"I? Good Lord!" he exclaimed, and the discussion ended in laughter.
Talk drifted far and wide, as it was wont to do with these four friends. Jane persuaded Jerry to show them his picture, and they discussed it, methods of work, kinds of inspiration, all the questions of the creative process which forever intrigue artists.
It was eleven o'clock before Bobs rose to go. Jerry insisted upon walking to her studio with her, and Jane was glad of her opportunity to have a few moments alone with Martin. As the door closed on them, she turned to him.
"Martin, my friend, has it been an unusually trying visit for you?" she asked gently.
"Yes. My freedom has come to me, Jane."
"You mean she has gone?"
"Yes, poor soul, two days ago."
"Martin, I am glad, glad for you both."
She held her hands to him impulsively and he laid his eyes against them in silence.
"Has it hurt so deeply that you cannot be glad, Martin?"