, 1874-12-20

moved, from the greatest Of German masters"
The grandchildren sometimes do not reseul-
bio their grandparents" the maiden laushinsly
replied. and pointed With her left hand to the
tablets which Lenz had recently painted
Lenz looked mortified at tho sloTenly work.
Which vas certainly miserable nttestation Of his
art and he kicked tho stand away that tho picture
might fall to the ground, as it did, and luckily
like buttcred b1ead-Hith tho greasy side On tho
floor.
II only painted those caricatures out Of rage,
he said. "because they want to force mo to paint
here in prison. The lord Of the castle has other
productions Of my brush that will convince you
am no WhlteWasher. And do you believe, then,
that would hare been shut up hero il could
paint nothing but such daubs as lie On the floor
there 2"
The last reason appeared convincing to the
sensible girl. But the painter scarcely listened
to her answer. It was SO long since be Ind had
chance to talk that he seiZod upon the oppor-
tunity to talk himself out. In a most excited
manner ho informed his pretty prisoner that sho
was to blame for his incarceration, aud related
how her parting glance as she went into tho
Catherine Convent had kindled his fantasies into
go bright flame that hs felt he must paint her
portrat, nnd in the character Of Saint Catherine;
but her features had escaped go utterly out Of
his head for ali time. and thereby had tho Patron
Saints fallen so far behind, that the knight Won
Haltonberg had at Inst imprisoned him hero to
force him to work. The narrator grouped the
incidonts together 60 ekiIlfully and artstcally.
and illuminated them with such highiy-colored
lights, that her mistakes Ut last seemed to be the
solitary source Of all evil.
At tho beginning of The recital, he had held
her hand fast i'll !lis but he might have let it
drop without danger in the course Of the story
the glrl would not have run away. for she list
cncd as il fastened to tho spot and when, at the
close. be pressed her hand gently out Of pure
regard, sno drew it back but fcobly.
Tho maiden appeared much troubled about the
poor fellow whom sho had uniutentionally
brought into distress. But bright light now
shono before tho happy Conrad the unknown
could be no other than the Knight ron Halten-
bergs lovely daughter, whom tho old tyrnnt,
equally irnperyiouE to the beauties OF Nature
and the beauties Of Art. kept concealed from
all the world. Then he begged her to intcrcede
with her father to opcE tho doors OF his prison.
house.
II can't do that," she replied, "nor can my
father do it. 1t 1nay be that he treats you harsL-
y. but he only does what duty Dictates
"There you hayo tho child OF the old school
again" thought the painter; "a poor devil of
an artist is ma-tyrzd even unto death only to
keep faith "1th Some Saints at tho very day and
hour!" -'.
But now. bic asked himself ii 1t would not be
better for him to remain imprisoned for a few
'seeks longer. Perhaps no could persuade the
young Indy to como oftener into his quiet gar
den ; she seemed to be right sympathetic. II
lie were sent back to tho city he would never
see Le1 again; aud it he worked freely In the
castle, the fountaln-head Of affection, pity
which he had 11Teady reached in tho maiden's
heart, would be COON exhausted.
He, therefore, speedily evolved u plan to suit
the emergency.
He represented to her that ho could only re-
gain his freedom rhcn Le had promptly aud sat
isfactorily completed his pictures But this was
simply impossible in the deadly solitude without
b human facc or voice. Besides. he could mover
replace the los: Saint Catherine, uulcss she
would lend him her handsome features for the
,t,. f1,
more, nnd renaln but quarter Of m hour each
time, he could paint better chatting. and SO
stealing tho likeness, than IN any other way In
the meantime, be asked her if her nane might
be Catherine. No; it WIS Susanna.
At first she resisted the proposition. but then
agreed to it,-almost eagerly. as the artist after
wards thought. Her father seemed 70 have
reared her in her loneliness to bo pure aud in
nocent child OF nature.
How this apparation OF child of nature had
changed our artist! He now reioiced over li7
imprisonment, for she Was to come into the Gar-
den again tho very next morning. And, on ac-
count OF the fair Susanna, hs now went to work
at the remaining Saints with an enthusiasm and
fidelity worthy Of the old masters.
It was not long before it seemed to him simply
out Of the question that he should leave the cas-
tic without being betrothed or, better still, mar
ried to Susanna. But just here two funda-
mentally different lines of thought crossed each
other.
only be felt by m impetuous Young fellow for
maiden whom ho had never seen and spoken to
but twice in bis life; and he desired to win her
because he loved her.
But ho also desired to win her. because ho
would then hold the Inst trump-carl in the gamo
with her father. The old man had abducted and
him in order to force the pictures
out of him. For that the prisoner wanted to
abduct and force from him lis richest jewell
the daughter he had guarded carefully. 4
TN Hf.arf a II md
but when you try to imprieon young artist and
a young maiden, the artist will be pretty sure to
find his way out and take the girl with him.
With. this double pmen OF Love and Revenge
Catherine on new tablet.
v
The assisting Susanna came according to
promise, and placed herself at the bars OF tho
window, which. with charming spirit she called |
her confessional. As no Que in the castle dared |
10 enter the deserted garden for fear OF disturb
ing the artist, their intercourse was unintcr- |
ruptcd and secure.
The fret few days tho weather Was warm and |
pleasant; Susanna could sit for hours at time, |
without catching cold, and Conrad WAS in no |
hurry with tho now saint Catherine. But With |
september came fogs and rains. Tho artist had |
saved Saint Erasmus and the other males to work |
IN on the rainy days Then Susanna did not come.
But the rainy days became too frequent for him,
md he discovered that he could not paint 50 we'll
Shen tho youug woman did not inspire him |
With her graceful presence.
It therefore became necessary that sho should !
:omo in the rain. III fact, the rainy days became
,hawl-umbrelas were not yet used-Susanna
.roTded herself into tho parapet, since other
rise she wonld have stood directly under tho
;avcs, and sllo pressed close up to the bars in |
rider no. to fall. SOFT happened quite naturally
hat tho artist stole his first kiss in raiu-s:orn.
Srsanna y1ns nlT3y9 bright nui lively: her |