he knew it had been done from a naked woman. He went away thinking
it out. Ireland is emptying before them. By God, it must have been
he. Now it all comes back to me. He has as much as said that
something of the temptation of the naked woman would transpire
through the draperies. He said that. He said that it would be a
very awful thing if the temptations of the flesh were to transpire
through the draperies of the Virgin. From the beginning they have
looked upon women as unclean things. They have hated woman. Woman
have to cover up their heads before they go into the churches.
Everything is impure in their eyes, in their impure eyes, whereas
I saw nothing in you but loveliness. He was shocked by those round
tapering legs; and would have liked to curse them; and the dainty
design of the hips, the beautiful little hips, and the breasts
curved like shells, that I modelled so well. It is he who
blasphemes. They blaspheme against Life.... My God, what a vile
thing is the religious mind. And all the love and veneration that
went into that statue! There it is: only a lump of clay."

"I am sure you are wronging Father Tom; he has his faults, but he
would not do such a thing as that."

"Yes," said Rodney, "he would. I know them better than you. I know
the creed. But you did not finish your story. Tell me what
happened when he began to suspect that you sat for the statue."

"He asked me if I had seen the statue of the Virgin in your
studio. I grew red all over. I could not answer him, and mother
said, 'Why don't you answer Father Tom?' I could see from his
manner that he knew that I had sat for the statue. And then he
said he wanted to speak to father and mother. Mother said I had