I sought Grant’s friendship.  He had studied in the Julian Academy at Paris, in his youth.  He invited me to his house for tea, often; where I met many of his students, but never, as I had hoped, the girl of the moonlight....

But by careful and guarded inquiry I found out who she was ... a girl from the central portion of the state, named Vanna Andrews.

When Grant asked me to pose for his class, sandals, open shirt, corduroys, and all ...  I agreed ... almost too eagerly ... he would pay me twenty-five cents an hour.

My first day Vanna was not there.  On the second, she came ... late ... her tiny, white face, crowned with its dark head of hair ... “a star in a jet-black cloud,” I phrased, to myself.  She sailed straight in like a ship.

When she had settled herself,—­beginning to draw, she appraised me coolly, impartially, for a moment ... took my dimensions for her paper, pencil held at arm’s length....

Slowly, though I fought it back, a red wave of confusion surged over my face and neck.  I turned as red as ochre.  I grew warm with perspiration of embarrassment.  I gazed fixedly out through the window....

“You’re getting out of position,” warned Professor Grant.

Vanna still observed me with steadfast, large, blue eyes.  She started her sketch with a few, first, swift lines.

“Excuse me,” I rose, “I feel rather ill.”  I posed, “I’ve been up all night drinking strong coffee and writing poems,” I continued, my voice rising in insincere, noisy falsetto.

“Step down a minute and rest, then, Mr. Gregory,” advised Professor Grant, puzzled, a grimace of distaste on his face.

“Isn’t he silly,” I overheard a girl student whisper to a loud-dressed boy, whose easiness of manner with the female students I hated and envied him for....

I resumed my pose.  I blushed no more.  I endured the cool, level, impersonal glances of the girl I had fallen in love with....

“The model’s a little wooden, don’t you think, professor?” she observed, to tease me, perhaps.  She could not help but sense the cause of my agitation.  But then she was used to creating a stir among men.  Her beauty perturbed almost the entire male student body.

* * * * *

I noticed that her particular chum was a very homely girl.  I straightway found charms in this girl that no one had ever found before.  And Alice and I became friends.  And, while posing, I came before the time, because she, I discovered, was always beforehand, touching up her work.

Alice was a stupid, clumsy girl, but she adored Vanna and liked nothing better than to talk about her chum and room-mate.  She took care of Vanna as one would take care of a helpless baby.

“Vanna is a genius, if there ever was one ... she doesn’t know her hands from her feet in practical affairs ... but she’s wonderful ... all the boys,” and Alice sighed with as much envy as her nature would allow—­“all the boys are just crazy about her ... but she isn’t in love with any of them!”