"Not bad," said Francon. "Not bad at all....Well...perhaps...it would have beenmore distinguished, you know, but...well, the drawing is done so neatly....Whatdo you think, Keating?"Keating thought that four of the windows faced four mammoth grani
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"Not bad," said Francon. "Not bad at all....Well...perhaps...it would have beenmore distinguished, you know, but...well, the drawing is done so neatly....Whatdo you think, Keating?"Keating thought that four of the windows faced four mammoth granite columns. Buthe looked at Francon’s fingers playing with a petunia-mauve necktie, and decidednot to mention it. He said instead:"If I may make a suggestion, sir, it seems to me that the cartouches between thefourth and fifth floors are somewhat too modest for so imposing a building. Itwould appear that an ornamented stringcourse would be so much more appropriate.""That’s it. I was just going to say it. An ornamented stringcourse....But...butlook, it would mean diminishing the fenestration, wouldn’t it?""Yes," said Keating, a faint coating of diffidence over the tone he had used indiscussions with his classmates, "but windows are less important than thedignity of a building’s facade.""That’s right. Dignity. We must give our clients dignity above all. Yes,definitely, an ornamented stringcourse....Only...look, I’ve approved thepreliminary drawings, and Stengel has had this done up so neatly.""Mr. Stengel will be delighted to change it if you advise him to."
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