"I am bothering you. I'll go away now, but I'll be back Tuesday night for the class. What time do I come and what should I bring?"
"Eight. It's charcoal—I sell you the sticks and paper. Just bring a smock."
"All right. And I want to take the oils class, too. And I want to bring some people I know to see your work. I'm sure they'll see something they like. Austin Malone's in from Venus—he's a special friend of mine."
"Lucretia," he said. "Or do some people call you Lucy?"
"Lucy."
"Will you take that little bronze you liked? As a thank you?"
"I can't do that!"
"Please. I'd feel much better about this. I really mean it."
She nodded abruptly, flushing, and almost ran from the room.
Now why did I do that? he asked himself. He hoped it was because he liked Lucy Grumman very much. He hoped it wasn't a cold-blooded investment of a piece of sculpture that would never be sold, anyway, just to make sure she'd be back with class fees and more groceries.