r. But he
too became more and more silent the nearer they approached the town. "I
can't go any farther, I am so full of nervousness and anxiety and sweet
sadness; let us rest a little while beneath these trees." Thus spake
Frederick just before they reached the gate; and he threw himself down
quite exhausted in the grass. Reinhold sat down beside him, and after a
while began, "I daresay you thought me extremely strange yesterday
evening, good brother mine. But as you told me about your love, and
were so very dejected, then all kinds of foolish nonsense flooded my
mind and made me quite confused, and would have made me mad in the end
if your good singing and my lute had not driven away the evil spirits.
But this morning when the first ray of sunlight awoke me, all my gaiety
of heart returned, for all nasty feelings had already left me last
evening. I ran out, and whilst wandering among the undergrowth a crowd
of fine things came into my mind: how I had found you, and how all my
heart felt drawn towards you. There also occurred to me a pretty little
story which happened some time ago when I was in Italy; I will tell it
to you, since it is a remarkable illustration of what true friendship
can do.

"It chanced that a noble prince, a warm patron and friend of the Fine
Arts, offered a very large prize for a painting, the subject of which
was definitely fixed, and which, though a splendid subject, was one
difficult to treat. Two young painters, united by the closest bond of
friendship and wont to work together, resolved to compete for the
prize. They communicated their designs to each other and had long talks
as to how they should overcome the difficulties connected with the
subject. The elder, more experienced in drawing and in arrangement and
grouping, had soon formed a conception of the picture and sketched it;
then he went to the younger, whom he found so discouraged in the very
designing that he would have given the scheme up, had not the elder
constantly encouraged him, and imparted to him good advice. But when
they began to paint, the younger, a master in colour, was able to give
his friend many a hint, which he turned to the best account; and
eventually it was found that the younger had never designed a better
picture, nor the elder coloured one better. The pieces being finished,
the two artists fell upon each other's neck; each was delighted,
enraptured, with the other's work, and each adjudged the prize, which
they