The melodrama of the old English "Home Book of Art" still influenced Vandover.

He was in love with this idea for a picture and had determined to call it "The Last Enemy." The effects he wished to produce were isolation and intense heat; as to the soldier, he was as yet undecided whether to represent him facing death resignedly, calmly, or grasping the barrel of his useless rifle, determined to fight to the last.
Vandover loved to paint and to draw.

He was perfectly contented when his picture was "coming right," and when he felt sure he was doing good work.

He often did better than he thought he would, but never so well as he thought he _could_.
However, it bored him to work very hard, and when he did not enjoy his work he stopped it at once.

He would tell himself on these occasions that one had to be in the mood and that he should wait for the inspiration, although he knew very well how absurd such excuses were, how false and how pernicious.
That certain little weakness of Vandover's character, his self-indulgence, _had_ brought him to such a point that he thought he had to be amused.