at
I confess I did not know, and that is very fine; how does it go?..."

He seated himself with the greatest good-nature by the side of his
"godfather," and began to go thoroughly over the sketch, and to make a
number of keen criticisms of its details. In the mean time the young
Greek had placed in position a large sketch in colors, dashed off in
bold, strong lines; and now this took its turn of criticism.

It had for its subject, as the artist explained in broken German, in a
soft, musical voice, a scene from Goethe's "Bride of Corinth." The
youth had sunk back upon his couch, and his ghostly bride had thrown
herself vampire-like upon him, "eagerly drinking in the flame of his
lips," while the mother, standing outside the door, seemed to be
listening to the suppressed voices, just ready to burst in and disturb
the pair.

Over this work also criticism held its breath for a time, though for a
very different reason. The whole picture breathed such a stifling
spirit of sultry passion that even the members of the Paradise Club,
who most certainly were not prudish, seem to feel that the bounds of
what was permissible had been overstepped.

Once more Rosenbusch was the first to speak.

"There he sits over yonder in the realm of pure spirit," he cried to
Fat Rossel, who was still studying Kohle's work, "while we here are
dealing with pure flesh. Holla! You man of the silhouette and the
beautiful decorative form, come over here and exorcise this demon!"

Edward nodded without looking round; he seemed to know the work
already, and to have no desire to express himself concerning it.

As none of the others uttered a single word, the artist finally
appealed directly to Jansen, and begged for his judgment.

"Hm!" growled the sculptor, "the work is full of talent. Only you have
christened it wrongly--or have forgotten the two veils."

"Christened it wrongly?"

"In the name of Goethe; Saint Priapus stood godfather to it."

"But--the two veils!" stammered the youth, who had cast down his eyes.

"Beauty and horror. Only read the poem. You will see how artistically
everything immodest in it is veiled by these two. And yet--a decidedly
talented work. It will find admirers fast enough."

He turned away and went quietly back to his seat. At the same instant
the young man tore the picture from the wall, and, without saying a
word, held the gilt frame in which it was enclosed over the nearest
lamp.

Perhaps he had expected th