"Excuse me, but are these pictures which I see portraits painted by
you?"

"Every one of them," said Garstin, rather roughly and impatiently.

"Will you allow me to look at them?"

"They're there to be looked at."

Again Arabian glanced at Miss Van Tuyn. She got up from the sofa
quickly.

"I will show Mr. Arabian the pictures," she said.

She had noticed the cloud lowering on Garstin's face and knew that he
was irritated by Arabian's hesitation. As Garstin had once said to her
he could be "sensitive," although his manners were often rough, and
his face was what is usually called a "hard" face. And he was quite
unaccustomed to meet with any resistance, even with any hesitation,
when he was disposed to paint anyone, man or woman. Besides, the fact
of Arabian's arrival at the studio had naturally led Garstin to expect
compliance with his wish already expressed at the Cafe Royal. He was now
obviously in a surly temper, and Miss Van Tuyn knew from experience that
when resisted he was quite capable of an explosion. How, she wondered,
would Arabian face an outburst from Garstin? She could not tell. But she
thought it wise if possible to avoid anything disagreeable. So she came
forward smiling.

"That will be very kind," said Arabian, in his soft and warm voice, and