartily disliked her without any just reason. He said: “She belongs to a class that should by right be scrubbing floors; only she got some schooling, so she is ticking the typewriter instead.” Nevertheless, I liked Lu, and in spite of Reggie kept her as my friend, though she knew that he hated her. When I told her about Reggie’s offer to pay for the studio, she said: “Um! Then take as fine a one as you can get, Marion. Soak him good and hard. I hear he pays a great big price for his own rooms at the Windsor.” I explained to her that I only wanted as cheap a place as I could get, and that as soon as I made enough money, I intended to pay for it myself. We looked through the advertisements in the papers, made a list and then went forth to look for that “studio.” On Victoria Street, we found a nice big front parlor which seemed to be just what I wanted. The landlady offered it to me for ten dollars a month, and when I said that that would do nicely she asked if I were alone, and when I said I was, she said: “I hope you work out all day.” I told her I worked in my room, and that I would make a studio out of it. Whereupon she said:{113} “I prefer ladies who go out to work. I had one lady here before, and I had to put her out. She stayed in bed till eleven and I found cigarette ashes in her room. Then she had some gentlemen callers, and they actually shut the door. As this is a respectable house, I went into the back parlor and watched her through a crack in the folding doors. Then I goes back and raps on the door, and I says: ‘Young person’—I wouldn’t call the likes of her a lady—I says: ‘Young person, I want my room. I’m a lone widow woman and I have to consider my reputation, and the carryings on in that room is what I won’t have in my house.’ So out she goes. I am a lady, even if I do keep a rooming-house.” I looked at Lu, and Lu said: “We’ll call again.” “Oh,” said the woman, “if you decide to take this room I’ll make a reduction, and I don’t mind gentlemen callers if you leave the door open.” I felt a sort of disgust come over me and, telling her I did not want the room, I made for the door, hurrying Lu along. “Oh, I see,” she shouted after us, “you want to shut the door!” After looking about, we found a back parlor in a French-Canadian house on University Street. The landlady was very polite, and I paid her eight dollars in advance.{114} The following day I moved all my things into the “studio,” as it now, in fact, began to look like, what with all my paintings about and some of papa’s, an easel, palette and painting materials. I covered up the ugly couch with some draperies the Count sent over for me. Poor old fellow, he had sent word to me the very next day to come back, saying he missed his little pupil very much, but at Reggie’s advice I wrote him that I had taken a studio of my own. He then sent me a lot of draperies and other things, and wrote that he would come to see me very soon. I had a sign painted on black japanned tin, with the following inscription: <div class="blockquot"> <big> MISS MARION ASCOUGH</big> ARTIST Orders taken for all kinds of work. </div> I got the landlady to put it in the front window. There were a lot of crayon family portraits on my walls, and they looked very bad. I covered them over with draperies, and when Madame Lavalle, my landlady, came in she exclaimed: “Why you dat? Am I and my family so hugly then?” I assured her that I covered them to protect <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i_137_sml.jpg" width-obs="472" height-obs="500" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /> <div class="caption">If you decide to take this room, I’ll make a reduction, and I don’t mind gentlemen callers if you leave the door open. </div> </div> {115} them from the turpentine that I used in my oil paints. She came to me later and said: “Mamselle, I am tell my husband you say the turpentine it may be will spoil the portraits of my familee. He’s telling me dat will not spoil it. But if mamselle will not be offend, I the pictures will put in my own parlor, and if some time mamselle she have company, and wish her room to look more elegant, I will give ze permission to hang them on her walls again.” The studio was all settled, and I stood to survey my work, a delightful feeling of proprietorship coming over me. I breathed a sigh of blessed relief to think I was now free of all home influence, and had a real place all of my own. “Here is some gentlemens to see mamselle,” called Madame Lavalle, and there standing in the doorway, smiling at me with a merry twinkle in his eye, was Colonel Stevens. I had not seen him since that night, nearly four years ago, when Ellen and I went to ride with him in Mr. Mercier’s carriage. With him now was a tall man with a very red face and nose. He wore a monocle in his eye, and he was staring at me through it. I was very untidy as I had been busy settling up, and my hair was all mussed up and my hands dirty. I had on my painting apron, and that was smudged over, too. I felt ashamed of my appearance, but Colonel Stevens said:{116} “Isn’t she cute?” Then he introduced us. His friend’s name was Davidson. “We were on our way to the Club,” said the Colonel, “and as we passed your place I saw your sign, and ‘By Gad,’ I said, ‘I believe that is my little friend, Marion.’ Now Mr. Davidson is very much interested in art.” He gave a little wink at Mr. Davidson, and then went on, “and I think he wants to buy some of your paintings.” “Oh, sit down,” I urged. Customers at once! I was excited and happy. I pushed out a big armchair near the fire and Colonel Stevens sat down, and seemed very much at home. Mr. Davidson followed me to where I had a number of little paintings on a shelf. I began to show them to him, pointing out the places, but he scarcely looked at them. Stretching out his hand, he picked up two and said: “I’ll take these. How much am I to give you?” “Oh, five—” I began. “Charge him the full price, Marion,” put in the Colonel. “He’s a rich dog.” “I get five dollars for two of that size,” I said. “Well, we’ll turn it to ten for each,” smiled Mr. Davidson. “Oh, that’s too much!” I exclaimed. <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i_141_sml.jpg" width-obs="477" height-obs="500" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /> <div class="caption">“Charge him the full price, Marion,” put in the Colonel. “He’s a rich dog.{117}” </div> </div> “Tut, tut!” said Colonel Stevens, laughing. “They are worth more. She really is a very clever little girl, eh, Davidson?” I felt uncomfortable and to cover my confusion I started to wrap the paintings. “No, no, don’t bother,” said Mr. Davidson, “leave them here for the present. I’ll call another time for them. We have to go now.” When Mr. Davidson shook hands with me he pressed my hand so that I could hardly pull it away, and just as they were passing out, who should come up the stairs but Reggie! When he saw Colonel Stevens and Mr. Davidson, his face turned perfectly livid, and he glared at them. The minute the door had closed upon them, he turned on me: “What were those men doing here?” he demanded harshly. My face got hot, and I felt guilty, though of what, I did not know. “Well? Why don’t you answer me? What was that notorious libertine, Stevens, and that beast, Davidson, doing here?” he shouted, and then as still I did not answer him, he yelled: “Why don’t you answer me instead of standing there and staring at me, looking your guilt? God in heaven! have I been a fool about you? Have you been false to me then?” “No, Reggie, indeed, I haven’t,” I said. “I{118} didn’t tell you about Ellen and I going out with him because—because—” I thought he must have heard of that ride! “Going out with him! When? Where?” Suddenly he saw the money in my hand, and the sight of it seemed to drive him wild. “What are you doing with that money? Where did you get it from?” I was holding the two ten-dollar bills all the time in my hand. “Are you crazy, Reggie?” I cried. “How can you be so silly? This is the money Mr. Davidson paid me for these paintings.” “Well, then, what are you doing here if he bought them?” demanded Reggie. “He left them here. He said he’d call some other time for them.” “Marion, are you a fool, or just a deceitful actress? Can’t you see he does not want your paintings? He gave you that money for expected favors and, damn it! I believe you know it too.” I went over to Reggie, and somehow felt older than he. A great pity for him filled my heart. I put my arms around his neck, and although he tried to push me from him, I stuck to him and then suddenly, to my surprise, Reggie began to cry. He had worked himself up to such a state of excitement that he was almost hysterical. I{119} gathered his head to my breast, and cried with him. In a little while, we were sitting in the big armchair and I told Reggie all about the visit, and also about that ride of long ago—before I had even met him—that Ellen and I had taken with Colonel Stevens and Mr. Mercier. I think he was ashamed of himself, but was too stubborn to admit it. Before he left, he made a parcel of those two paintings, and sent them over, with a bill receipted by me, to the St. James Club.{120} <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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