New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-03-19

titles
Then she lives in Asncllesr
In the pretty house over there. with the respect
able persepReS to the windows and the manure ncap
and the cowshed quite removed from the Kitchen
8 But you spoke to her in French. ~,
'Oh, She has received q grand education Hne Is
considerably educated, and can Wiite as w +h hs
read She disdains to talk the pd0is except 10 the
servants and the old people
Has she parensP ,
never fails 10 attend the mss. But look Monsieur
can see Asnclles now If he Will give hlHlseH Vho
pains TO turn his head ,no
As the bend in the road prevented his seeing oiie
pretty girl any longer. George gave hlmseI VIC r"
and found that they were descending valley, aG
the foot Of which lay the little ylllage-a prcity
village of graystOne and brown thatGh he5''; :,
among apple orchards Win the sea peFGbm e sy
above. George fancied he had never seen more
charming spot in all his life. but as he looked NJ
from p ' IL PGn' % S Ef Ss Pnes and her
cows il IL possible that an observer wthout MS
imaginative faculty might have differed III opinion
with him.
lie felt now better prepared to grapple with tho
difficulties of the situation. lie was at Asne,es
and there he must rest If no one could give MN
must go up to the pretty house and throw himself
upon the generosity of the Princess's de'out
mother.
and hearing what he wanted at once offered HIN
the use of an apartment and promised TO pro-
vide him with food. attendance ana all that was
necessary for fifteen francs week. , -,
What more could Monsieur desire for the price"
asked the r0ituTlcr.
I'LL
Artists are not az other men. As fruiterer sur
yeys the proportions of perfect peach without
feeling any temptation to dig his teeth INTO IT, or as
florist looks his garden with no desire 10 pick
the blooms or bury his nose IN the fragrant bose ms
of his roses artist regards MS pretty lnodcl
with an appreciatve eve for her projections OF form
and color but conf nes his feelings within the strict
limits of his aesthetic business and never suffers
from the contingent emotions which bewllder less
cultivated minds under like conditions. II It were
otherwise artist could no more succeed IN paint
ing beautiful women than frniterer eou.u SCH his
This was the argument with which George salts
fled his conscience that there was no danger IN
making the acquaintance OF the Princess OF
Asnees and afterward In painting so many por-
traits of her.
He worked hard. The odor of herrings. and soap,
and candles and coffee that rose from the epicete
was unnOticeable when you came near George
rooms, powerful, not to say FOUL was the reek OF
mastic and turpentine that escaped from his can
vases There were at least, eight studies before
ne end of Jnne III which the subject was that one
pretty girl of Asnelles. In Girl and Cow,
Going a-Milkng.' and A Village Beauty, the por-
trait 1t unmistakablc. The second OF these was an
admirable picture. The Princess Is seated upon a
donkey between two wooden pannlers carrying the
large round bodied brass vessels IN which the milk
is collected; she is knitting. The face ana prettV
feet and knitted wOOllen stockings, are rendered
with uIeat fidelity and delicacy. The later works
are less good. indeed the three last waiting
and the features painted over and ever as to be
scarcely recognizable. which suggests that inc
artist had lost interest IN his work, or from some
other cause had lost his ability TO soc or render
what he saw with anv degree of eXactness. lhey
apppared to be studies from memories rather than
from the life Nevertheless George was constantly
i'm the pastures above Asnelles or in the barns adj
Joining the pretty house with his painting appara-
tus-or at least with his model.
And why should | not make studies OF the
Princess She is willing sitter her smiling
portraits showed that If 1t is an artists object to
seek beauty and copy 1t, why, having fo2nd u,
should he give over copying it before his subject Is
exhausted = George asked himself, in reply to Ger
tam questions which conscience WAS beginning TO
put 10 him.
Conscience was not satisfied with this reply and
suggested that there was something Of greater I'M
portauce even than the fulhlm'nt of an artist
mission. limiting at the same time that Ills modePs
happiness deserved some consideration.
He did not think she cared very deeply for nm;
Int ne admitted that he could not quite under
stand her She was caprcious and Changeable rs n
spring day At one time she was impnlslve ut
another reserved; sometimes she was arch ana
winning. sometimes coy and teasing; often che
WIS heavy, dull and irTcsponsiyG; often ny WGrd a
and act on she betrayed an INTELLIGENCE OF high
order She vas never two days alike either IN the
expression of her features or the mood OF her nlhd
She ccrtaInv did like him, but George was accuS-
tanned to hrIng liked by most people, and he might
fairly attribute the pleasure with which she met
him the readiness with which she gave her time 70
pose for him, 70 the fact that there was no other
voung fellow in the place 10 whom she cOui1 or
wonld talk and to her vanity - having her portrait
founded upon facts in the history Of their acquant,
ance Coming by an unexpected pain, he had
fOnnd her cranmg her meek ana standing on tpt'e
tn look over "A hedge and down the road. One DAY
thcv parted in lttlc quarrel; and he, returning 10
ma "A generous confession of his fault, t0und the
traces of tears upon her long dark ia>heS; ana
afterwIrd, when ne said DE ,m'1lthe aLItH Lon
the usual a dcmdip her eyes had opened VIDE. her
In fallen and her face a@sum' an appearance OF
incnable grief and surprise. But no serious >enti-
mental scenes had been enacted. There had gtrh
no kssing-anl this was due 80 the activity OF the
Princess in avoiding his embrace rainier imam 10
any ackwardnrsS on his paTt-duG there was hotu-
ing which called upon him aS "A man OF honor 10
leave Asnclles and the Princess at once. 50 nc IN
gcred on and the morning meeting was earlier
and he evening parting Iater ana longer ana sue
grew less coy and provoking. aud when he put MS
arm about her she put her hand on his to remove
il from her waist but let it stay there, and only
hung her pretty head when he kissed her.
After that, George painted worse thah ever ana
suffered from severe attack of conscience.
Conscience said emphatically: You must marry
the Princess or so and leave her Tor another 10
The dra of leaving her for another man to marry
was hard 10 entertain For himself he ielt he could
never find 80 Ovcabe a girl, never meet anyone
who coud revive the sweet delights of the past few
weeks with the Princess. The suffering he must
endure was terrible to think of Where cond he
find another place charming az Asnellesf Would
not Paradise itself be as bowling wilderness WIN
out the Princess, with the recollection OF her sweet
ness and beauty and the reflection that inc OVhcf
man was making her happy
Bnt he had given his solemn promise TO his
mother not to marry "A wife beneath his position.
and he had repeated the VOW to ncle Richard. lie
L0asted of never having told lie; but the qucs-
ton occurred to him: What is my position? In
what am | superior to the Irincessf and then he
began to entertain views with regard 10 rank lden-
teal with those Of Robert Burns but dametricalIy
opposed To those Of his uncle the bishop. That hne
old Conservative would have shuddered at the re-
publican principles that were rapidly gaming root
In thu mental part of his degenerate nephew.
George came 10 the conclusion, after deal OF
thinking that it would be no violation of his pro-
m Sc If he did marry the Princess, provided she was
rrsoectably connected and faithful in her love.
With regard to her love he had 10 msgivlngs, but
her family connections were open to speculation.
He had seen Madame de Benz but once ami from
her behavior on that occasion lie had come To the
conclusion that she vas, to put 1t mildly. JDHe "a
conclusion which was justified by what he alter