at
these quaint pictures by the Vivarini, Basaiti, Bissolo, and others of
the early Venetian painters. Here you will notice the first
characteristics of the school. This academy is particularly interesting
to students of Venetian art, because it contains few other than Venetian
paintings."

Passing on, they soon reached a hall whose walls were lined with large
pictures. Here Mr. Sumner paused, saying:--

"We find in this room quite a number of paintings by Vittore Carpaccio.
Here is his most noted series, illustrating scenes in the legendary life
of St. Ursula, the maiden princess of Brittany, who, with her eleven
thousand companions, visited the holy shrines of the old world; and on
their return all were martyred just outside the city of Cologne. You
have read the story, I know. Look first at the general scheme of
composition and color before going near enough to study details.
Carpaccio had felt the flood of Venetian color, and here we see the
beginnings of that wonderful richness found in works by the later
Venetian masters. He was a born story-teller, and delighted especially
in tales of a legendary, poetic character. His works possess a peculiar
fascinating quaintness. The formal composition, by means of which we see
several scenes crowded into one picture; the singular perspective
effects; the figures with earnest faces beneath such heavy blond
tresses, and with their too short bodies, enable us easily to recognize
his pictures."

"I think I shall choose St. Ursula to be my patron saint," said Margery,
thoughtfully, after they had turned from the purely artistic study of
the pictures to their sentiment. "I have read somewhere that she is the
especial patroness of young girls, as well as of those who teach young
girls,--so she can rightfully belong to me, you see."

"What do you think she will do for you?" asked Malcom, with a quizzical
smile.

"Oh! I don't know. Perhaps if I think enough about her life I shall be a
better girl," and the blue eyes grew very earnest.

"That is wholly unnecessary, Madge _mia_," tenderly replied her brother.

"I will tell you a singular thing that I read not long ago," said
Bettina, going over to Margery, who was standing close in front of that
sweet sleeping face of St. Ursula in one of the pictures. "It was in the
life of Mr. Ruskin. His biographer says that Mr. Ruskin is wonderfully
fond of the legend of St. Ursula; that he has often come from England to
Venice just to loo