THE STORT OF A PICTURE.

 CHAPTER V.
 A FEW weeks have gone by, during which time Pietro
 di Casaletto has lived with Leonardo and Maria.
 As to the latter, her joy on meeting him was beyond
 description; now that she sees him each day wanting
 for nothing which her brother can bestow upon him,
 and still as noble-hearted and kind as he was long
 ago, she feels that her own happiness is complete.
 But while the young artist is enjoying that peace
 and comfort, to which he was so long a stranger, it
 may not be out of place to give the reader the same
 history which he himself related to his friends a few
 days after his arrival at the Villa di Selvico.
 It was said before, that, when Pietro entered the
household of Signor Sagasti, he was treated by his
master with an unusual degree of kindness; but after
a short time the jealousy of his fellow-servants was ex-
cited, and some of them began to dislike him. Even
the steward of the house became prejudiced against
him; he represented Pietro to his master as proud of
the favour which had been shown to him, and keeping
continually apart after the hours of labour from those
with whom he had worked all day. Signor Sagasti,
believing his steward, took no farther notice of the
boy, and soon Pietro found himself friendless. Already
he had begun his evening study of art, but now he
applied himself to it with double ardour, continuing it
steadily day after day, and always helped on by his
resolution of becoming an artist at some future period.
But as time went on, the hours which he spent in
Signor Sagasti's house became more and more un-
happy; and at length, weary of such a life, he resolved
on leaving Castaro. It was after this resolution had
been taken that Maria discovered his secret, and for a