Chapter 42 nude art

It's midnight, and I know if I don't start writing now, I'll never have the courage.All night, I sat here trying to force myself to remember, but the more I thought about it, the more frightened, ashamed, and stressed I became. My mind, which I thought was brilliant, tried to find reasons, by means of penitence, for the cruelty I had done to Janet de Bellaja.In fact, I long for an imaginative, sympathetic listener to confide in.This listener should be gentle and understanding.I want to tell him every detail of this unhappy episode of life, if I don't get too disturbed to speak.

If I could be more frank with myself, I have to admit that it was not so much my own shame as my hurt to poor Janet that troubled me most.I've fooled myself and all my friends - if I'm ever lucky enough to call them friends.What lovely people they were, and used to come to my cottage a lot.Now everyone must regard me as an evil and punishable ghost.well!That is indeed a very serious injury to people.Can you really understand me!Take a few minutes to introduce yourself. I think I belong to that rare class of people who have money, leisure, culture, middle age, and are respected by friends for charm, scholarly grace, and generosity.My business is art appreciation, so I naturally have a unique appreciation taste. Of course, people like us are always single, but we obviously don’t want to have anything to do with the women who surround us tightly. Most of the time in our lives, we will be proud Extraordinary, but there are also setbacks, dissatisfaction, and regrets, but that is only occasionally.

I don't need to introduce myself too much anymore, it's too frank.You can make a judgment about me.If you listen to this story, you may say that I blame myself too much, and the one who should be blamed most is the woman named Grady Besenbe.After all, she caused it. If I hadn't sent her home that night, if she hadn't talked about that person and that event, nothing would have happened. That was last February, if I remember correctly.Dining that day at the lovely Essendon cottage overlooking Kinsey Park was well attended. Grady Besenbe was the only one who was with me all the time.When I go back, I will naturally take the initiative to give her a ride.Unfortunately, when we got home, she insisted on letting me in. "A toast to a good trip home," she said.I didn't want to be seen as an overly dull person, so I greeted the driver and entered the house.Grady Besembe was a short woman, probably not more than four feet nine inches tall.It was comical standing next to her, I was as condescending as I was standing on a chair.She was a widow, with a saggy and dull face, and her small face was full of fat, so crowded that her nose, mouth, and chin had nowhere to hide.If it wasn't for a mouth that could speak to remind me, I would have taken her for an eel.

In the living room, she poured two glasses of brandy casually, and I noticed that her hands were shaking a little.After talking for a while about the Essendon dinner party and a few friends, I got up and wanted to go. "Sit down, Leonai," she said, "have another drink." "Really, I must go." "Sit down, sit down, I want another drink, at least you should have another drink with me." Watching her walk towards the closet, her body swaying slightly, holding her wine glass to her chest, her short and wide figure gave me the illusion that she was so fat above her knees that she lost her legs.

"Leonai, what are you laughing at?" When she was pouring the wine, she turned slightly and asked, a few drops of brandy spilled out of the glass. "Nothing, nothing." "Let me show you a recent portrait of mine." She pointed to the large painting hanging on the fireplace.Since entering the house, I have been hiding and turning a blind eye.It must have been a very ugly thing, and must have been painted by that celebrated painter, John Joyton.It was a full-length portrait, and Mrs. Bosembey looked, because of the smooth brushwork, a tall, attractive woman. "Fantasy!" I said. "Don't you? I'm glad you like it." "It's charming."

"Yoyton is a genius! Don't you think he's a genius?" "Oh, more than a genius..." "However, Leonai, do you know that John Joyton is so popular now that he doesn't draw anything less than a thousand." "Really?" "Of course, that's it, and there are still many people waiting in line!" "It's so interesting." "Then you don't think he's a genius?" "Of course, he's a genius." "Joyton is of course a genius, and the pay proves it." She sat for a while in silence, taking a sip of her brandy.I noticed that the cup had made a shallow line on her fat lips.She caught me watching her and glanced over from the corner of her eye.I shook my head slightly, not wanting to speak.

