"Oh, you won't have to," she said; "I'll come as long as you want me."

"That is simply angelic of you. Tell me, do you wish to descend to terra
firma?"

She glanced below, doubtfully:

"N-no, thank you. If I could only stretch my--legs--"

"Stretch away," he said, much amused, "but don't tumble off and break
into pieces. I like you better as you are than as an antique and
limbless Venus."

She cautiously and daintily extended first one leg then the other under
the wool robe, then eased the cramped muscles of her back, straightening
her body and flexing her arms with a little sigh of relief. As her shy
sidelong gaze reverted to him she saw to her relief that he was not
noticing her. A slight sense of warmth, suffused her body, and she
stretched herself again, more confidently, and ventured to glance
around.

"Speaking of terms," he said in an absent way, apparently preoccupied
with the palette which he was carefully scraping, "do you happen to know
what is the usual recompense for a model's service?"

She said that she had heard, and added with quick diffidence that she
could not expect so much, being only a beginner.

He polished the surface of the palette with a handful of cheese cloth: