It's too
maddening!
Kipling - Poems
He found that Maisie had entirely neglected his suggestions about
line-work. She had gone off at score filed with some absurd notion for a
"fancy head. " It cost Dick something to command his temper.
"What's the good of suggesting anything? " he said pointedly.
"Ah, but this will be a picture,--a real picture; and I know that Kami
will let me send it to the Salon. You don't mind, do you? "
"I suppose not. But you won't have time for the Salon. "
Maisie hesitated a little. She even felt uncomfortable.
"We're going over to France a month sooner because of it. I shall get
the idea sketched out here and work it up at Kami's. "
Dick's heart stood still, and he came very near to being disgusted with
his queen who could do no wrong. "Just when I thought I had made some
headway, she goes off chasing butterflies.
It's too maddening! "
There was no possibility of arguing, for the red-haired girl was in the
studio. Dick could only look unutterable reproach.
"I'm sorry," he said, "and I think you make a mistake. But what's the
idea of your new picture? "
"I took it from a book. "
"That's bad, to begin with. Books aren't the places for pictures.
And----"
"It's this," said the red-haired girl behind him. "I was reading it to
Maisie the other day from The City of Dreadful Night. D'you know the
book? "
"A little. I am sorry I spoke. There are pictures in it. What has taken
her fancy? "
"The description of the Melancolia--
'Her folded wings as of a mighty eagle,
But all too impotent to lift the regal
Robustness of her earth-born strength and pride.
