"Well, I'm prepared to bring you a father, mother, and only daughter."

"All for me?"



"Yes--they want their portraits taken. These bourgeois--they are crazy

about art--have never dared to enter a studio. The girl has a 'dot' of



a hundred thousand francs. You can paint all three,--perhaps they'll

turn out family portraits."



And with that the old Dutch log of wood who passed for a man and who

was called Elie Magus, interrupted himself to laugh an uncanny laugh



which frightened the painter. He fancied he heard Mephistopheles

talking marriage.



"Portraits bring five hundred francs apiece," went on Elie; "so you

can very well afford to paint me three pictures."



"True for you!" cried Fougeres, gleefully.

"And if you marry the girl, you won't forget me."



"Marry! I?" cried Pierre Grassou,--"I, who have a habit of sleeping

alone; and get up at cock-crow, and all my life arranged--"



"One hundred thousand francs," said Magus, "and a quiet girl, full of

golden tones, as you call 'em, like a Titian."



"What class of people are they?"

"Retired merchants; just now in love with art; have a country-house at



Ville d'Avray, and ten or twelve thousand francs a year."

"What business did they do?"



"Bottles."

"Now don't say that word; it makes me think of corks and sets my teeth



on edge."

"Am I to bring them?"



"Three portraits--I could put them in the Salon; I might go in for

portrait-painting. Well, yes!"



Old Elie descended the staircase to go in search of the Vervelle

family. To know to what extend this proposition would act upon the



painter, and what effect would be produced upon him by the Sieur and

Dame Vervelle, adorned by their only daughter, it is necessary to cast



an eye on the anterior life of Pierre Grassou of Fougeres.

When a pupil, Fougeres had studieddrawing with Servin, who was



thought a great draughtsman in academic circles. After that he went to

Schinner's, to learn the secrets of the powerful and magnificent color



which distinguishes that master. Master and scholars were all

discreet; at any rate Pierre discovered none of their secrets. From



there he went to Sommervieux' atelier, to acquire that portion of the

art of painting which is called composition, but composition was shy



and distant to him. Then he tried to snatch from Decamps and Granet

the mystery of their interior effects. The two masters were not



robbed. Finally Fougeres ended his education with Duval-Lecamus.

During these studied and these different transformations Fougeres'



habits and ways of life were tranquil and moral to a degree that

furnished matter of jesting to the various ateliers where he



sojourned; but everywhere he disarmed his comrades by his modesty and

by the patience and gentleness of a lamblike nature. The masters,



however, had no sympathy for the good lad; masters prefer bright

fellows, eccentric spirits, droll or fiery, or else gloomy and deeply



reflective, which argue future talent. Everything about Pierre Grassou

smacked of mediocrity. His nickname "Fougeres" (that of the painter in



the play of "The Eglantine") was the source of much teasing; but, by

force of circumstances, he accepted the name of the town in which he



had first seen light.

Grassou of Fougeres resembled his name. Plump and of mediumheight, he



had a dull complexion, brown eyes, black hair, a turned-up nose,

rather wide mouth, and long ears. His gentle, passive, and resigned



air gave a certain relief to these leading features of a physiognomy

that was full of health, but wanting in action. This young man, born



to be a virtuous bourgeois, having left his native place and come to

Paris to be clerk with a color-merchant (formerly of Mayenne and a



distant connection of the Orgemonts) made himself a painter simply by

the fact of an obstinacy which constitutes the Breton character. What



he suffered, the manner in which he lived during those years of study,

God only knows. He suffered as much as great men suffer when they are



hounded by poverty and hunted like wild beasts by the pack of

commonplace minds and by troops of vanities athirst for vengeance.



As soon as he thought himself able to fly on his own wings, Fougeres

took a studio in the upper part of the rue des Martyrs, where he began



to delve his way. He made his first appearance in 1819. The first

picture he presented to the jury of the Exhibition at the Louvre

• painting [´peintiŋ] n.绘画；(油)画；着色 (初中英语单词)


• criticism [´kritisizəm] n.批评；评论(文) (初中英语单词)


• astonishment [ə´stɔniʃmənt] n.吃惊；惊异 (初中英语单词)


• worthy [´wə:ði] a.有价值的；值得的 (初中英语单词)


• admission [əd´miʃən] n.接纳；承认 (初中英语单词)


• character [´kæriktə] n.特性；性质；人物；字 (初中英语单词)


• distinct [di´stiŋkt] a.清楚的；独特的 (初中英语单词)


