So it had come to this! Grumbling, he gathered his gear together, the dry pigments, jars of oil and varnish, brushes, three rolled canvases. Feeling sorrier for himself each minute, he stacked the stuff by the door and looked out the window at the snowy plains and low hills. There were occasional farmhouses where he could stop. If it was only summer, he thought, when he could do sketches at town festivals, flatter the ladies in the marketplace—then there was no trouble finding a place to stay. But it was winter, and he’d spoiled his nest.

He flopped down on the bed, eyeing the bundle of belongings. Now he saw it all differently. He hadn’t been kicked out yet. Why should he put himself out in the middle of winter? Maybe he could save himself. Maybe he could think up a good enough story. Maybe … Briefly the face of Avona Hosentauf came into his mind—she was particularly taken with the damned painting—her face when she saw it would be a study in rage.

But it was all too much. Josef fell into an exhausted sleep, tossing fitfully, expecting the Hosentauf force to be upon him at any moment. When he awakened it was past midnight, and the house was still. Hardly believing his good fortune, he got up quietly and opened the window. The Hosentaufs must have returned late and gone to bed, he thought. Holding his breath, grinning at his own craftiness, Josef threw his gear out the window, well into the snow. He didn’t dare use the stairs—they creaked. Instead he went to the other window and cautiously dropped down the few feet to the shed roof.

It was below zero, but now the cold air was exciting and added to his sudden mood of exuberance. As he leaped to the ground, he thought of Hosentauf’s impotent rage when they found him gone, the painting ruined. With good luck they’d never discover his escape until morning, giving him at least a good head start. And why should they follow him? They’d just yell and sputter instead. They knew he had no way of paying them back for his room and board, even if they did take all the trouble to track him down.