ve money and looked
hopefully forward to a time when she could make a home for her unthrifty
father. But this happy prosperity was suddenly cut short by her own
imprudence.

After refusing many eligible offers of marriage, she was secretly married
to an adventurer who personated the Count de Horn, and succeeded by
plausible falsehoods in convincing her that it was necessary, for good
reasons, to conceal their marriage. One day when painting a portrait of
Queen Charlotte, who was very friendly to the artist, Angelica was moved
to confide the secret of her marriage to the Queen. Until this time no
one save her father had known of it.

Her Majesty, who loved Angelica, expressed her surprise and interest and
desired that Count de Horn should appear at Court. By this means the
deceit which had been practised was discovered, and the Queen, as gently
as possible, told Angelica the truth. At first she felt that though her
husband was not the Count de Horn and had grossly deceived her, he was
the man she had married and the vows she had made were binding. But it
was soon discovered that the villain had a living wife when he made his
pretended marriage with Angelica, who was thus released from any
consideration for him. This was a time to prove the sincerity of friends,
and Angelica was comforted by the steadfastness of those who had devoted
themselves to her in her happier days. Sir Joshua Reynolds was untiring
in his friendly offices for her and for her helpless old father.

There were as many differing opinions in regard to Angelica Kauffman, the
woman, as in regard to the quality of her art. Some of her biographers
believed her to be perfectly sincere and uninfluenced by flattery.
Nollekens takes another view; he calls her a coquette, and, among other
stories, relates that when in Rome, "one evening she took her station in
one of the most conspicuous boxes in the theatre, accompanied by two
artists, both of whom, as well as many others, were desperately enamoured
of her. She had her place between her two adorers, and while her arms
were folded before her in front of the box, over which she leaned, she
managed to clasp a hand of both, so that each imagined himself the
cavalier of her choice."

When Angelica could rise above the unhappiness and mortification of her
infatuation for the so-called De Horn, she devoted herself to her art,
and during twelve years supported her father and herself and strengthened
the friendships