Three months of his new life had gone by before Kirk awoke from thestupor which had gripped him as the result of the general upheaval ofhis world. Ever since his return from Colombia he had honestly beenintending to resume his painting, and, attacking it this time in abusiness-like way, to try to mould himself into the semblance of anefficient artist.

　　His mind had been full of fine resolutions. He would engage a goodteacher, some competent artist whom fortune had not treated well andwho would be glad of the job--Washington Square and its neighbourhoodwere full of them--and settle down grimly, working regular hours, torecover lost ground.

　　But the rush of life, as lived on the upper avenue, had swept him away.

　　He had been carried along on the rapids of dinners, parties, dances,theatres, luncheons, and the rest, and his great resolve had gonebobbing away from him on the current.

　　He had recovered it now and climbed painfully ashore, feeling bruisedand exhausted, but determined.

　　* * * * *Among the motley crowd which had made the studio a home in the days ofKirk's bachelorhood had been an artist--one might almost say anex-artist--named Robert Dwight Penway. An over-fondness for rye whiskyat the Brevoort cafe had handicapped Robert as an active force in theworld of New York art. As a practical worker he was not greatlyesteemed--least of all by the editors of magazines, who had paidadvance cheques to him for work which, when delivered at all, wasdelivered too late for publication. These, once bitten, were now twiceshy of Mr. Penway. They did not deny his great talents, which were,indeed, indisputable; but they were fixed in their determination not tomake use of them.

　　Fate could have provided no more suitable ally for Kirk. It wasuniversally admitted around Washington Square and--grudgingly--down-townthat in the matter of theory Mr. Penway excelled. He could teach toperfection what he was too erratic to practise.

　　Robert Dwight Penway, run to earth one sultry evening in the Brevoort,welcomed Kirk as a brother, as a rich brother. Even when his firstimpression, that he was to have the run of the house on Fifth Avenueand mix freely with touchable multi-millionaires, had been corrected,his altitude was still brotherly. He parted from Kirk with many solemnpromises to present himself at the studio daily and teach him enoughart to put him clear at the top of the profession. "Way above allthese other dubs," asserted Mr. Penway.

　　Robert Dwight Penway's attitude toward his contemporaries in art bore astriking resemblance to Steve's estimate of his successors in themiddle-weight department of the American prize-ring.

　　Surprisingly to those who knew him, Mr. Penway was as good as his word.

　　Certainly Kirk's terms had been extremely generous; but he had thrownaway many a contract of equal value in his palmy days. Possibly hisactivity was due to his liking for Kirk; or it may have been that theprospect of sitting by with a cigar while somebody else worked, withnothing to do all day except offer criticism, and advice, appealed tohim.