Lilly was by no means ignorant that in her capacity of aristocratic lady, the part she wished to play, she should have left the studio long before. But she was too eager to avail herself of his readiness to instruct; she could not throw away the opportunity so painfully won.
"What would Anna von Schwertfeger do in such a situation?" she asked herself. Then, tossing her head, she said: "But there are certain matters to be settled before we proceed further. In the first place, I should like to know what your charges are, so that I may decide if I can afford to pay for such valuable services--"
He looked somewhat disconcerted, and remarked that Mr. Dehnicke would probably look out for that.
"Mr. Dehnicke has nothing at all to do with my money matters," she replied. "If there should be any misunderstanding as to that--" she grasped her parasol--she had kept her gloves on.
"Tut, tut, don't be so hasty," said Mr. Kellermann. He reflected a few moments, and then mentioned a reasonable charge, five marks a morning.
"The ruby ring," thought Lilly, and nodded.
"I'm curious as to the second condition," he said.
"It is more important to me than the first. It is--I should like to be treated like a lady."
"Oh," he said, "I'm not fine enough for you? We'll fix that. I can be fine as silk, I tell _you_, I can. In fact I possess six degrees of fineness, and all you need do is choose the one you like best: superfine, extrafine, fine, semifine, impolite, and downright vulgar. Now select."
This joke and a few more similar in quality pleased Lilly so well that for the present she gave up her demand to be respected as a _grande dame_, and was content if in associating with her he did not pay her court and took her as a "good fellow."
However, her admonition had not failed of effect. The next day when she came he was wearing boots.
He proved to be an intelligent, discreet teacher, who did not essay wild flights with his pupil and manifested kindly, considerate interest in her childish plan.
He devised something of gelatine especially for her purpose, by which colours on a transparency gained in brilliancy. He was untiring in planning new effects.
"I will make six bloody sunsets for you," he said, "with which you will deal a blow to all your competitors in a body, especially that extremely conscienceless lady who perpetrates the most impertinent pranks. I mean, of course, Dame Nature."