He had stationed himself in front of the picture, and he added almost
immediately: 'Hallo! you have altered the character of your woman's
features!'

Then came a long pause; they both kept staring at the canvas. It
measured about sixteen feet by ten, and was entirely painted over,
though little of the work had gone beyond the roughing-out. This
roughing-out, hastily dashed off, was superb in its violence and
ardent vitality of colour. A flood of sunlight streamed into a forest
clearing, with thick walls of verdure; to the left, stretched a dark
glade with a small luminous speck in the far distance. On the grass,
amidst all the summer vegetation, lay a nude woman with one arm
supporting her head, and though her eyes were closed she smiled amidst
the golden shower that fell around her. In the background, two other
women, one fair, and the other dark, wrestled playfully, setting light
flesh tints amidst all the green leaves. And, as the painter had
wanted something dark by way of contrast in the foreground, he had
contented himself with seating there a gentleman, dressed in a black
velveteen jacket. This gentleman had his back turned and the only part
of his flesh that one saw was his left hand, with which he was
supporting himself on the grass.

'The woman promises well,' said Sandoz, at last; 'but, dash it, there
will be a lot of work in all this.'

Claude, with his eyes blazing in front of his picture, made a gesture
of confidence. 'I've lots of time from now till the Salon. One can get
through a deal of work in six months. And perhaps this time I'll be
able to prove that I am not a brute.'