her finished
work. Dolly attempted to overrule the decision made ostensibly in her
favour, that their stay in Rome should be prolonged; but had no
success. Everybody, except only her mother, was against her. And though
she feared sadly that her father's motive was twofold and regarded his
own pleasure more than hers, she could not change the present status of
things.

They remained at Rome all winter. It was a winter of mingled delight
and distress to Dolly; strangely mingled. The immediate money cares
were lifted off; that was one thing. The family lived cheaply, and gave
themselves few indulgences, but the bills were paid, somehow; and it
was a perpetual indulgence only to be in Rome. How Dolly took the good
of it, I have not room to describe. She was busy, too; she even worked
hard. Before the Thayers went away, she had taken all their portraits;
and with so much acceptance that they introduced her to other friends;
and Dolly's custom grew to be considerable. It paid well, for her
pictures were really exquisite. Her great natural gift had been trained
judiciously, so far as it was trained at all, in America; and now
necessity spurred her, and practice helped her, and habitually
conscientious work lost no time, and maturing sense and feeling added
constant new charm to her performances, discernment to her eye, and
skill to her hand. Dolly was accumulating a little stock of money
against a time of need; and the secret knowledge of this was a
perpetual comfort.

And when she gave herself play-time, how she played! Then, with her
father if she could get him, or with Rupert if, as most often was the
case, Mr. Copley was out of the way or indisposed for sight-seeing,
Dolly went about the old city, drinking in pleasure; revelling in
historical associations, which were always a hobby of hers; feasting
with untiring enjoyment on the wonders of architecture old and new; or
in churches and galleries losing herself in rapt ecstasy before this or
that marvel of the painter's art. It was a wonderful winter to Dolly.
Many a young lady has passed the same season in the same place, but it
is only one here and there who finds the hundredth part of the mental
food and delectation that Dolly found. Day by day she was growing, and
knew it; in delicacy of appreciation, in tenderness of feeling, in
power of soul to grasp, in largeness of heart to love, in courage to do
and suffer. For all Dolly's studying and enjoying she did in the ligh