In Robert W. Chambers's Studio of desire and disillusion, the sculptor Drene emerges from emotional ruin into a world where art, ambition, and attraction continually collide. In his studio, he debates philosophy with his architect friends Quair and Guilder, whose polished wit hides vanity, rivalry, and a shared fascination with women. Their conversations about fixed ideals, changing convictions, and the purpose of life expose Drene's bitter skepticism and his refusal to trust conventional hopes. That restless intellectual tension deepens when Cecile White, his model, begins to unsettle his carefully guarded detachment. Bright, perceptive, and far more self-aware than he expects, she challenges his indifference, mocks his theatrical suffering, and forces him to see that his tragedy has become a habit. A teasing exchange gives way to a first kiss, then to the revelation that Jack Graylock has proposed to her, sharpening jealousy and emotional risk. As gossip spreads and old rumors resurface, Drene and Cecile move into a secret, dreamlike intimacy shadowed by conscience, desire, and the fear of crossing a moral line. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.
