of some deep dream. Before him--or behind him, as it appeared to the
spectator--knelt upon one knee a youthful female figure, bending over
him in a posture of innocent wonder. This figure was much less advanced
toward completion than that of its male companion--there being, indeed,
scarcely anything left to do on the latter excepting a little delicate
work upon the luxuriant hair and the hands and feet. And yet, though
the lines of the woman's figure were still almost in the rough, and her
beautiful form seemed only the fruit of a few days' labor, the modeling
of the whole was so broad and strong, the bend of the neck and the
posture of the arms were so expressive, that no one could fail to catch
the full force of the whole, even from the unfinished work, and to see
that the two figures were worthy of one another, and of equal birth.

Felix uttered an exclamation of delight. Then, for a full quarter of an
hour, he stood motionless before the mighty group, and seemed
altogether to forget the sculptor in his work.

At length the dog, which came beside him and began again to lick his
hand, aroused him from his reverie.

"The old-time Hans still lives!" he cried, turning to Jansen. "And more
than that--this is for the first time the complete, genuine Daedalus,
who has thoroughly learned to use his wings. Listen, old boy; it is
gradually dawning upon me that I must have been altogether mad and
absurd when I introduced myself to you as a kind of fellow-artist!"

"You shall go to the art-club to-morrow, and gather new courage when
you see some of your other colleagues," said Jansen, dryly. "However, I
am glad the thing pleases you. You remember how I used to dwell on the
germ of the idea of this work years ago. The First Man face to face
with the First Woman--hardly daring as yet to actually touch the being
who for the first time makes his human existence full and complete;
while she--more mature already, as a woman is, and having had time
while he slept to recover from her first surprise--feels herself drawn
by a strange and joyful yearning to him who is to be her lord, and to
call forth for the first time her true woman's nature. It is a subject
that stirs one to the core; it touches all that is deep and sacred in a
man's fancy; and yet it is not impossible to reproduce it with the
means our art affords. I have made more than one study of it, and yet
not satisfied myself. It was only this spring, when I realized one day,