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’And he’s a fairly well-known artist. And he’s fond of
me.’
’Well I’m damned! Poor Duncan! And what’s he going to
get out of it?’
’I don’t know. But he might rather like it, even.’
’He might, might he? Well, he’s a funny man if he does.
Why, you’ve never even had an affair with him, have you?’
’No! But he doesn’t really want it. He only loves me to be
near him, but not to touch him.’
’My God, what a generation!’
’He would like me most of all to be a model for him to
paint from. Only I never wanted to.’
’God help him! But he looks down-trodden enough for
anything.’
’Still, you wouldn’t mind so much the talk about him?’
’My God, Connie, all the bloody contriving!’
’I know! It’s sickening! But what can I do?’
’Contriving, conniving; conniving, contriving! Makes a
man think he’s lived too long.’
’Come, Father, if you haven’t done a good deal of contriv-
ing and conniving in your time, you may talk.’
’But it was different, I assure you.’
’It’s ALWAYS different.’
Hilda arrived, also furious when she heard of the new
developments. And she also simply could not stand the
thought of a public scandal about her sister and a game-
keeper. Too, too humiliating!
’Why should we not just disappear, separately, to British
Columbia, and have no scandal?’ said Connie.

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