orse is my son you may see in a moment if you compare
their faces and figures.'

"Traugott was dumb with amazement, but he soon felt that the old man,
who believed himself the master who had painted these pictures over two
hundred years ago, must be suffering from some species of insanity.

"'Indeed,' said the old man, lifting his head and looking round him
with pride, 'it was a glorious springtide of art when I adorned this
hall with all these pictures, in honour of the wise King Arthur and his
Round Table. I have always felt convinced that the noble presence, who
came to me once when I was working here, and called me to mastership,
which I had not then attained, was King Arthur himself.'

"'My father,' said the lad, 'is an artist whom there are not many like,
and you would not regret it if he were to allow you to come and see his
works.'

"The old man had taken a few steps through the hall, which was then
empty; and he called to the lad to come away. But Traugott boldly asked
him to show him his pictures. The old man scanned him long, with keen,
penetrating eyes, and finally said, very seriously:

"'You are somewhat presumptuous, truly, in that you would penetrate
into the holy of holies before your apprenticeship is well begun.
However, be it so! if your eyes are too feeble to see as yet, you may
to some extent surmise. Come to me early to-morrow.'

"He explained where he lived, and Traugott got away from his work as
soon as possible the next morning, and hastened to the out-of-the-way
street where the old man was to be found. The lad, dressed in antique
German costume, opened the door, and took him into a spacious room,
where the old man was sitting on a little stool before a large canvas,
all covered with a grey ground-tint.

"'You are come at a fortunate time, sir,' cried the old man, 'for I
have just this moment put the finishing touches to this great picture,
upon which I have been engaged for more than a year, and which has cost
me no small pains! It is the companion picture to another of the same
size, representing "Paradise Lost," which I finished last year, and
which you will see here also. This one, as you see, is "Paradise
Regained," and I should pity you if you were to try to discover any
hidden allegory in it. It is only weaklings and bunglers who paint
allegorical pictures. This picture of mine does not suggest; it _is_!
You observe that all these rich groupings of men, animals, flowers and
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