“As you will, Carlton; and so now, indeed, good night.  You will come with the sunset, tomorrow?”

“I will, dearest.”

And Carlton turned away to seek his own humble lodgings, while the lady returned to the sumptuous apartments which she called her home, to dream of the young artist, and the tale he had thus left but half related.  In the meantime with the reader we will turn to another chapter in the thread of our story.

CHAPTER IV.

The duke’s prize.

I see this hath a little dashed your spirits.

-Othello.

Carlton was a young American, passionately devoted to the art he was studying at Florence, the home of the arts.  His pecuniary means, which were of a limited character, were, at the time our story opens, at an unusually low ebb-indeed, he was almost penniless.  He had been able, by losing much valuable time upon trifling and toyish pieces, to procure nearly enough for subsistence, taken in connection with the little he already possessed.  But of late he had not been able to find any spare time for the trifles he had heretofore engaged himself upon at times, when he was obliged to obtain money for daily food, for reasons which we shall understand as we proceed with our story.

Though of highly respectable birth, yet he was an orphan, and dependent upon the liberality of a rich relative for the advantage he had already received in an excellent classical education, and the means of travelling while in the study of his art.  A few months previous to the opening of our tale, this patron, who had been a father indeed to Carlton, died suddenly, and the news of his decease reached the young American at the time he was just expecting a remittance of money.  The consequence was, he found himself friendless and without means, thousands of miles from his native land.  He had incurred some small debts in anticipation of the expected remittance, which placed him in a still more unpleasant situation.

It was a severe blow to Carlton to lose one who had been so kind to him almost from childhood.  It was hard, too, to sink at once from a state of plenty to one of absolute want.  But thus it was, and he endeavored to bear his lot with all the philosophy and resignation he could command; but it was a bitter stroke for him to bear, particularly at this time, when so much depended upon his being able to pursue his calling uninterrupted, and still make the proper appearance in his person.  He felt that at no previous moment had he so much at stake as now; that at no previous time in the course of his life could such an event have been more unfortunate.  But Carlton was blessed with a heart easy to keep afloat; and though his future was hard, he looked upon its sunny side, and bore bravely up against it, enduring not only mental but positive physical suffering in his manliness.  For months he had been almost constantly engaged in