It was useless to oppose the girl’s obstinate will.  Whether or no, to his unspoken disgust, Frederick had to perform messenger and handy-man services for the little star.  He rushed from Webster and Forster to Lilienfeld, from Lilienfeld to the attorneys, Brown and Samuelson, from Second Avenue to Fourth Avenue, from Fourth Avenue to Fifth Avenue, finally to knock at the door of Mr. Garry himself, the head of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and represent to him Ingigerd Hahlstroem’s position, which was, that by preventing her appearance, the society would expose her to material want in a strange country.  Mr. Garry refused to receive Frederick.

Fortunately for him, Willy Snyders the good-hearted, in order to make things as easy as possible for him, sacrificed himself by obtaining an afternoon’s leave of absence from work.  His saucy, healthy humour, his jolly remarks on New York conditions helped Frederick through many unpleasant moments.

Frederick was happy when the next morning came and he could go at his modelling again.  His brain, whirling with the rattle and clatter of New York, could spend itself in his passionate occupation, which employed both his eyes and his hands.  He deemed himself fortunate for being genuinely unpractical and not having to take part in that gruesome horse-racing and sack-racing and target-shooting, that crawling and dancing and jumping for the sacrosanct dollar.  The very breath of that frenzied life tore the garments of his soul into shreds, as it were, while this simple occupation of modelling the details of the athlete’s arm, was healing to his soul.  He was conscious of it.  Now and then Miss Burns came in to inspect his work and exchange a few words with him.  He liked this.  Her companionable presence soothed him and even made him happy.  Her figure, her gestures, her conversation seemed to be the very essence of firmness and repose, and her self-sufficiency always aroused Frederick’s silent admiration.  When he told her how perceptibly his new work acted as a sedative upon him, she replied that she had had the same experience, and if he did not fly off at a tangent but remained steadily at the work, he would feel the good it did him even more.

XVI

Ingigerd Halstroem had “invited” the artists to her rehearsal at twelve o’clock.  When they gathered in Miss Burns’s room—­beside Frederick, there were Ritter, Lobkowitz, Willy Snyders, Miss Burns, and the gypsy-like painter Franck, who carried a portfolio and sketching material—­there was a certain solemnity in their manner.

It was a clear day and the streets were dry, and they decided to walk to the theatre.  On the way Ritter told Frederick of a little country house he was building for himself on Long Island.  Frederick had already heard of it through Willy Snyders.  It was to be a rather pretentious building, with gardens and stables and barns.  Ritter was erecting it according to his own ideas and plans.  He discussed the beauties of the Doric column.  It was the most natural of column forms and therefore the most suitable for any surroundings.  That was why he had used it in his villa.  For his interiors, he had partly followed Pompeian models, and there was to be an atrium.  He spoke of a little figure, a gargoyle, which he intended to place over a square fountain.