But Graylock, staring at Quair’s back, neither heeded nor heard him, for his brain was still ringing with the mockery of Quair’s words--“What is a woman between friends?” And now, for the first time, he was beginning to understand what the answer might be. III She had not posed for Drene during the last two weeks, and he had begun to miss her, after his own fashion--that is, he thought of her when not preoccupied and sometimes desired her companionship when unoccupied. And one evening he went to his desk, rummaged among note-books, and scribbled sheets of paper, until he found her address, which he could never remember, wrote it down on another slip of paper, pocketed it, and went out to his dinner. But as he dined, other matters reoccupied his mind, matters professional, schemes little and great, broad and in detail, which gradually, though not excluding her entirely, quenched his desire to see her at that particular time. Sometimes it was sheer disinclination to make an effort to communicate with her, sometimes, and usually, the self-centering concentration which included himself and his career, as well as his work, seemed to obliterate even any memory of her existence. Now and then, when alone in his shabby bedroom, reading a dull book, or duly preparing to retire, far in the dim recesses of heart and brain a faint pain became apparent--if it could still be called pain, this vague ghost of anger stirring in the ashes of dead years--and at such moments he thought of Graylock, and of another; and the partly paralyzed emotion, which memory of these two evoked, stirred him finally to think of Cecile. It was at such times that he always determined to seek her the next day and continue with her what had been begun--an intimacy which depended upon his own will; a destiny for her which instinct whispered was within his own control. But the next day found him at work; models of various types, ages, and degrees of stupidity came, posed, were paid, and departed; his studies for the groups in collaboration with Guilder and Quair were approaching the intensely interesting period--that stage of completion where composition has been determined upon and the excitement of developing the construction and the technical charm of modeling begins. And evening always found him physically tired and mentally satisfied--or perturbed--to the exclusion of such minor interests as life is made of--dress, amusement, food, women. Between a man and a beloved profession in full shock of embrace there is no real room for these or thought of these.