At moments he closed one eye, which confused Marynia still more; at moments he approached the cardboard, and again drew back, and again studied her; and again he said, as if to himself,—
“In the other case, one had to bring out the devil, but here womanliness.”
“As you have seen that immediately, I feel sure of a masterpiece,” said Pan Stanislav.
All at once Svirski stopped looking at the paper and at Marynia, and, turning to Pan Stanislav, smiled joyously, showing his sound teeth.
“Yes, womanliness! and her own womanliness, that is the main characteristic of the face.”
“And seize it, as you seized the devil in the other one.”
“Stas!” exclaimed Marynia.
“It is not I who invented that, but Pan Svirski.”
“If you wish, we will say imp, not devil,—a comely imp, but a dangerous one. While painting, I observe various things. That is a curious type,—Pani Osnovski.”
“Why?”