y one horse had lost
its head; the other was being dragged along. So I went for the mad
one.--Goodness! what a sight I am!" He had not discovered till now that
his waistcoat was in rags, that his watch was gone, and that blood was
dripping from his hand. Mary offered him her handkerchief. He looked at
the delicate square of embroidery and then at her again: "No, Miss Krog;
that would be like stitching birch-bark with silk."

Roey lived quite near the iron gate, to the right, so they arrived in a
few moments. Thanking them heartily, and without offering his bleeding
hand, he jumped out. Whilst he limped across the pavement, erect, huge,
and the carriage was turning, Alice whispered in English: "If one could
only have a model like that, Mary!"

Mary looked at her in surprise: "Well--is it not possible?"

Alice looked back at Mary, still more surprised: "Nude, I mean."

Mary almost started from her seat, then bent forward and looked straight
into Alice's face. Alice met her eyes with a teasing laugh.

Mary leaned back and gazed straight in front of her.

* * * * *

On account of the injury to his foot, Frans Roey had to keep quiet for
some days. The first time he called on Alice, Mary, according to
agreement, was sent for. But she felt so strangely agitated that she
dared not go. Next time curiosity, or whatever the feeling was,
brought her. But she came late, and hardly had she looked him in the
face again before she wished that she had not come. There was an
intensity about him which the fine lady felt to be intrusive, almost
insulting. Her whole being was like a surging sea; she followed him
with her eyes and with her ears; her thoughts were in a whirl, and so
was her blood. This must pass over soon, she thought. But it did not.
Alice's entrancement--love, to call it by the right name--audible and
visible in every word, every look, added to her confusion. Was he
really so ugly? That broad, upright forehead, these small, sparkling
eyes, the compressed lips and projecting chin, produced in conjunction
an impression of unusual strength; but the face was made comical by
there being no nose to speak of. Very comical, too, was most of
his conversation. He was in such high spirits and so full of fun
and fancies that the rattle never ceased. His manners were not
overbearing; on the contrary, he was politeness itself, attentive, at
times quite the gallant. What overpowered was his forcefulne