Nunc Dimiltis Summary

A rather pompous older man called Lionel is out to dinner with Gladys Ponsby, who tells him a lengthy anecdote about a new painter in London, the toast of the town, called John Roydon. What makes Royden such a special painter, she tells him, is the fact that he paints women in their undergarments, then adds their dresses on top, for a more realistic look. Later, Gladys lets it slip that the woman whom Lionel has been taking out, Janet, has been gossiping about him and finds him a bit of a bore. In revenge, Lionel commissions Royden to paint Janet's picture, telling Janet that she has been specially selected for her portrait as a sample to show at an exhibition. Lionel then gives a dinner party, having removed the dress from the painting with paint-remover, in candlelight. Once the candles...