Laughing Torso

LAUGHING TORSO

CHAPTER IV I BEGIN TO BE AN ARTIST
IN 1905 my throat was so bad that I had to leave
school, which I did, shedding a tear on the Head-
mistress's shoulder. My Father was stationed in
Dublin opposite Guinness's Brewery, and I was sent
to the Dublin School of Art. I liked the Irish, they
were free, easy, and amiable. I was known as
" the foreigner.35 I drew extremely well and the
other students came round to admire my drawing.
I did a charcoal drawing of the head of Michael
Angelo's " David/3 half life size, the curls nearly
killed me but I was very proud of it and took it home
triumphantly. My Father then went to the Gurragh
Gamp where I had a splendid time and hunted with
the Kildare. I had to ride the army horses, which
had very hard mouths, but I rode well and did not
mind.
Then the crash came and my Father ruined the
family. We crept away one night in a jaunting car
along the wet and lonely roads. We were not feeling
very cheerful and the only vehicle we met was
another car with a coffin on it. My Grandmother
had a big flat at Chiswick and she and my Father
fought daily as they tried to plan out our future.
This was in 1905. My Father said to me, " Now
you must earn your own living. I believe that it is
quite respectable for ladies to study to become
clerks in the Post Office." I was sent to the Regent
Street Polytechnic, the commercial side. The
Headmaster was a Yorkshireman and an old beast,
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