The Press., 1916-05-03

AS0lcy EmaQe A QlSCONeTysfs LAc EfhAu
 been looking for a woman whose coun tenance expressed purity He now formed theory. that innocence and 4 purity are synonymous. Whether he I was right or wrong is an open ;ques I tion. It began to dawn upon him that I having found, innocencesit would serve I to influence him in portrayinE purity He did not realize that for some time
 he had already been under this infiu
 ence. He was first made aware 6of eit
 by noticing in the face he was putting
 on the canvas evidence that he was
 on the way to realize his ideal He
 was not so impractical as to suppose that he would ever realize that ideal for he we'll knew the innpossfbilfty oi
 any such realization. He simply knew
 that he had found an inspiration.
 He found something more than al inspiration. He found that which he
 had never before experienced-loye
 This was quite naturally the result o1 peering into the face of a pretty gir for hours at a time and striving to con I
 slider her at her best that he might
 make a successful picture of her. His
 deterlninatirn to make her his model 9
 for, his masterpiece was an additional reason for his, falling in love with her. There was a fascination about his sub ject which he supposed had been Fe. evealed probably. to. him alone. He could not see. hew any other man
 should be enthralled as. he had been,
 for he laid his enthrallment to. bis pc
 culiar perceptiye. faculties which e1r-
 abled him to perceive 8. perfect em- ,bodiment of purity. .. zg.s4. ''*.- : When the picture was finished it was
 marked success, not as a, portrait,
 but as a representation of. purity. The
 models mother accepted, it without
 comment, though it was not a likeness
 of. her daughter, for it was beautiful
 picture. It was placed in a copspfcu-
 ous position and much admired, but few of those who were acquainted with the subject recognized. it as her
 portrait. .. t,.t ,..a,. a,. >'' E Meanwhile Ashley had. become so
 absorbed in his model that he failed
 to be elated with his success. During |, the last ,siftings his .subject.xby ire
 quent casting down. of her eyes under
 his gaze, by peuting her pretty lips at any inattentien on his part. had given evidence that her innocent heart had
 gone out to meet his. Since .he was
 poor and. had not yet made a name for himself in his profession, he hesitated to declare his love.s. .s:.. +1,.. ..s,
 Nevertheless heawas unable to tear himself away from Miss. Laurence. nor did she seem inclined to4Rart with lini !, After the finishing of her portr trait, sQr,
 rather. his conception of purity. he
 was unable to. work. The mornings usually found him in one of the gal
 leries, where he expected to meet the girl who had captivated him. He was seldom disappointed, :; though. she was, not always alone. While. she was sit ting for him. so far as he knew her time was exclusively his own. but now that she had no engagements with him she was, free to go about with whom she liked. and since lie was not occu- pied he had an opportunity to meet her in other company.
 Although. Ashley suffered the lpangs of Jealousy upon seeing Miss Laurence with other cavaliers, she always reas- sured him with one of Her sweetest smiles on such occasions ;ahda not fTli-.s frequently would make 1t plain to him that; she wished him to join her. When relieved of her other attendant she would take him to the Bobol gardens, in rear. of the. Pitt gallery, than which there is no more fitting place, for low CTS. These gardens are representative of the medieval method of cultNating. shrubbery and flowers. The perfume of the latter alone Is, conducive to love. In, the evening, they would ak to7 gether on the AIno embankment, which when the lamps are lighted is as near fairyland as any real scene that can be produced, But it was in the apart ment, occupied by Miss Laurence and her. mother. where, the lovers were alone together, that Ashley broke down and confessed his love and his fears.
 She, received this confession and his fears with no definite response.
 He was hoping one morlfng that reputation would come from his mas terpiece to enable him to muster cour- age to propose to his model, when. talk: ing up. a morning journ:al,' he saw an announcement that a. young American had. the night befare committed suicide by jpmping from, the .Ponte vecchio, a medieval bridge, into the Afno. It was hinted sthat the young man had taken himself off for love of fair countrxwoman. Ashley recognized the name. of a man he had ,seen with Helen Laurence e one ne div in the gallery of the Pftti palace and t5 whom he had been introduced by.- her s'4
 As an American, Ashley considered 1t his duty to go to the lodgings of thc young man to learn if anything was tp be doiie in tie premises. On reaching the house; pension on on the Lun:. Arpo. which means in English the Arno embankment-ne made. inquiries l of the proprietor. ..,. He told the artist t4at the suicides mother ana sister were there and 3 brother was expect ed during the day. T..
 q noticed said Ashley. ..' that all American lady was the cause.r .,:. --. Yes, signor; the lady whose portrait s now attracting so much attention This episode win likely. make the art st's fortune.''. s- ..ss. 4G d
 Ashley seemed turned to marble. He stood looking at the, man as if stricken oy some fearful calamity, The other.1 who was handing a. key. te- 9: guestsat he moment, did not notice his changed and continued:
 s'''The- American is not the only one who has suffered from this same cause. An Englishman made a. great ado when the lady refused him, and one of | 'ur own citizens. a prince, fell into4the 'ame pit. Among her victims she is named La Belle Dame Sans Merci, aft IT an English poem."
 Ashley staggered gut into, the .Qpen E air. Standing with a hand bn. the |