She turned around suddenly, casually put the wine glass on the wine plate on the right, and made a gesture of making a suggestion, waiting for what she would say, but there was a silence that followed, which made me very uncomfortable.As I had nothing to say, I had to play with a snow front and study the soot and the smoke that was sprayed on the ceiling. She turned around, suddenly smiled shyly and lowered her eyelids.The mouth—the mouth of an eel—curled into a strange angle. "Leonai, I think I can tell you a secret." "Really, but I have to go." "Don't be nervous, Leonai, I won't embarrass you, you seem a little nervous."

"I'm not interested in little secrets." "You're an expert at drawing, and you'll be interested." She sat quietly, except for her fingers that kept shaking and twisting and twisting uncomfortably, like little snakes snaking and twisting. "You don't want to know my secret anymore, Leot?" "It's better not to know, maybe it will embarrass you in the future." "Probably, it's best to keep your mouth shut in London, especially if it involves a woman's privacy. Maybe this secret will affect forty or fifty ladies, but it has nothing to do with men, except of course him, John Joyton."

I didn't mean to encourage her to continue talking, so I didn't say a word. "Of course, it's best that you promise not to reveal this secret." "Oh, of course not." "You swear!" "Swear? Well, I swear." "Okay, listen." She picked up the brandy and leaned against the corner of the sofa. "We can say with certainty, as you will know, that John Joyton only paints women." "Should I know?" "And they are full-body portraits, some standing, some sitting, like mine. Take another look, Leonai, what do you think of that evening dress? Isn't it beautiful?"

"Of course..." "Come closer and take a closer look." I reluctantly went over to take a look. To my surprise, it can be seen that the paint used to paint the dress is thicker than other parts, as if it has been specially processed. "You see something? The paint on the dress is heavy, don't you!" "Yes, a little." "Huh, there's nothing more interesting than that, let me start at the beginning." Alas, this woman is so annoying, how can I escape? "That was about a year ago. What a thrill I was when I walked into the studio of the great painter! I was in an evening dress I had just bought from Norman Harnell's, with a fancy red hat, Mr. Joyton stood at the door to greet me. Of course, I was infected by his temperament at that time. He had a pair of ecstasy blue eyes and wore a black velvet jacket. The studio was really big, with a red velvet sofa and a velvet cover The chairs—he really loves velvet—the velvet curtains, even the rug is velvet." "Oh, really?"

