The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-07-19

amassed an independence. / lived at
Florence. was happy.
The saloons of the Due de R. were
filled one evening with "A pleasant party
OF painters. sculptors. poets and au-
thors. | had the entree there and was
formally introduced to "a Mr.. Willough-
by. an English gentleman. who was
travelling for his health in company
with an only daughter. our acquain,-
ancc ripened into esteem and call ny o c
evening at my studio to examine the
portrait of mutual friend he proposed
that | should make a picture of his
daughter. was introduced To Ada Will
loughby and she became my sitter.
She was a pretty blonde. with whom
three years before | might have fallen
in love at first sight. But a restraint
seemed TO be over us when together.
and / vainly tried to shake off some
fanCiful recollection with which her
pretty face seemed inseparably assoc
clated. She was a clever girl. genial
companion and our tastes assimilatcd.
/ painted her features faithfully--the
picture was admred--but when ! found
that, like Raphaers Furnarna. | was
apt to introduce some of her features
in all my portraits, | came To the con-
clusion that was in love with her. The
old restraint kept my heart from ex-
preston. one day we were walking
through one OF the galleries when We
stopped before an exquisite picture of
Pygmalions transformation. | chal-
lenged her faith in the story. She re-
piled simply that 1t was IA pretty fable"
"But If l'ygmalion had been n woman
and the sculptored figure a man. do YOU
imagine her love could have warmed
him to life?" | persisted. She replied
that "any woman was n fool To fall in
love with the mere physical semOlanCe
of n man."
\ party had been formed to visit a
villa on the outskirts Of the city and !
was to accompany her. The grounds
were tastefully adorned: there We're
groups of statuary and the never fall-
ing Italian accessories of rills and foun-
tains. A gay party We were, making
the alleys ring with laughter. At length
Mr.. Wllloughby, Ada, IA few ladies, and
myself seated ourselves by the margin
of an artificial lake, from whose centre
trickling fountain sent its spray to-
ward the clear blue sky. The evening
was deliCiously cool and Ada lent her
sweet voice Ia the ripping water. |
had fallen into "A reverie, from which j
was recalled. accused of unsociab!lliy,
and taxed To contribute To the amuse-
mcnt of the day.
"a story. story" said they.
ITO hear Is to Obey" replied |; II
call my story "Th. Most Mournful and
Pathetic story Of the Enchanted
Knights. or the Wicked Na.ad'
An expected pause cnsued. and | went
on.
lin the days of fairy dynasty there
lived knight. He was young and adj
venturous To him had been given the
art of reproducing that which caught
his errant fancy and the true appre-
citation Of the beautiful. without which
it has been held all happiness is naught
But from his youth h. had beer wan
dcrer and had fallen in love with a being
whose image he met IN every lake ana
fountain and whose virtues he fully
appreciated. In return for his cunstancy
she had bestowed upon him the gifts
of unfaIling health and strength. one
day in a distant land he traVersed fair
domain. and amid the luNures Of taste
and elegance he found her image sill.
hut she was loved by the great monarch
of the domain, who had kept her in