THE STORY OF A PICTURE.

 known in the city; but he worked early and late with
 never-tiring diligence, and Pietro never felt so happy
 as when he was able in some way to assist him. As
 time went on, the fame of Melvesa began to spread,
 and his short struggle was over. Pietro was no longer
 his servant, but his pupil and friend; indeed, so great
 was the affection existing between them, that they
 were often mistaken for brothers. Whatever they
 possessed they possessed together, and whenever their
 pictures were sold, the prices which they brought be-
 longed equally to both. But Pietro saw with pain
 that his companion's strength was declining. In vain
 he tried to dissuade him from doing so much work;
 Giulio seemed to delight in nothing but labour, and at
 last scarcely ever left the studio. One or two more
 years passed, and then death separated them, leaving
 Pietro at once almost friendless and poor.
 At this time he had just completed his twenty-
fourth year, but although his name was as yet un-
known among artists, he had already finished no
inconsiderable number of small pictures, which were
admired by many. But now that he had to work
alone, it seemed as if success had left him for ever, for
he met with continual disappointments. At last he
began to fear that it was his subjects which were not
generally admired, and not his painting. He had
never forgotten his early days at Castaro; in all the
scenes through which he had passed he had only seen
one face which struck him as being perfectly beautiful,
and it had always seemed to him that, if he could but
paint a true image of that face, his efforts would be
crowned with success. He therefore made the at-
tempt, but with all his hopes it was a sorrowful task.
He painted it-finished it, and the likeness was a true
one-so true, that he felt, when he thought of parting