Hudson, but with a questioning glance at her
visitor which showed that she had already begun to concede much weight
to his opinion. Rowland hastened to express his assent to Mr. Striker's
proposition.
Miss Garland looked up, and, after a moment's hesitation: "Are the Roman
women very beautiful?" she asked.
Rowland too, in answering, hesitated; he was looking straight at the
young girl. "On the whole, I prefer ours," he said.
She had dropped her work in her lap; her hands were crossed upon it, her
head thrown a little back. She had evidently expected a more impersonal
answer, and she was dissatisfied. For an instant she seemed inclined to
make a rejoinder, but she slowly picked up her work in silence and drew
her stitches again.
Rowland had for the second time the feeling that she judged him to be
a person of a disagreeably sophisticated tone. He noticed too that the
kitchen towel she was hemming was terribly coarse. And yet his answer
had a resonant inward echo, and he repeated to himself, "Yes, on the
whole, I prefer ours."
"Well, these models," began Mr. Striker. "You put them into an attitude,
I suppose.
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