"Yes, I want a female figure," he replied at last.
There was silence, and gradually the silence became uncomfortable: two very old acquaintances in a tête-à-tête conversation.
"I wish I knew where to get a model from! I don't want the Academy models, the whole world knows them, and, besides, the subject is a religious one."
"You want something better? I understand! If it were not for the nude, I might perhaps...."
"It isn't for the nude! Are you mad? Among all those men ... besides, it's a religious subject."
"Yes, yes, we know all that. She must be dressed in something Oriental, and bend down as if she were picking up something, show her shoulders, her neck, and the first vertebra, I understand. Religious like the Magdalene! Bird's-eye view!"
"You scoff and jeer at everything!"
"Let's keep to the point! You shall have your model, for it's impossible to paint without one. You, yourself, don't know one. Very well! Your religious principles don't allow you to look for one; therefore Rehnhjelm and I, the two black sheep, will find you one."
"But it must be a respectable girl, don't forget that."
"Of course! We will see what we can do, the day after to-morrow, when we shall be in funds."