“I had a fearful appetite the moment cook left,” Collin explained, “so I thought I’d try my luck.... They all tasted queer—like mixtures of carpet tacks and modelling clay. The way I explain it is the excess paprika and I had been modelling and neglected to wash my hands.” “Oh, good,” Polly interrupted. “Show us what you were doing,” making him return to the studio to rescue the clay model of a bird with a newly broken wing. “Splendid,” Polly declared. “There is a force—a stirring—_il y a quelque chose_,” turning to Thurley for approval. “It hurts to look at it, poor little thing! It must have been from a gun and not an accident.” Collin actually blushed. “You really feel that, too?” “Of course—see how the wing drags—oh, why not model it complete?” Polly gave a triumphant whistle. “Always told him so. I wish now that he’s oodles of money, he’d stop painting fat dowagers and silly men in broadcloth and model—model what he dreams.” Collin wrapped the bird in the moist cloth. “You are partial. I cannot model—nor can I tear myself away from color. I dream color, woo it, I could eat it—now, maybe that was the trouble with the cooking! I was trying to put taupe shadows in the picture of the Hooker children ... anyway, Thurley, I worked as ‘ghost’ for the great Constantin and, after seeing his modelling, I never even fancied I could do likewise. It is merely remembering my days with him when I take up the clay, sentimental tribute—artistic fashion of drinking a toast. He had but one rule: ‘When you can model a human hand as large as the top of your thumb, you can model anything,’ he told us.... One day, when I tried, he said in his carping old fashion, ‘Hein, what is that, Hedley? A hand? So! I would mark it assaulted toad!’ And I never tried modelling again.” He seemed anxious to dismiss the subject and show them his last portrait. As he talked in his sweet, light voice, Thurley watched the childlike, tyrannical way in which he waited for praise and believed all they said of his work. He was seemingly unconscious of Polly’s hungry heart—and empty purse—and as Thurley studied him she realized that Collin possessed a great virtue—and a great fault.