reations and her imagery.
Joseph made ready for a struggle which, from the day when he first
exhibited in the Salon, has never ceased. It was a terrible year.
Roguin, the notary of Madame Descoings and Madame Bridau, absconded
with the moneys held back for seven years from Madame Descoings's
annuity, which by that time were producing two thousand francs a year.
Three days after this disaster, a bill of exchange for a thousand
francs, drawn by Philippe upon his mother, arrived from New York. The
poor fellow, misled like so many others, had lost his all in the Champ
d'Asile. A letter, which accompanied the bill, drove Agathe, Joseph,
and the Descoings to tears, and told of debts contracted in New York,
where his comrades in misfortunes had indorsed for him.

"It was I who made him go!" cried the poor mother, eager to divert the
blame from Philippe.

"I advise you not to send him on many such journeys," said the old
Descoings to her niece.

Madame Descoings was heroic. She continued to give the three thousand
francs a year to Madame Bridau, but she still paid the dues on her
trey which had never turned up since the year 1799. About this time,
she began to doubt the honesty of the government, and declared it was
capable of keeping the three numbers in the urn, so as to excite the
shareholders to put in enormous stakes. After a rapid survey of all
their resources, it seemed to the two women impossible to raise the
thousand francs without selling out the little that remained in the
Funds. They talked of pawning their silver and part of the linen, and
even the needless pieces of furniture. Joseph, alarmed at these
suggestions, went to see Gerard and told him their circumstances. The
great painter obtained an order from the household of the king for two
copies of a portrait of Louis XVIII., at five hundred francs each.
Though not naturally generous, Gros took his pupil to an
artist-furnishing house and fitted him out with the necessary materials.
But the thousand francs could not be had till the copies were delivered,
so Joseph painted four panels in ten days, sold them to the dealers
and brought his mother the thousand francs with which to meet the bill
of exchange when it fell due. Eight days later, came a letter from the
colonel, informing his mother that he was about to return to France on
board a packet from New York, whose captain had trusted him for the
passage-money. Philippe announced that he should need at least a