others, the rough sketch of the equestrian portrait was completed in a
few hours, and so skillfully set in Angelica's border of flowers that,
as she expressed it, the whole picture looked "quite crazy enough," and
they were able to proceed at once to the shading.

Over this common labor, that afforded them both great pleasure and gave
occasion for innumerable jests, the forenoon had slipped away unheeded.
Angelica proposed to take her dinner in her studio to-day, against
which proposition Rosenbusch had nothing to object. She dispatched the
janitor with a few secret commissions, and in a short time had
improvised such an excellent meal that Rosenbusch burst out in great
enthusiasm.

CHAPTER IV.

This was the first day for many weeks on which he had felt warm, and as
if he had enough to eat. Consequently he only made a few weak protests
when Angelica insisted upon furnishing him his meals so long as their
common labor lasted, and even made as though he did not notice that she
acted like a very Penelope, and again and again put off the completion
of the work under one pretext or another. However, the picture was
finished at last, and Rosenbusch, who had in the mean while grown quite
plump, would have been obliged to fall back again on his fasting and
brooding, had not his friend taken care to provide for him without his
knowledge.

She succeeded in bringing it about that all the friends of the
inconsolable widow became possessed by a desire to have the effigy of
their dead or living husbands, done in the same way. Thus it happened
that our battle-painter was all at once completely overwhelmed with
orders for equestrian portraits, whereat he flew into a great passion,
for the modern uniforms were very much at variance with his Wouverman
tendencies. However, there were always the horses to fall back on, and
upon these he could labor with a good conscience, though he was always
complaining that the modern prejudices in regard to horse-breeding had
exterminated the majestic Flemish and Burgundian breeds. He painted
away at them with great zeal, "for his meals," as he expressed it, and
it was only when the approach of twilight forced him to leave off that
he allowed himself the pleasure of going round to his neighbors, and
inveighing against this servile labor to which his great work was being
sacrificed.

Angelica never replied to his complaints by a single word. She had said
once