Part 94 (2/2)
said she.
Teresa was scarce gone when Pietro returned with his picture, looking black as thunder. Gerard exchanged a glance with the landlady, and followed him up stairs to console him.
”What, have they let thee bring home thy masterpiece?”
”As heretofore.”
”More fools they, then.”
”That is not the worst.”
”Why, what is the matter?”
”They have bought the cards,” yelled Pietro, and hammered the air furiously right and left.
”All the better,” said Gerard cheerfully.
”They flew at me for them. They were enraptured with them. They tried to conceal their longing for them, but could not. I saw, I feigned, I pillaged; curse the b.o.o.bies.”
And he flung down a dozen small silver coins on the floor and jumped on them, and danced on them with basilisk eyes, and then kicked them a.s.siduously, and sent them spinning and flying, and running all abroad.
Down went Gerard on his knees and followed the maltreated innocents directly, and transferred them tenderly to his purse.
”Shouldst rather smile at their ignorance, and put it to profit,” said he.
”And so I will,” said Pietro, with concentrated indignation. ”The brutes! We will paint a pack a day; we will set the whole city gambling and ruining itself, while we live like princes on its vices and stupidity. There was one of the queens, though, I had fain have kept back. 'Twas you limned her, brother. She had lovely red-brown hair and sapphire eyes, and above all, soul.”
”Pietro,” said Gerard, softly, ”I painted that one from my heart.”
The quick-witted Italian nodded, and his eyes twinkled.
”You love her so well, yet leave her.”
”Pietro, it is because I love her so dear that I have wandered all this dreary road.”
This interesting colloquy was interrupted by the landlady crying from below, ”Come down, you are wanted.” He went down, and there was Teresa again.
”Come with me, Ser Gerard.”
CHAPTER LX
GERARD walked silently beside Teresa, wondering in his own mind, after the manner of artists, what she was going to do with him; instead of asking her. So at last she told him of her own accord. A friend had informed her of a working goldsmith's wife who wanted a writer. ”Her shop is hard by; you will not have far to go.”
Accordingly they soon arrived at the goldsmith's wife.
<script>