Barnabas doesn't seem to be having much luck victimizing girls. Two attempts, zero success. He's not inexperienced in the matter, so what's the problem? I'm going the psychological route, and saying it's his conscience, weak but not dead. Months ago I suggested he was draining the cows because he was trying to be good and avoid killing, but I've changed my mind. He just drained the cows because they gave him the volume he needed after all the time chained in the coffin. The conscience is there, but at this point it's just barely flickering - enough to throw him off-balance when he's attacking, but not enough to keep him from trying.
It's good to see David Ford. He's a big favorite of mine. He always seems casual and unforced.
I'm always bothered by the idea of commissioning a portrait of oneself: it seems so self-centered. It occurred to me today, though, that it was different in the 18th century. There was no photography, so if you wanted an image of yourself, a portrait was the only way to go. And although Barnabas was surely aware now of the existence of photographs, a portrait would still have seemed to him a natural thing to have done. So I'm reconciled.
