Foinet's Advice

Philip knew that on the days Foinet came to the studio he lunched at a little restaurant in the Rue d'Odessa*, and he hurried his own meal so that he could go and wait outside till the painter came out. Philip walked up and down the crowded street and at last saw Monsieur Foinet walking towards him; Philip was very nervous, but he made him­self go up to him.

"I should like to speak to you for one moment," he began.

Foinet gave him a quick look, recognized him, but he did not smile a greeting.

"Speak," he said.

"I've been working at the studio nearly two years now under you. I want to ask you to tell me frankly if you think it worth while** for me to continue."

Philip's voice was shaking a little. Foinet walked on without look­ing up.

"I'm very poor," Philip continued. "If I have no talent I would rather do something else."

"Do you live near here?"

Philip told him where his studio was. Foinet turned round.

"Let us go there? You shall show me your work."

"Now?" cried Philip.

"Why not?"

Philip had nothing to say. He walked silently by the master's side. He felt terribly frightened. In his heart he hoped that Foinet would look at his pictures, would shake his hand and say: "Not bad. Go on, my boy. You have talent, real talent."

They arrived at the house. Philip suddenly felt that he did not want to know the truth; if he could he would have asked Foinet to go away.

In the room Foinet sat down; and Philip without a word placed before him two portraits, two or three landscapes, and a number of sketches.

"That's all," he said with a nervous laugh.

Foinet lit a cigarette. "You have very little money?" he asked at last.

•'Very little," answered Philip, with a sudden feeling of cold at his heart. "Not enough to live on."

"With hard work there is no reason why you should not become a painter. You would find hundreds who painted worse than you, hund­reds who painted as well. I see no talent in anything you have shown me. You will never be anything but mediocre."*

Philip made himself answer calmly. "I'm very thankful to you for having taken so much trouble, I can't thank you enough."

Foinet put his hand on Philip's shoulder.

"But if you were to ask me my advice, I should say: try your luck at something else. It sounds very hard but let me tell you this: I would give all I have in the world if someone had given me this advice when I was your age and I had taken it."

Philip looked up at him with surprise.

"It's cruel to discover one's mediocrity only when it is too late."

He gave a little laugh as he said the last words and quickly walked out of the room.

(from "Of Human Bondage" by W. S. Maugham)

* Odessa Street (in Paris)

** иметь смысл, стоить

Ex. 53. Use the following in situations.