26

“Is he? I thought he must be thirty at least.”

Then Gloria laughed outright.

“He is about thirty, but that isn’t old. He’s a funny, old dear, don’t you think so?”

“Yes,” admitted Ruth. “He dresses oddly—that is—”

“I know what you mean, but you see a man like Terry Riordan doesn’t have to keep his trousers pressed. No other man is worth listening to while Terry is in the room.”

Ruth decided that she would pay particular attention to Terry Riordan the next time she met him.

Her opportunity came the next day. She had gone out to lunch that day and had been a little late at life class in consequence, and had to stand up at an easel in the back instead of sitting among the more fortunate ones in the front rows, where early arrival had usually placed her. The model was a man—“Krakowski, the wrestler,” one of the girls had whispered to her. “He’s got a wonderful body; we’re lucky to get him.”

Ruth could not control a little gasp of admiration when he stepped on the model throne. He looked 27like a statue with his shining smooth-muscled body, and he stood almost as still. It was several minutes before Ruth could get the proper, impersonal attitude toward him. Most of the models had quite uninteresting faces, but Krakowski had a face almost as handsome as his body, and there was a half smile on his lips as if he were secretly amused at the students. For a second Ruth saw them through his eyes—thin, earnest-eyed girls, dressed in “arty” garments, squinting at him over drawing-boards as if the fate of nations depended on their work, well-dressed dabblers and shabby strugglers after beauty. She noted again the two old women, the fat one with the dyed hair, and the ribbons and art jewelry and the thin one whose hair was quite frankly grey. The fat one had attracted Ruth’s attention the very first day because in the rest period she ran around insisting that every one near her should look at her work and offer criticism, and when the instructor came through she monopolized as much of his time as possible to his obvious annoyance.

27

Why didn’t they think 

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