George Bernard Shaw

“ I will say a word or two to Charlie, and send him in to you."
There was a mirror in the room, which Herbert had used as a model. It was so placed that Mary could see the image of the new tutor's face, as, being now alone with her, he looked for the first time at the picture. A sudden setting of his mouth and derisive twinkle in his eye shewed that he found something half ludicrous, half contemptible, in the work; and she, observing this, felt hurt, and began to repent having engaged him. Then the expression softened to one of compassion; he sighed as he turned away from the easel. ”

“ That armor, by the bye, would be the better for a rub of emery paper."
"Armor is hard to manage, particularly in distance," said Herbert. "Here I had to contend with the additional difficulty of not making the reflexion in the mirror seem too real."
"You seem to have got over that pretty successfully," said Charlie.
"Yes," said Mary. "There is a certain unreality about the landscape and the figure in armor that I hardly understood at first. The more I strive to exercise my judgment upon art, the more I feel my ignorance. I wish you would always tell me when make foolish comments. ”

“ Has it occurred to you that if by any accident—by the forming of a new tie, for instance—your sympathies came to be diverted from me, I should lose the only person whose belief in me has helped me to believe in myself? ”

“ It seems so ungrateful to hesitate. It is doubt of myself that makes me do so. You have always immensely overrated me; and I should not like you to feel at some future day that you had made a mistake. When you are famous, you will be able to choose whom you please, and where you please. ”

“ My confession is that I was disappointed at the first sight of it. Wait: let me finish. It was different from what I imagined, as it ought to have been; for I am not an artist, and therefore do not imagine things properly. ”

“ I will say thirty-five pounds a year."
"Thirty-five pounds a year" repeated Herbert. "To confess the truth, I am not a man of business myself; but that seems quite reasonable."
"Oh, quite," said Mary. "I think papa would not mind giving more."
"It is enough for me," said Jack, with something like a suppressed chuckle at Mary's simplicity. "Or, I will take a church organ in the neighborhood, if you can procure it for me, in lieu of salary."
"I think we had better adhere to the usual arrangement," said Herbert. Jack nodded, and said, "I have no further conditions to make." ”

“ I have no particular fancy for lounging about that South Kensington crockery shop with you; and, besides, Mr Jack does not know his way to Jermyn's. Here is Adrian."
Herbert came in, and handed a note to the tutor, who took it; nodded briefly to them; and went out with Charlie.
"That is certainly the ugliest man I ever saw," said Herbert. "I think he has got the better of us, too. We are a pretty pair to transact business."
"Yes," said Mary, laughing. "He said he was not a man of business; but I wonder what he thinks of us." ”

“ They are wet."
"Papa felt very tired: he thought it best to lie down for a little," said Mary, throwing off her cloak and appearing in a handsome dress of marmalade-colored silk. "He left the arrangements with Mr Jack to you. I suspect the dread of having to confront that mysterious stranger again had something to do with his fatigue. Is the Lady of Shalott ready to be seen?"
"The light is bad, I am sorry to say," said Herbert, lingering whilst Mary made a movement towards the easel.
"Don't push into the room like that, Mary," said Charlie. "Artists always have models in their studios. ”