from
the manuscript, "have been painted on a principle--"

"I beg your pardon, Blyth," interrupted Lady Brambledown, whose sharp
ears had caught the remark made on Valentine and his "mixture of
people," and whose liberal principles were thereby instantly stimulated
into publicly asserting themselves. "I beg your pardon; but where's my
old ally, the gardener, who was here last time?--Out at the door is
he? What does he mean by not coming in? Here, gardener! come behind my
chair."

The gardener approached, internally writhing under the honor of public
notice, and covered with confusion in consequence of the noise his boots
made on the floor.

"How do you do? and how are your family? What did you stop out at the
door for? You're one of Mr. Blyth's guests, and have as much right
inside as any of the rest of us. Stand there, and listen, and look about
you, and inform your mind. This is an age of progress, gardener; your
class is coming uppermost, and time it did too. Go on, Blyth." And again
the Dowager Countess took a pinch of snuff, looking contemptuously at
the lady who had spoken of the "mixture of people."

"I take the liberty," continued Valentine, resuming the manuscript, "of
dividing all art into two great classes, the landscape subjects, and
the figure subjects; and I venture to describe these classes, in their
highest development, under the respective titles of Art Pastoral and
Art Mystic. The 'Golden Age' is an attempt to exemplify Art Pastoral.
'Columbus in Sight of the New World' is an effort to express myself
in Art Mystic. In 'The Golden Age' "--(everybody looked at Columbus
immediately)--"In the 'Golden Age,'" continued Mr. Blyth, waving
his wand persuasively towards the right picture, "you have, in the
foreground-bushes, the middle-distance trees, the horizon mountains, and
the superincumbent sky, what I would fain hope is a tolerably faithful
transcript of mere nature. But in the group of buildings to the right"
(here the wand touched the architectural city, with its acres of
steps and forests of pillars), "in the dancing nymphs, and the musing
philosopher" (Mr. Blyth rapped the philosopher familiarly on the head
with the padded end of his wand), "you have the Ideal--the elevating
poetical view of ordinary objects, like cities, happy female peasants,
and thoughtful spectators. Thus nature is exalted; and thus Art
Pastoral--no!--thus Art Pastoral exalts--no! I beg your pardon--thus Art
Pastoral and Natu