"He sat me down and cut to the chase what makes drawing different, and how he has a way of drawing a woman's figure so close to perfection that you'll be amazed." "I won't mind," I said. "'Look at the shoddy stuff,' he said at the time: "Whoever made it, you see, the dress is perfectly painted, but it still gives you the feeling of frivolity, a lifeless painting. '" "Mr. Eaton, why is that?" " "'Because the painter himself doesn't know the secrets under the clothes!'" Grady Posenbe stopped and took a sip of brandy. "Don't stare at me like this, Leonai." She said to me: "It's nothing serious Yes, as long as you keep silent, and then, Mr. Eaton puts it this way: "That's why I insist on painting only nudes. '""Oh my God! "I cried out in surprise. "'I don't mind making a small concession if you object, Mrs. Bosembey,' he said. Outfit, coat later, and voila, it's that easy. '""This kid is a sex maniac. "I said in surprise. "No, Leonai, I faced a sincere man that day. However, I told him that my husband would not agree to it in the first place." "'Your husband will never know,' said he; "why bother him, no one knows the secret except the women I have painted.There is no moral problem here, and a real painter would not do those immoral things.Just like seeing a doctor, you wouldn't refuse to undress in front of the doctor! " "I told him he refused to take off his clothes if it was just for eye problems. This made him laugh out loud, but he was a persuasive man, admittedly, and I relented after a while. Look, Leot, you know all my secrets. "She stood up and poured herself another brandy. "Is this true?" "Of course." "You mean, he's always been portrayed like this?" "Yes, luckily husbands will never know that all they see is a portrait of a fully clothed woman. Of course, it's okay to paint a portrait of a naked woman, artists do it all the time, but our stupid husbands are against it " "Oh, this guy is out of his mind!" "I think he's a genius." "However, I would like to ask, before you asked Eaton to be painted, had you heard of ... heard of his unique painting technique?" She stopped pouring brandy for a moment, turned her head to look at me, a blush brushed the corner of her mouth: "Damn, you are really smart." I got to know John Joyton thoroughly, the psychological con man who pretended to be perfect.He has the details of the rich and idle women in the city.I can always try my best to relieve their worries.Play bridge, go shopping, and play until the evening reception begins.All these women are after is a little thrill, the kind of thrill that pays as much as possible to be different.This kind of entertainment can always become popular in their circle like smallpox. "You won't tell anyone else, you swore." "No, of course not, but it's time for me to go." "Don't be so stubborn, it's just starting to make you happy, drink this cup with me." I had no choice but to sit down again and watch her sip the glass of brandy, and found that her cunning eyes were peeping at me all the time, and the fire of desire was entangled in her eyes like a little green snake, which made people feel a little scared. Suddenly, she spoke and almost made me jump. "Leonai, I heard something about you and Janet de Bellaja." "Gladi, please don't..." "Come on, you're blushing." She put her hand on my leg, stopping me from speaking. "There's no secret between us now, is there?" "Janet's a good girl." "You can't call her a girl anymore." Grady paused, staring at the glass. "Of course, I agree with you about her, she is indeed an outstanding character, except..." At this time, her tone slowed down a lot, "Other than occasionally talking about unexpected topics" "What did you talk about? " "What are you talking about, just talking about some people, including you." "What are you talking about?" "Nothing, you won't be interested." "What about me?" "It's really not worth mentioning again, but what she said made me curious!" "Glady, what did she say about me?" I waited eagerly for her answer, sweat rolling down my back. "Well, let me see, just kidding and said something about having dinner with you." "Is she bored?" "Yeah," Grady drank a large glass of brandy in one gulp. "I happened to be playing cards with Janet this afternoon. I asked her if she was free for dinner tomorrow. In fact, what she said at the time was:" No way , I have to wait for that nasty Leonai to be together. ’””Is that what Janet said? " "Of course." "What else?" "Enough, I really don't want to say more." "Say it, say it, please go ahead." "Oh, Leonai, don't yell at me like that. You have to listen to me to tell you, and it doesn't seem like you're not friends enough. Don't you think we're real friends now?" "Speak!" "Hey, God, you gotta make me think, that's what I know she said." Gladi imitated Janet's mezzo-soprano that I knew so well: "Leonai is really a Boring person, always go to Yossey Gray's restaurant for dinner, always there, repeating his paintings, china dishes, china dishes, paintings. In the taxi back, grab my hand, tightly Squeeze against me, smelling of bad tobacco. When I get to my house, I always tell him to stay in the car and don't get out. He always pretends not to hear, squinting at me to open the door, and I can always hurry up before he moves his foot Sneak into the house and keep him out, or..." It was a terrible night. Hearing this, I was completely broken, and I came back