Surrounding it were a number of small squares, each marked: "This is a
chair."

Another square: "This is the sideboard."

* * * * *

Cope Whitehouse once described a boat-load of Egyptians "floating down
the Nile with the thermometer one hundred and twenty degrees in the
shade, and no shade."

"And no thermometer," interjected Whistler.

* * * * *

A lady sitter brought a cat with her and placed it on her knee. The
cat was nervous and yowled continuously.

"Madam," said the vexed artist, "will you have the cat in the
foreground or in the back yard?"

* * * * *

While painting one of his famous nocturnes a critic of considerable
pretensions called. "Good heavens, Whistler!" he cried, "what in the
world are you splashing at?"

"I am teaching art to posterity," Whistler replied, quietly.