The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1853-10-19

her projects and her studies to her mas.
ter. But Der secret was too trouble
some to be kept entirely to herself At
first she thought Of the engraver Savori- I
nj and possibly it would haze been well
had his honest love then found favor in /
her eyes But the remembrance Of his
rough gallantries, made her fearful of
confding in him. There was Caterina.
the daughter of Angela but when she
came to gossip of evenings, all her talk
was about the handsome cavaliers who
looked at her in churcl-impious mcn--
and followed her home, trying to talk
nonsense. This was not proper con
fidant so she chose my old doctor
Corona. who had attic nded her illness,
and had won her confidence by his bcnov-
olent manners. She went to him, made
bim promise secrecy as if she had been
going to confess n murder, and revealed
that She felt the power to become great
artist.
@My fame will fll the world" said
she.
But will it fill your heart ?"
"That IS full already-of hope"
He saw that she did not come for ad
vice but cncoufagcmcnt; and he eucour-
aged her. lie would have preferred had
she told all 30 Master Pulci but that
artist. though good and kind, had some
thing cold aud satirical in his manner -
He will never believe in me" aaid
Maria, "unless hc sees that can do
something. He is not a man Of faith
Besides. who will admit genius in the
person that cooks ono's dinner These
hands that have made SO many mcsscs
can do nothing but spoil marble. lie will
think
She must take care" thought Coro-
na 'not 10 deceive herself az to the mo-
tive that makes her unwilling 70 com
municate her ambition to her master.
If mistake not, she hopes TO dazzle
him.
But the Doctor was mistaken. Mar
ia's whole being was from that forward,
devoted to art and art alone. Ii is trle
that She did not fail to perform her
household duties but she did so nc
chanically, aud. if Master Pulci had
been any thing OF a gorrmand or a fdget,
he would have found daily grounds Of
complaint, However, matters went on
very we'll and neither he nor any one
else ever suspected that the girl had
turned her bedroom into studio, and
that she was robbing herself Of sleep in
order to make up for the hours nccossar-
ily lost in the daytime Sayorini alone
noticed that her cheeks grew pale,
and that her eyes cleaned with unuat-
ura brilliancy. Her soul is wearing
out her body, Doctor" said he to Coro-
na. The doctor assented sorrowfully
without daring to bttray the secret
Maria afterwards said that her life
seemed to have begun only from the
time when she perceived the presence oil
the divine spark i'll her. All the for
mer years faded from her remembrance
Her Imagination became filed with
beautiful forms Her ears were ever o
pen to catch words Of instruction from
her master or his visitors. Her eye,
greedily dcyoured the models that sur
rounded her. She took pulci's books
one by one, to her room and learned all
that they could teach her " hcncyer
she went forth. it was to some church, or
to the Vatican to admire the achieve.
ments of the schools.
At length she felt herself sufficiently
prepared to attempt original produc
lions, and she began TO model statue
Of Minerva. A practised hand would
probably have produced a result as good
as hers in a much shorter time but she
WAS ignorant Of routine, and many ac-
cidouta retarded her work However
as time proceeded, the figure grew under
her hands and day by, the conscious
ness Of her own genius increased within
her Her determination was to send
the figure to the annual competition fol
the prize-secrotly-in order that she
might boar the impartial opinion Of tho
Judges. The difficulties in her way were
immense. But she oyercamo them all
and, when one day Master pulc was alb
sent, some portcrs. sent by Dr. Corona
came and took away her model Thus
it was removed to the exhibition hal
without accident.
Maria entered with the crowd on tho
appointed day, and contriyed to place
herself near to her statue Her anbi
ton did not extend to winning the prize
All she dared to hope was to escape rid
iculc. But her astonishmcnt was in
describable on pcrceiying by degrees all
the connoisseurs collect round her Miner
va, and begin to speak enthusiastically
in its praise. The judges stood before
it in their turn There was an unanimous
cry cf admiration. Her heart swelled
nightly within her, and it was with diff
iiculty she could ropress her pride and
oxultation. These came to their height
when the prize was unanimously given
to her statue and crier began to ox
claim, LET the sculptor Of the Miner,
va declare himself r' 1t then struck her
in her confusion-that u woman had
no right to compete, and she hastened
away unperceiyed.
Her object, however, was gained She
was now sure that she had no. deceived
herself by false idea of her own merit,
and she saw in the future long series
of triumphs Doctor Corona, who hat
watched her, followed and conplimentod
her Even he had not dared to admire
her work until public opinion had crown
ed it. lie went with her to the studio
of Pulci and there she threw herself on
her knees before her master, and ooufes
sed the truth. He at first thought she
was mad and it was not until DR.. Cor
ona confirmed her statement, that he
could believe that his servant-girl Maria
had won the first prize of sculpture by