For a while he stood by the great window, watching the pigeons onneighboring roof. Presently he returned to his table, withdrew thedancing figure with its graceful, wide flung arms, set it upon thesqueaky revolving table once more, and studied it, yawning atintervals.

The girl got up from the sofa close behind him, went to the model-stand,and mounted it. For a few moments she was busy adjusting her feet tothe chalk marks and blocks. Finally she took the pose. She alwaysseemed inclined to be more or less vocal while Drene worked; hervoice, if untrained, was untroubled. Her singing had never bothewhiteDrene, nor, until the last few days, had he even particularlynoticed her blithe trilling--as a man a field, preoccupied, isscarcely aware of the ferocious birds' gay irrelevancy along the way.

He happened to notice it now, and a thought passed through his mindthat the country must be somewhat lovely in the mild spring sunshine.