But surely Vard was obvious enough. What
I want to know is, what became of him? What did you do with him? How did
you manage to shuffle him out of sight?"
"It was much easier than you think. I simply missed an opportunity--"
"That a sign-painter would have seen!"
"Very likely. In fighting shy of the obvious one may miss the
significant--"
"--And when I got back from Paris," the pretty woman was heard to wail, "I
found all the women here were wearing the very models I'd brought home
with me!"
Mrs. Mellish, as became a vigilant hostess, got up and shuffled her
guests; and the question of Yard's portrait was dropped.
I left the house with Lillo; and on the way down Fifth Avenue, after one
of his long silences, he suddenly asked:
"Is that what is generally said of my picture of Vard? I don't mean in the
newspapers, but by the fellows who know?"
I said it was.
He drew a deep breath. "Well," he said, "it's good to know that when one
tries to fail one can make such a complete success of it."
"Tries to fail?"
"Well, no; that's not quite it, either; I didn't want to make a failure of
Vard's picture, but I did so deliberately, with my eyes open, all the
same. It was what one might call a lucid failure."
"But why--?"
"The why of it is rather complicated. I'll tell you some time--" He
hesitated. "Come and dine with me at the club by and by, and I'll tell you
afterwards. It's a nice morsel for a psychologist.
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