The
proprietor looked askance upon my entrance; the
waitresses (who were his daughters) neglected my wants,
and sniffed at the affected joviality of my
salutations; last, and most plain, when I called for a
SUISSE (such as was being served to all the other
diners), I was bluntly told there were no more. It was
obvious I was near the end of my tether; one plank
divided me from want, and now I felt it tremble. I
passed a sleepless night, and the first thing in the
morning took my way to Myner's studio. It was a step I
had long meditated and long refrained from; for I was
scarce intimate with the Englishman; and though I knew
him to possess plenty of money, neither his manner nor
his reputation were the least encouraging to beggars.
I found him at work on a picture, which I was able
conscientiously to praise, dressed in his usual tweeds-
-plain, but pretty fresh, and standing out in
disagreeable contrast to my own withered and degraded
outfit. As we talked, he continued to shift his eyes
watchfully between his handiwork and the fat model, who
sat at the far end of the studio in a state of nature,
with one arm gallantly arched above her head.
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