I wish to study act.”

Jill gasped. She had never connected him for a moment with the advertisement; this was not the sort of applicant that she had expected at all; the mere idea of teaching this dreadfully big young man appalled her. Apparently the incongruity of the situation did not appeal to him, or perhaps he was too much engrossed with the main object to think of anything else; for he went on quite coolly as though her acceptance of him as a pupil were a foregone conclusion.

“I have long wanted to take up art as a hobby for leisure moments, but I have never had the pluck to go to one of the big studios as I know absolutely nothing, and I’m not quite sure, dubiously, whether I have much talent that way.”

“That is soon proved,” she answered. “But you will never do anything at it if you intend only to make a ‘hobby’ of it.”

He smiled.

“You think the term ill-advised?” he said.

“I think it inapplicable.”

“And when shall I come?” he asked. “To-morrow?”

“Good gracious, no!” she exclaimed vehemently; then checked herself and continued in a slightly apologetic tone, “That is I mean if you will leave your address I will write. I must have a little while in which to decide.”

“Certainly,” he replied, and he took out a card and laid it on the table, and the next thing Miss Erskine knew was, that she was bowing her visitor out, and keeping the studio door obligingly open to light him down to the next landing. There was no more work for her that morning; she sat in front of the fire with his card in her hand, and went over the interview in her mind till she laughed aloud. On the card was engraved in neat copper plate, “Mr John St. John, 13 Bedford Square,” and below that again was another address at Henley. Evidently Mr St. John was fairly well to do. And he wished to dabble in art. Well, why shouldn’t he? Jill could see no reason why he shouldn’t, but she saw a great many why she should not be his instructress. It was a great temptation nevertheless; she was badly in want of money for one thing, but on the other hand he was so tremendously big that the thought of undertaking him as a pupil filled her with a strange shyness. She felt that she could not do it, and determined to write and tell 

 Prev. P 6/106 next