“I pray you, my friend, not to do me that injustice!” he exclaimed. “Faithful friendship that even survives the grave, is not a thing that any man can afford to despise. But for the disaster of untimely death, your faithfulness and hers would have created for two persons the perfect life. I assure you, Mayfield, that I have been deeply moved by the story of your delightful friendship and your irreparable loss. But don’t let us dwell too much on the sad aspects of the story. Show me your relics. I see some very charming little plaques among them.”
He picked up one with reassuring daintiness of touch and examined it through a reading-glass that I handed to him.
“It really is a most admirable little work,” said he. “Not in the least amateurish. She had the makings of a first-class medallist; the appreciation of the essential qualities of a miniature relief. And she had a fine feeling for composition and spacing.”
Deeply gratified by his appreciation and a little surprised by his evident knowledge of the medallist’s art, I presented the little works, one after another, and we discussed their merits with the keenest interest. Presently he asked:
“Has it never occurred to you, Mayfield, that these charming little works ought to be finished?”
“Finished?” I repeated. “But, aren’t they finished?”
“Certainly not. They are only in the plaster. But a plaster cast is an intermediate form, just a mere working model. It is due to the merits of these plaques and medals that they should be put into permanent material—silver or copper or bronze. I’ll tell you what, Mayfield,” he continued, enthusiastically. “You shall let Polton make replicas of some of them—he could do it with perfect safety to the originals. Then we could hand the casts to an electrotyper or a founder—I should favour the electrotype process for such small works—and have them executed in whichever metal you preferred. Then you would be able to see, for the first time, the real quality of the modelling.”
I caught eagerly at the idea, but yet I was a little nervous.
“You think it would be perfectly safe?” I asked.
“Absolutely safe. Polton would make gelatine moulds which couldn’t possibly injure the originals.”