Show III ITHE THE COMMON LAW LAWI I B Y R ROBERT 0 B E R T W. W C CHAMBERS HAM B E R S f IN INSTALMENT SiAL ME NT 14 With which health healthy conclusion she asked if It she might rest and came around to look at at- atthe the c canvas As she had stood In silence for tor some sometime sometime time he asked her a little littie nervously what wha she thought of it Louis I Louis I dont don't know Is your opinion unfavorable N no N i am like that am I not In a shadowy sh way Jf Jt will be like you I Am I as interesting as-Interesting i More so he said I Are you going to make me beautiful ful tul r t t. Yes Yes or or cut this canvas canvas canvas' into shreds Oh h she sha exclaimed d with a soft intake of breath would you have the heart to destroy me after youve you've made me I I dont don't know what Id I'd do Valerie I never felt Just this way about any any- t thing If I can cant can't t paint a you you you-a a human breathing you you with with all of you there thereon on the canvas canvaS all all of ot you soul mind and body body all all of your beauty your youth your sadness happiness your happIness your errors your nobility you nobility you Valerie Valerie Valerie- I then theres there's no telling what Ill I'll do She said nothing Presently she re resumed resumed re- re the pose and he his painting It became very still atUl In Jn the sunny I studio In that month of ot June for the first time in his deliberately active career Neville experienced a disinclination n to paint And when h he realized that it was disinclination it Jt appalled him Something Something-he he didn't understand what h had had d suddenly left let him satiated satiated and and I with all the uneasiness and discontent of If satiation he for forced ed matters until he could force force- forceno no further He He had commissions several and I valuable and let them lie For the first time tim in all his life the blank canvas canvas can can- can I vas of of an unexecuted c commission le left t him un tempted unresponsive weary I He had also his portrait of Valerie to continue He continued it mentally at intervals but for several days now he had not laid laida a brush to it Its funny he said to Querida go goIng going going go- go ing out on the train to his sisters sister's country home one delicious morning morning- its confoundedly odd that I should 1 turn lazy in my ray old age Do you think i Im I'm worked out He gulped down a sudden throb of fear smilingly I Lie fallow said Querida gently i No soil soU Is deep enough to yield without without without with with- out rest 1 Yours Tours does I Oh for tor me said Querida showing his his' snowy teeth I often sicKen of ot my fat sunlight frying everything to an Iridescent He lie shrugged laughed I turn lazy for months every year Try it my friend Dont Don't you even keep careme careme mi-careme Neville stared out of the window at atthe atthe attle the tle station platform past which they were gliding and rose with Querida as the train stopped His sisters sister's touring car was waiting into it stepped QuerIda QuerIda Querida Quer Quer- ida and he followed and away they sped over the beautiful rolling country where handsome cattle tried to behave like genuine Troyon's and and silvery sheep attempted to imitate Imitate- Mauve and even even the trees separately or In groups groups- did their their- best to look Jook like sections sections sections sec sec- of ot R Rousseau usseau Diaz DJaz and eveS even Corot but Corot-but Carot but succeeded only In in resembling resembling resembling bling questionable imitations Theres to b be q quite a week-end week party inquired Querida I dont don't know My y sister telephoned me rae to t fill in J 1 I fancy an y the for you For IFor me exclaimed Querida with delightful l enthusiasm That is m most st charming of Mrs Collis all think it charming of you Lard what a a. rage youve you've become and what a furore youve you've aroused And you ou deserve it added Neville coolly Querida looked at him calm intelligence intelligence intelligence intel intel- in his his' dark gaze and understood understood understood under under- stood the honesty of ot the comment or That at he said if U you permit the vigor of or expression is damn nice of you Neville But you OU can afford to be generous to other painters C Can n I J Neville turned and gazed at ae Querida gray gra e eyes s clear in their searching inquiry Then he laughed a little and looked out over the sunny sunny landscape I i Queridas Querida's olive cheeks had reddened a trifle Neville said What is the trouble with my work anyway Is it what some of ot you fellows say Querida did not pretend to misunderstand misunderstand misunderstand stand You are really a a. great painter paint r Ne Ne- ville And you know it Must you have everything Well Im I'm Im I'm going after It it Surely Surely sui I also God knows I my work lacks many many things things- But it doesn't lack that one essential essential essen essen- which mine lacks What is it Querida- Querida laughed I cant can't explain For me your me-your your Byzantine canvas there canvas there is in it something not intimate intimate intimate- Austere Yes Yes even even In those divine and lovely lovely lovely love love- II ly throngs There is an aloofness aloof aloof- ness ness even even a s self lf denial denial- He