We heartily congratulate him on the step he has taken
towards emancipation, but we would have him fully realise, that if he is
to fulfil the brilliant promise of this his first picture, he must
abjure once for all the errors and conventionalities of a school
destined to perish at the hands of triumphant Realism."

These newspaper comments affected different people in different ways.
Rosa Bonheur Sinel resented anything short of unqualified praise, and
was simply indignant with one writer who had ventured to criticise the
drapery she had sat for. The article commenting on the masterly drawing
of her foot, she kept in a discarded hatbox with other treasures,
prominent amongst which was a defunct goldfish preserved in a glass
bottle.

Madeleine was supremely happy. She had seen a very sympathetic notice in
the leading paper of Lyons.

"I am proud of the picture," she wrote to Claude, "and I can think
of nothing else. I am sure I am quite glad I was so ill, if that
helped you at all. The man who wrote the article was kind enough to
say he liked the way I opened my eyes so much, that he was glad I
had come to life again. I thought that rather flippant. Don't you
think so, too? But then he described the whole picture so
beautifully, that I fancied I could see it; he seemed to like it
all, only he wanted some more 'impasto.' What can that be? May I
tell you about a dream I had? You know I am always having dreams;
you won't mind, will you? It's quite short, and it is all about
you. I saw you in a large looking-glass, but not all of you; only
from your neck to your feet; I could not see your head. Besides, I
should not have noticed it if it had been in the looking-glass; I
could only look at your feet. You had those slippers on I
embroidered for you last year, and I was so unhappy, because they
were so ugly; so unhappy, that I woke up quite upset. And since
then I've been thinking, how could I ever have sent you such a
stupid flower pattern, all so hard and stiff? I do feel ashamed of
it now.

"Madame Chevillard is so kind. She says I am her daughter, and I
feel as if I really were. In the evening I go up to her room, and
she unlocks her treasure cupboard, and takes out something to show
me and tell me about. She has got beautiful books, and she lets me
read them to her; she sits in her big armchair and loo