Page:Angna Enters - Among the Daughters.djvu/340

 in Fragonard's sanguine drawing mocked her and she took more of the palliative than she first intended. After all, one was entitled to a Christmas gift. She replenished her lipstick and, as she studied her face coldly in the mirror, frowned at the reflection of Maxine standing in the doorway.

"Darling," Maxine said, "I know it's late but I had to come to give you this."

A large unmounted emerald froze Simone's palm. "Ugh, it's cold!" she shuddered, dropped it, and made no effort to retrieve it.

"Darling!" squealed Maxine, thrilled by such regal prodigality, and scrambled to pick it up.

"Why don't you exhibit, Vermillion?" asked Clem.

"Because," said Vermillion with alcoholic affability.

Clem threw back his head in a hearty laugh. Vermillion, for all his talk, would never do anything. Look at him now trying to impress Lucy. Her eyes were hepatica-blue tonight. It would be wonderful to paint her in his new American style. With her short ringlets haloing her head, she would stand nude, perhaps holding an ear of corn; like a Cranach, but without the swollen body of course; it would be original and cause comment. It was for her he had borrowed the "Hepaticas" from Ma for the exhibition, to remind her of their picnic when she had wanted him.

"I'm going to talk him into an exhibition," Vedder interjected.

"I haven't enough," Vermillion said uncomfortably.

"Nonsense," said Figente, "you can show some of the early with the latest."

"Nothing doing. Showing incomplete works is an idea of dealers who want to cash in on whatever demand a painter achieved in his maturity. Those dead boys would be miserable if they saw exhibited, as representative of their work, the discards of their scrapbaskets."

"Picasso shows his various styles," Vedder protested.

"That's another matter—but I don't flutter every time he sneezes. He's today's greatest draughtsman, and undoubtedly knows what he is trying to do. I happen to believe that if he was sure of one of his variations of style he'd hang on to it and work from there as has every painter of consequence. When he is sure, he will. He's young yet, as painters go."

"I disagree," dissented Vedder. "Despite their merit, his 328