lIe laughed again I deny myself nothing on nothing on canvas even canvas even I have the au audacity to try to draw as you do Neville sat thinking watching th the landscape speed away on either side Ina in ina ina a running riot of f green Self denial too denial too l-too too much of it Separ U-Separ- separ separates ates you from your kind said Querida The solitary faster are never pers persOnally personally person persOn- nally n- n ally pleasant hermits are the worlds world's public admiration and private abomination abom shorn Oh the good world dearly loves to rub elbows with a talented sinner and patronize him and sentimentalize sentimentalize sentimentalize senti senti- over him one him one whose mira- mira des cles dont don't hurt their eyes yes yes' enough to toI II I blind bUnd them to the pleasant discovery I I that his halo is tarnished in spots and needs polishing and that theres there's a patch on the seat of ot his carefully creased toga Neville laughed Presently he be said Until recently Ive I've cherished theories I IOne One of ot em was to subordinate everything everything everything every every- thing in life to the enjoyment of ot a a. single single single sin sin- gle pleasure the pleasure the pleasure of at work I guess experience is p putting that theory on the blink bUnk Surely S You might might- as well make maki an entire meal of ot one favorite dish For Fora a day you could stand it even like it perhaps After Atter that that that- he shrugged But But Id Id I'd rather spend my time tithe painting painting painting-It if I could stand the diet Would you I dont don't know what Id I'd I rather do I like almost everything It makes me paint better to talk to a pretty woman for example To kiss her I inspires a masterpiece Does It said Neville thou thool ly Of Ot 0 course A A. week or two riding Idleness idleness alt all these I a adore ore And ping his carefully pinned lilac inside of me I know kow that every ant experience every pleasure myself is going to make me ma a painter painted oJ Experience repeated the ot By all means and every evelY every evelYIn IT n IneX eX experience in pleasure in l Mien H n love in sorrow sorrow but but but experienc ways experience by hook or or by and at any cost ost That is the idea Neville my Neville my main Idea Idea II n luscious agglomeration of Juicy things which that cow cow is eating all go to to tomake make good milk v that's a stupid simile he he-adde he adder adde dening 1 Neville laughed Present Presen J pointed across the mead meadows ws Jj 4 Is that your sisters sister's place placer Querida with enthusiasm int and disappointed What a ch house 3 That hat is my sisters sister's Beyond Is is El Et Card Cart place Here we are j The small touring car stol stone e young men me to a a. gras gras' grase e w a afew a few people hV Continued on following p par f THE COMMON LAW I I Continued U from preceding ln page page flannels flannels' had gathered after breakfast A slender woman small of bone and nd built lIk like an undeveloped eloped girl came caine forward the sun sun- shining on her thick I chestnut hair hall Hello Lily said Neville H Hello Louis Thank you for com coming combing comb comb- ing Mr Quenda Querida-It Querida it is exceedingly nice of you to come corne She gave him her firm cool hand hand smiled on with unfeigned approval turned and presented presented pre pre- him to the others others Miss Miss Aulne Miss Swift Miss Annan a Mr Cameron Cameron Cameron Cam Cam- eron and nd a moment later to her husband bus hus band Gordon Collis a good looking hUS 1 deeply sunburned young oun man whose only passion except his wife and baby was Ash Ashel el n th the home of ther But It was a quiet passion which bored nobody not ev even n his wife It When conversation became becam general with Q erida erid as the enter a around which it eddied Neville who had had sc seated himself on n the gray stone atone parapet parapet parapet para para- pet near his sl sister ter said in a low voice Well Vell how goes It it Lily LUy All right sh she replied with boyish directness but in the he same low tone I Mother and fath father r have spent a week I with us You sa saw sav v them in town I Of course Ill I'll tun run up to Spindrift House to see them as as often as g a I can cair this summer Hows How's the the- kid I I Fine Do Do yo you want to see him I Yes Jd d like to I II I His sister caught his hand jumped up and led him Into Int the h house use t to the the nu nur nursery sery ery where a normal and in nowise eJ extraordinary specimen of Infancy re reposed reposed reposed re- re posed in a cradle pink with slumber one th thumb mb inserted In its mouth he ho a wonder ond r murmured N Ne Neville e- e ville yule venturing to r release le se the thumb mb The young mother mottier bent over oyer examining examining exam exam- ining her offspring in all alf the eloquent l silence of pride unutterable After Arter a little while she said sald Ive got to t feed d him Go back to the others th rs Louis Louls and say I Il l be down after after- awhile He sauntered back through the com comfortable om- om t but but modest mode t house hous gl glancing absen absently ly about him on his hIs' way to the thet t terrace rr nodding to to familiar faces amon among the thes the's s servants stopping t to in- in |