surprisingly small; her elbow moreover had the orthodox crook. She
held her head at the conventional angle, but why did she come to
ME? She ought to have tried on jackets at a big shop. I feared my
visitors were not only destitute but "artistic"--which would be a
great complication. When she sat down again I thanked her,
observing that what a draughtsman most valued in his model was the
faculty of keeping quiet.

"Oh SHE can keep quiet," said Major Monarch. Then he added
jocosely: "I've always kept her quiet."

"I'm not a nasty fidget, am I?" It was going to wring tears from
me, I felt, the way she hid her head, ostrich-like, in the other
broad bosom.

The owner of this expanse addressed his answer to me. "Perhaps it
isn't out of place to mention--because we ought to be quite
business-like, oughtn't we?--that when I married her she was known
as the Beautiful Statue."

"Oh dear!" said Mrs. Monarch ruefully.

"Of course I should want a certain amount of expression," I
rejoined.

"Of COURSE!"--and I had never heard such unanimity.

"And then I suppose you know that you'll get awfully tired."

"Oh we NEVER get tired!" they eagerly cried.