He tapped the ashes from his pipe and settled himself at full length.
"Surely it is worth while!" she protested. "Why, you might make quite a lot of money."
Rivington stuck the empty pipe between his teeth and pulled at it absently.
"I'm not particularly keen on money," he said.
"But it's such a waste," she argued. "Oh, I wish I had your talent. I would never let it lie idle."
"It isn't my fault," he said; "I am waiting for an inspiration."
"What do you mean by an inspiration?"
He turned lazily upon his side and looked at her.
"Let us say, for instance, if some nice little woman ever cared to marry me," he said.
There fell a sudden silence. Ernestine was studying his sketch with her head on one side. At length, "You will never marry," she said, in a tone of conviction.