rt. He worked harder than ever at Jonathan's
drawings those days--hot lazy days they were, too--to earn release a
half-hour earlier; and he swallowed his dinners more hastily than was
wise. Then, when no hack work for Dick Holden was to be done, he sat
at his easel sketching until the clock struck an hour--more often
two--after midnight. Esther's aunt was a model landlady and had
nothing to say about extravagance in gas.

He did not pat himself with the remark, "They will have to come to me
yet." He never even thought of that. Neither did he say, "I am doing
a big thing," having no opinion at all as to whether the thing was
little or big. But he whistled sometimes as he worked, quite softly,
and he went to bed always in a warm mellow glow that merged easily into
sound restful sleep. In the morning he awoke ready, even eager, for
the new day.

He even took some pleasure in his work for Dick Holden. It was Dick
who gave him a bit of interesting news. David had called that noon to
get data for some plans Dick wanted him to make.

"I could do them myself," the latter explained. "But I'm loafing this
summer. I'm in town only because there's talk that St. Mark's is going
to build."

David did not wince. "And to pay tribute into your coffers?"

"That's what I'm here for," grinned Dick.

"And what are you going to give them?"

"_I_ don't know." Dick waved a confident hand. "Whatever they want."

"I'm working out an idea," David suggested a little timidly, "that
maybe you can use. Drop around to my room some time and I'll show it
to you."

"Why, yes, I'll drop around some time," rather too carelessly said
Dick, who was no longer so thoughtful in little things. Too much
success seemed to be going to his head.

David flushed and dropped the subject. Dick, too, dropped it, both
from tongue and mind.

A few evenings later, while David was working on his new idea, violin
strains rose from the parlor. But he did not go down or join his
fellow roomers on the stairs, though Jonathan and Esther made music
until the evening was no longer young. It was a good hour for work;
the harmonies from below awoke other harmonies in his heart and
clarified his vision. That evening he completed a first sketch of the
interior: the picture you get looking toward the altar from a point
well back in the nave. It was good even as a sketch, for he had seen
very clearly and worked eagerly.

When it was finished he sat ba