But that was not the oddest part of it. In that street stood talking a
girl in gorgeous Spanish dress and a man in Moorish costume. The warm
reds and greens and russets of their garments made an unbelievable
patch of colour in the grey March day. And this in New York!
A friendly truck driver, feeding his horses, saw my bewilderment, and
laughed.
[Illustration: A GREENWICH STUDIO. Choosing models.]
"That's Macdougal's Alley," he volunteered.
That meant nothing to me then.
"What is it?" I demanded, devoured by curiosity; "the stage door of a
theatre,--or what?"
He laughed again.
"It is just Macdougal's Alley!" he repeated, as though that explained
everything.
So it did, when I came to find out about it.
The Alley and Washington Mews are probably the most famous artist
quarters in the city, and some of our biggest painters and sculptors
once had studios in one or the other,--those, that is, that haven't
them still. Of course the picturesquely attired individuals I had
caught sight of were models--taking the air, or snatching a moment for
flirtation.
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