were
ceaselessly interesting to him: he would draw every knot in an oak
panel, or every leaf in an orange-tree, smiling, and taking a gay
delight over the simple feats of skill: whenever you found him he seemed
watchful and serene, his modest virgin-lamp always lighted and trim. No
gusts of passion extinguished it; no hopeless wandering in the darkness
afterwards led him astray. Wayfarers through the world, we meet now and
again with such purity; and salute it, and hush whilst it passes on.

We have it under Clive Newcome's own signature, that he intended to pass
a couple of years in Italy, devoting himself exclusively to the study of
his profession. Other besides professional reasons were working secretly
in the young man's mind, causing him to think that absence from England
was the best cure for a malady under which he secretly laboured. But
change of air may cure some sick people more speedily than the sufferers
ever hoped; and also it is on record, that young men with the very best
intentions respecting study, do not fulfil them, and are led away from
their scheme by accident, or pleasure, or necessity, or some good cause.
Young Clive worked sedulously two or three months at his vocation
at Rome, secretly devouring, no doubt, the pangs of sentimental
disappointment under which he laboured; and he drew from his models, and
he sketched round about everything that suited his pencil on both sides
of Tiber; and he laboured at the Life Academy of nights--a model himself
to other young students. The symptoms of his sentimental malady began
to abate. He took an interest in the affairs of Jack, and Tom, and
Harry round about him: Art exercised its great healing influence on his
wounded spirit, which to be sure had never given in. The meeting of
the painters at the Cafe Greco, and at their private houses, was very
jovial, pleasant, and lively. Clive smoked his pipe, drank his glass of
Marsala, sang his song, and took part in the general chorus as gaily as
the jolliest of the boys. He was the cock of the whole painting school,
the favourite of all; and to be liked by the people, you may be pretty
sure that we for our parts must like them.

Then, besides the painters, he had, as he has informed us, the other
society of Rome. Every winter there is a gay and pleasant English colony
in that capital, of course more or less remarkable for rank, fashion,
and agreeability with every varying year. In Clive's year some very
pleasant f