, 1874-12-20

-
frst fourteen days in orientalizing inside and
outside the castle, it would mako no difference :;
| for St. Leonards day falls in November, and
there would still be tNo full months for working
| on tho paintings.
With these cogitations, the artist had succeed
ed in getting halfway into his waistcoat, and
while pulling the rest OF it on he stepped into
the ante-room which was to be his future studio.
| Here was = remarkable sight: 4 fireplace,
| with great oyerhanging chimney stood next
the wall, aud near it small, quoerly- shaped
oyen cruclbles, and pots Of all sorts. bottles and
retorts on tables and ahelves,-a lot Of old.
dusty, and broken rubbish. His easel, with the
pictures and working material. were thrown
helter-skelter among this stun.
The artist WAS about to put On his alippers IN
order to peep into tho adjoining room wien tho
| knight appeared, followed by the gntokeepar,
! who brought breakfast.
| The usual morning greetings were paasod, aud
! the guest thanked his host for having 90 artis-
ticallg provided for him such fantastic quartera
which appeared to ha1o been built for an artist !;
| Qutntin Mcssls could not hayo ornamentcd his
ate1ier with more delightfully."- useless things
| the first thing lie wanted to do was to make
| study Of the soene, But would his friendly host
| bo good enough to tell him what this Fireplace
and oven, with ali the bottles and retorts really
| meant?
Briefly and conciHely answered the knight Of
H7tenberg: my father built this hall for an al
chemist, who received much gold from him on the
| pronlee Of making hundred fold more gold in re-
turn. But ono day the gold-maker abeconded and
loft nothing behind him but his soilcd linen.
Therenpon my father caused all the windows OF
this wing to be ltoned up-as you see :; the doors
guarded With strong locks and bolts-assure
yourself Of it indeed, the very chimney guard
ed with iron-bars-look up into it. it il simply
impossible to climb to the roof through the Hue.
He hoped to lay his hards upon the go1d-maker,
or upon another aud bottcr one, aud then ali
former means Of oscapo would be cut off. But
the old gold-maker did not como ayaiu,-princi-
! pally because he had, in tho mcautimo, boon
hanged IN Eslingcu and TO other presented
himself. So tho rooms havo beon empty ovor
sluce, till to-day Yet my father did not put
in tho bolts and chains for nothing for you
pntron-Saints arc ready. During this time you will
zee neither mo nor any other human being except
, my faithful gatekaoper, who will be at once
your jailer and attendant: His faco will no. dis
painted it, wish you good appetite Tor your
breakfast" :.
With these words tho old man went out, ac-
companicd by his servant, who was careful to
cluua tho door and bolt it,
In vain did Conrad lcnz shout the most Wig
orous protests against such yioleuce-first
through the keyholo and then through the vim
dow.
.'Iam citizen of the Capital he cried,
"vhich will rescue and revenge me. am q
to the State and the Emperor
In vaini None heard him but the few spar-
rows Ut his window, and they flew away in
fright.
Conrad's first resolution Was that he would not
touch brush, but direct all his energy to es-
cape, or ut least TO get Hor1 to his friends that
they might lberate him.
But all his efforts failed.
The rooms were liz ght and spacious, not at I'll
like prison; but tho chains aud bolts were eo
strong .tnat eycn AL a1chemist. who is better
yersod in the arts OF magic than MI Innocent
artist would find it difficult to mako his way cut
The eate1eeper did not bring him coarse
prison-fare, but excellent food aud the best It
wine, and otherwise provided for his comfort
But 10 art of percussion succeeded with the
Anarly old bulldog, who, SO long as be was in
tho room. kept his strong hand upon the door
locis q. .4-~
The rooms lay on the ground-aoor, as was
proper for the devils-xitchen OF m alchemis:.
and the windows looked out over u li:tlo wild
garden, which Was inclosed by the wall, over
topped by tho mountain-pcal- 4 1itt!e Of the
adjoining part Of tho castle could be seen, but
no human face. No Carthusan friar in his mar
row cell was ever better protected from the dis
fractions Of the outer world ttan this artist in
his roon1y prison-house-
After he had dono nothing for eight days but
swear at tia knight and shake the iron bars, this
simple employment became somewhat tedious.
lie looked at lis rousheet bristle-brush, and So
Hloquizcd:
ii tho Knight Won nal!enberg proposes to
force nc to work, will make this coarse brtlsh
serve him. have already shown him how q free
man can paint; now he Shall learn how man
paints in bondage"
Thon ho seized his brislles and drew the re-
1nairing Pat1on-Saints ht1rriediy and coarsc1y on
their tnble.s.--the Saints Erasmus, George,
Eg1dius. Christopher. Leonard, and, at last, the
holy Catherine. They we're drawn like ginger
brcad-mcn and colorcd like leaden soldiers
Thereupon he seut tho whole coufraternlty to
tho Knight with the remark that. now his
Worshiptnl Honor had received his paintings,
he should return him his freedom.
Tho gatekcerer. brought back these works of
art Immediately, with the answer that il Non
sieur the artist lacked spirits and pumice-stono
to clean of the tablets, swift messenger should
DO dispatched to the city toproyido the necessary
a;cr1al.
Conrad pushed his easel up to the window
in tho greatest rage, to place thereon tho
pqHppss 4 1o Df'.e5 to
his anger at tue sight lie trns OF the opinion
that this work was not so entirely worthless, for
ho had burlesqued the ready-fistcd Religious
painters very successfully. Hero: and there
botch, and then he would seize his bristles and
put some comic Impress upon the wild carlca-
lures.
l,ut all at onco the situation became aome-
WINt gloomy HA6 Qb 1lUt C1tuIuIGklllt5 BlN III
hia effort to riicu'e tho Knight, WAS ho not also
r:diculiug the Saints' One Of tho old masters
would certainly not have done my such thing.
He might possibly hare served the old Knight |
even worse. but he would have painted the |
Saints in the most beautiful manner possible. !
~ And snppoee the fourteen Patron-Saints really
blame mo !? They Hberated the Knight from his !
rriso1 might they not. on the other hand, |
abantton mo in the Knights prison for all time |
to Gomez"
While thus communing with himself, he hap
pened to look up. Now he astonished in |
deed! Opposite the window~niche where he
Was sitting before his easel hung q mirror, and
in this mirror appeared, all at once, clear and
bright. the living picture Of Saint Catherine.-}
not the Catherine thnt he had first painted and
rubbed out, but tue other aud more lovely Cath-
sr1uo, whom Le had desired to pains and could
not.
Wes it vision? Did the Saint appear to him
10 help or to punish? 1t tirst glance tho fright
.ned artist really thought it supernatural ap-
partition. Batthat lovely maiden-face was alto
setler too fresh and lifehke for this, and Conrad
ony .vcs M 1nnrer n t,ninter of the old SCHOOL |