heavy. break free. I was lying on the bed exhausted and frustrated, trying to piece together every detail of what I talked about yesterday at Grady's house, her ugly flat face, eel-like mouth, every word she said...and the unforgettable Janet's evaluation of me.That's exactly what Janet said! A sudden surge of hatred for Janet spread throughout his body like a hot current.I suddenly shivered like a fever, trying to suppress the urge, yes, I want revenge.Take revenge on anyone who dares to slander me. You might say I'm too sensitive.no really.At that time, this incident drove me to almost murder. If it weren't for the pain caused by the deep pinch marks on my arm, I might have killed someone. However, killing that woman is too cheap and not to my taste, I have to find a better way. I'm not an organized person, nor have I had a serious career.But resentment and rage can make a man's mind surprisingly sharp.Right away, there's a plan, really exciting plan.I carefully considered every detail of it, and changed several places that were difficult to implement.At this time, I only felt my blood pulse swelled, and I jumped up and down on the bed excitedly, making my fingers rattle.Find the phone book, look up the number, and dial it right away. "Hi, I'm calling Mr. Joyton, John Joyton." "That's me." Alas, it's hard to remind this man who I am, I've never met him.Of course, he might know me. Everyone with money and status in society is the target of his pursuit. "I'm free in an hour, let's meet and talk." After telling me an address, I hung up the phone. I jumped off the bed, bursts of excitement, just now in despair, almost suicidal, now extremely excited. At the appointed time, John Joyton came to the study room. He was not tall, well-dressed, wearing a black velvet jacket. "Glad to meet you so soon." "It's an honor." The man's lips looked wet and sticky, slightly reddish amidst the pallor.After a few simple and polite words, I immediately got to the point: "Mr. Joyton, I have an unkind request for your kindness. It is entirely a personal matter." "Oh?" He raised his head high, biting like a cock point. "Well, there is a lady in this city, and I would like you to draw a picture of her. I really hope to have a portrait of her, but please don't tell her what I think." "You mean... ..." "Is it possible," I said, "that a man has admired this lady for a long time, and he has the urge to give her a painting, and he will give it to her suddenly at the right time?" "Of course, of course, it's romantic." "The lady's name is Janet de Bellaja." "Janet de Bellaja? Let me see, I don't think I've seen her." "It's a pity, but you'll see her, like at a reception or something, and I think of it like this: You go to her and tell her you've been looking for a model for years. She's just right, face shape, figure, eyes. It couldn't be more suitable. You are willing to paint her a portrait for free. I'm sure she will agree. After the painting is finished, please send it, and of course I will buy it." A smile appeared on Joyton's face. "Any questions?" I asked, "Do you think it's too romantic?" "I think... I think..." He hesitated to say something. "Double pay." The man licked his lower lip, "Oh, Mr. Leonai, this is unusual! Of course, only a heartless man can refuse such a romantic arrangement!" "I want a full-length portrait, twice the size of the Moses one." "60x36?" "To stand, in my opinion, that is her most beautiful posture." "I can understand that it was an honor to draw such a lovely girl." "Thank you, don't forget, this is just a secret between us." After sending that bastard off, I forced myself to sit still and take twenty-five deep breaths, or I'd jump up and yell happily like an idiot.That's how the plan started!The hardest part is done.Just have to wait patiently for a while now.According to this man's painting method, it may take several months, so I have to be patient.There is no better way to pass the time than to go abroad.I went to Italy. I'm back after four months.The good news is that everything is going according to plan.The portrait of Janet de Bellaja was completed, and Joyton called to say that several people had wanted to snap up the portrait, but had been told it was not for sale. I immediately sent the painting into the studio, suppressed my excitement, and looked at it carefully.Janet, slim in a black evening gown, leans on a sofa used as a backdrop, her hands resting loosely on the back of the chair. This painting is really good, capturing the most charming expression of the woman, with the head slightly tilted forward, the blue eyes are big and bright, and there is a smile on the corner of the mouth.Of course, the flaws on the face have been covered up by the cunning painter, and the wrinkles on the face and the overweight chin have been skillfully dealt with. I bent down and carefully examined the clothing part of the painting.Great, the color is thick and heavy, and the paint layer can be seen to be thicker than the rest of the part.Not wanting to wait any longer, he took off his shirt and started working. I originally collected famous paintings as a career, so I am naturally an expert in cleaning and restoring portraits. Cleaning up this job is actually a very simple job except that it requires patience. I poured out some turpentine, added a few drops of alcohol, mixed well, dipped some with a brush and gently brushed it on the