ulptor; and now she
stood in the middle of the atelier, drawing the little blue silk flag
as tightly as she could across her breast, her eyes flaming with anger,
and her whole body trembling with excitement.

"You need not be afraid, my child," said the sculptor, "this gentleman
is also an artist. Good Heavens! How magnificently you have dressed
yourself! The halo becomes you excellently. Turn round a little--"

She shook her head violently.

"Let me go! I will never come again!" she said half aloud. "You haven't
kept your word to me! Oh! it is shameful!"

"But, Zenz--"

"No, never again! You have deceived me. You know very well what you
promised me, and yet--"

"But if you would only listen! I assure you solemnly--"

Shaking her head and blushing crimson, she ran to the chair where she
had laid her waist and her straw hat, seized them hurriedly, and shot
like an arrow through the little side-door into the second studio.

The sculptor tried to follow her, but had to turn back at the bolted
door. Vexed and annoyed, he turned again to Felix, who had let the girl
pass almost unnoticed in the demonstrative recognition he received from
the dog. The powerful animal had come leaping toward him with all the
liveliness of his younger days, had rested his heavy paws on his old
friend's breast, barking hoarsely the while, and seemed unwilling to
let him go again.

"Do you really know me still, true old soul?" cried the young man,
patting the dog's great head, and looking with real emotion into the
faithful old fellow's large eyes, already grown a little dim.--"See,
Hans, with what _empressement_ he receives me! But what have I done to
vex the little girl? Is it the custom here in your blessed land of free
art for models to set themselves up as examples of propriety?"

"This is rather a peculiar case," answered Jansen, with some vexation.
"It was only after long hesitation that she did me the favor to stand
as a model at all; and I shall be hard put to it now to make the shy
thing so tame again. She has neither father nor mother--at least, so
she says. I used often to meet her on her way to an artificial-flower
factory, where she works hard to support, herself. Her figure attracted
me; and the little pert-nosed thing did not look as though her ideas
were very rigidly conventional. But she would have nothing to say to
it, although, as I look older than I am, I have made much shyer people
trust me. Finally, though, my las