“What do you think of that for a fine bit of antithesis?” said the German, searching in his friend’s face for responding admiration, but going on volubly without waiting for any other answer.  “There lies antique beauty, not corpse-like even in death, but arrested in the complete contentment of its sensuous perfection:  and here stands beauty in its breathing life, with the consciousness of Christian centuries in its bosom.  But she should be dressed as a nun; I think she looks almost what you call a Quaker; I would dress her as a nun in my picture.  However, she is married; I saw her wedding-ring on that wonderful left hand, otherwise I should have thought the sallow Geistlicher was her father.  I saw him parting from her a good while ago, and just now I found her in that magnificent pose.  Only think! he is perhaps rich, and would like to have her portrait taken.  Ah! it is no use looking after her—­ there she goes!  Let us follow her home!”

“No, no,” said his companion, with a little frown.

“You are singular, Ladislaw.  You look struck together.  Do you know her?”

“I know that she is married to my cousin,” said Will Ladislaw, sauntering down the hall with a preoccupied air, while his German friend kept at his side and watched him eagerly.

“What! the Geistlicher?  He looks more like an uncle—­a more useful sort of relation.”

“He is not my uncle.  I tell you he is my second cousin,” said Ladislaw, with some irritation.

“Schon, schon.  Don’t be snappish.  You are not angry with me for thinking Mrs. Second-Cousin the most perfect young Madonna I ever saw?”

“Angry? nonsense.  I have only seen her once before, for a couple of minutes, when my cousin introduced her to me, just before I left England.  They were not married then.  I didn’t know they were coming to Rome.”

“But you will go to see them now—­you will find out what they have for an address—­since you know the name.  Shall we go to the post?  And you could speak about the portrait.”

“Confound you, Naumann!  I don’t know what I shall do.  I am not so brazen as you.”

“Bah! that is because you are dilettantish and amateurish.  If you were an artist, you would think of Mistress Second-Cousin as antique form animated by Christian sentiment—­a sort of Christian Antigone—­ sensuous force controlled by spiritual passion.”

“Yes, and that your painting her was the chief outcome of her existence—­the divinity passing into higher completeness and all but exhausted in the act of covering your bit of canvas.  I am amateurish if you like:  I do not think that all the universe is straining towards the obscure significance of your pictures.”