evening dress of the portrait.This painting should be painted after one layer is completely dry, otherwise, it will take a lot of work to mix the paints together. The piece painted with turpentine is in the stomach of the person. It took a lot of time to brush it several times, and added a little alcohol, and finally the paint began to melt. For nearly an hour, I have been working on this small piece, gently melting deeper and deeper into the interior of the painting.Suddenly, a little bit of pink jumped out, and continued to work, the black of the dress was erased, and the pink block appeared. So far so good, I've learned that I can take off my damn evening dress without ruining the color of my underwear.Of course, you must have enough patience and meticulousness, properly prepare the thinner, and the brush will be softer, so the work will naturally progress quite quickly. I started with the center of her body first.The pink under the dress slowly revealed that it was an elastic girl's corset, which was used to streamline the figure and create the illusion of thinner.Further down, a garter is found, also pink.Hanging on her sensual shoulders.Four or five inches down, you're at the top of the stocking. After removing the entire lower part of the dress, I immediately focused on the upper part of the portrait, moving up from the middle of her body, this part is the waistless top, and a piece of white flesh appeared.Further up is the chest, revealing a darker black, and what seems to be a ruffled strap, which is a bra. Preliminary work is complete.I took a step back and looked at it carefully.What an astonishing painting.Janet stood there in her underwear as if she had just come out of the bathroom. The next step, and the last step!I didn't sleep all night preparing the paperwork and writing envelopes all night.A total of twenty-two people were invited.I have prepared something like this for everyone: "Friday the 21st at 8:00 p.m., it is a great honor to welcome you to our house for a gathering." Another letter was carefully prepared for Janet.In the letter, I said that I was eager to see her again...I went abroad...we could meet again...blah blah blah. In short, it was a well-prepared list of guests, including all the most famous men, the most attractive and powerful women in the city. I have purposely made the party seem entirely ordinary, and as the nib scribbles across the letter-paper, I can almost imagine the people exclaiming excitedly when the invitations reach them:" Leonai is going to hold a party, have you been invited?" "Oh, that's great, everything was arranged so well at his party." "He's a lovely man." Do they really say that?Suddenly it occurred to me that maybe that wasn't the case at all, maybe something like: "Honey, I also believe he's not a bad guy, but kind of annoying, haven't you heard what Janet said about him? "Soon, I sent out an invitation. At 8:00 p.m. on the 21st, the living room of my conference was full of people.They were standing around admiring my famous paintings on the walls, drinking martinis and talking loudly.The women were fragrant, and the men were flushed with excitement.Janet was wearing the same black evening dress, and I spotted her from the crowd.In my mind, I see the same woman in only underwear, black lace bra, pink elastic waist, pink garter belt. I kept walking up and down among the talking crowd, chatted with them politely, and sometimes picked up topics to enliven the atmosphere.The party started and everyone went to the restaurant. "Oh, my God," they all exclaimed, "it's so dark in the room," "I can't see anything!" "Candles, candles!" "Leonai, it's so romantic." Six slender candles were placed on the dining table at two-foot intervals, and their feeble light barely illuminated the nearby tabletop, leaving the rest of the room dark, as I had hoped. The guests groped for their seats.The party begins. They all seemed to like the atmosphere under the candlelight, although the conversation had to be raised because of the darkness.I heard Janet de Bellaja say: "The dinner at the club last week was disgusting, full of French, full of French..." I kept looking at the candles, they were so thin, It won't be long before it burns. Suddenly, I'm a little nervous—a nervousness I've never felt before—but then I feel a rush of pleasure, and hearing Janet's voice and seeing her shadowed face in the candlelight fills me with joy. There was a burst of impulse, and the blood was rushing around in the body. When the time came, I took a breath and said aloud, "Looks like it's time to light the candle, the candle is dying out. Mary, please turn on the light." The room was quiet, and the maid could be heard walking to the door, followed by the crisp sound of a switch.Immediately, blinding lights were everywhere.At this moment, I slipped out of the restaurant. Outside the door, I deliberately slowed down.There was a commotion in the dining room, a woman screaming, and a man yelling furiously.Soon, the noise became louder, and everyone seemed to be shouting something at the same time.At this time, Mrs. Miu May's voice rang out, overshadowing everything else: "Quick, quick, spray some cold water on her face." In the street the driver helped me into the car and we headed out of London to another villa ninety-five miles away. Now, when I think about it again, I only feel a chill, and I think I am really sick.