in order to bring about a work as it should be! Did it never
fall within thy experience, that an artist of fine perceptions and
great depth of thought has spread his canvas, and dipped his pencil
into the best colours, to lure and entice the most lovely ideal into
his net? He has proposed to himself in the simplicity of his heart to
paint an Apollo, he draws and touches, and rubs and brushes, and smiles
enamoured and with the sweetest complacency at the creature which is to
issue from the void and mist; and now when it is finished, behold all
his skilfully-laid nets have caught a mere 'lob of spirits,' that grins
and mows at us out of the Arcadian landscape! Now come the ignoramuses,
and bawl and rave: 'The painter fellow has no talent, he has not
properly understood the antique, he has produced a daub instead of an
ideal,' and more such crude judgments. So is justice refused to the
susceptible heart of the artist, because an absolute devil, an imp of
darkness has fallen into the snare of his art, instead of an angel of
light. For these spirits also range about, and only watch for an
opportunity to embody themselves. Works of former painters, which have
somehow been lost, often wander about a long while distressed in empty
space, till a kind and able man again affords them an opportunity of
descending in a visible shape. It has cost me labour enough to recover
that composition of the excellent Roman artist; it requires more study
than thou didst spend in thy boyhood to kidnap thy neighbour's pigeons.
If thou art of opinion that, to paint a sacred history, a man is not
obliged to bring all his devotion to bear upon the subject, thou art
under a great error, from which our talented young friend Dietrich
would be best able to relieve thee."

Dietrich, who had just entered, and heard only the last sentiment, took
occasion directly to enlarge on this theme. In the meanwhile, Eulenboeck
had the cloth laid, and arranged the wines in the order according to
which they were to be tasted; after this he addressed himself to Edward
with the question: "And what dost thou think of setting about now for
the future?"

"In the first instance not much," answered he: "in the meanwhile I mean
to resume and carry on my neglected studies, and in particular to apply
myself to history and the modern languages. I shall retrench, let the
other parts of my house, which now stand empty without being of use to
me, and retain only this little saloo