his face is rather sad, and exceedingly lovely, as,
indeed are all those faces, being somewhat alike;
and all, in some degree like the type of face received
as the likeness of Christ himself. They have
all long hair falling in rippled bands on each side
of their faces, on to their shoulders. Their
drapery, too, is lovely; they are very beautiful and
solemn. Above their heads runs a cornice of
trefoiled arches, one arch over the head of each apostle;
from out of the deep shade of the trefoils flashes
a grand leaf cornice, one leaf again to each apostle;
and so we come to the next compartment, which contains
three scenes from the life of St. Honore, an early
French bishop. The first scene is, I think, the
election of a bishop, the monks or priests talking
the matter over in chapter first, then going to tell
the bishop-elect. Gloriously-draped figures the
monks are, with genial faces full of good wisdom,
drawn into quaint expressions by the joy of argument.
This one old, and has seen much of the world; he
is trying, I think, to get his objections answered
by the young man there, who is talking to him so earnestly;
he is listening, with a half-smile on his face, as
if he had made up his mind, after all. These
other two, one very energetic indeed, with his head
and shoulders swung back a little, and his right arm
forward, and the other listening to him, and but half-convinced
yet. Then the two next, turning to go with him
who is bearing to the new-chosen bishop the book of
the Gospels and pastoral staff; they look satisfied
and happy. Then comes he with the pastoral staff
and Gospels; then, finally, the man who is announcing
the news to the bishop himself, the most beautiful
figure in the whole scene, perhaps, in the whole doorway;
he is stooping down, lovingly, to the man they have
chosen, with his left hand laid on his arm, and his
long robe falls to his feet from his shoulder all
along his left side, moulded a little to the shape
of his body, but falling heavily and with scarce a
fold in it, to the ground: the chosen one sitting
there, with his book held between his two hands, looks
up to him with his brave face, and he will be bishop,
and rule well, I think. So, by the next scene
he is bishop, I suppose, and is sitting there ordering
the building of a church; for he is sitting under
a trefoiled canopy, with his mitre on his head, his
right hand on a reading-desk by his side. His
book is lying open, his head turned toward what is
going forwards. It is a splendid head and face.
In the photograph I have of this subject, the mitre,
short and simple, is in full light but for a little
touch of shade on one side; the face is shaded, but
the crown of short crisp curls hanging over it, about
half in light, half in shade. Beyond the trefoil
canopy comes a wood of quaint conventional trees,
full of stone, with a man working at it with a long
pick: I cannot see his face, as it is altogether
in shade, the light falling on his head however.