• institution [,insti´tju:ʃən] n.建立；制定；制度 (初中英语单词)


• genius [´dʒi:niəs] n.天才(人物)；天赋 (初中英语单词)


• canvas [´kænvəs] n.帆布；油画(布) (初中英语单词)


• sketch [sketʃ] n.素描；短剧 v.草拟 (初中英语单词)


• resemble [ri´zembəl] vt.类似，象 (初中英语单词)


• background [´bækgraund] n.背景；经历；幕后 (初中英语单词)


• carpet [´kɑ:pit] n.地毯 vt.铺地毯 (初中英语单词)


• bureau [´bjuərəu] n.局；编辑部；事务所 (初中英语单词)


• painter [´peintə] n.画家；(油)漆工 (初中英语单词)


• visible [´vizəbəl] a.可见的；明显的 (初中英语单词)


• apartment [ə´pɑ:tmənt] n.一套房间 (初中英语单词)


• immense [i´mens] a.广大的，无限的 (初中英语单词)


• faculty [´fækəlti] n.才干；天赋；院，系 (初中英语单词)


• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)


• beginning [bi´giniŋ] n.开始，开端；起源 (初中英语单词)


• conceive [kən´si:v] v.设想；表达；怀孕 (初中英语单词)


• sufficiently [sə´fiʃəntli] ad.充分地，足够地 (初中英语单词)


• magnificent [mæg´nifisənt] a.壮丽的；豪华的 (初中英语单词)


• acquire [ə´kwaiə] vt.求得，获得，学得 (初中英语单词)


• portion [´pɔ:ʃən] n.嫁妆；命运 vt.分配 (初中英语单词)


• snatch [snætʃ] v.&n.抢，夺取，抓住 (初中英语单词)


• mystery [´mistəri] n.神秘；秘密；故弄玄虚 (初中英语单词)


• interior [in´tiəriə] n.&a.内部地(的) (初中英语单词)


• patience [´peiʃəns] n.忍耐(力)；耐心；坚韧 (初中英语单词)


• sympathy [´simpəθi] n.同情，怜悯 (初中英语单词)


• talent [´tælənt] n.天才；才干；天资 (初中英语单词)


• medium [´mi:diəm] n.中间；平均 a.中等的 (初中英语单词)


• height [hait] n.高度；顶点；卓越 (初中英语单词)


• passive [´pæsiv] a.被动的 n.被动性 (初中英语单词)


• relief [ri´li:f] n.救济；援救；减轻 (初中英语单词)


• connection [kə´nekʃən] n.联系；关系；联运 (初中英语单词)


• poverty [´pɔvəti] n.贫穷(乏，瘠)；不足 (初中英语单词)


• artillery [ɑ:´tiləri] n.炮兵部队 (高中英语单词)


• testimony [´testiməni] n.证明；证据；表明 (高中英语单词)


• affectionate [ə´fekʃənit] a.亲爱的 (高中英语单词)


• esteem [i´sti:m] n.尊重 vt.认为；感到 (高中英语单词)


• exhibition [eksi´biʃ(ə)n] n.展览；显示；表演 (高中英语单词)


• sculpture [´skʌlptʃə] n.雕塑(品)；雕刻(术) (高中英语单词)


• sadness [´sædnis] n.悲哀；悲痛；凄惨 (高中英语单词)


• unseen [,ʌn´si:n] a.未看见的 (高中英语单词)


• selection [si´lekʃən] n.选择；选拔；精选物 (高中英语单词)


• historical [his´tɔrikəl] a.历史(上)的 (高中英语单词)


• tournament [´tuənəmənt] n.比赛，锦标赛 (高中英语单词)


• jealousy [´dʒeləsi] n.妒忌；猜忌 (高中英语单词)


• vigorous [´vigərəs] a.精力旺盛的；健壮的 (高中英语单词)


• catalogue [´kætəlɔg] n.一览表 v.编目，归类 (高中英语单词)


• correctly [kə´rektli] ad.正确地；恰当地 (高中英语单词)


• studio [´stju:diəu] n.画室；照相室 (高中英语单词)


• outfit [´aut,fit] n.装备 vt.供给；装备 (高中英语单词)


• legion [´li:dʒən] n.军团；大批 (高中英语单词)


• proposition [,prɔpə´ziʃən] n.提议；主张；陈述 (高中英语单词)


• studied [´stʌdid] a.故意的；有计划的 (高中英语单词)


• composition [,kɔmpə´ziʃən] n.写作；作曲；作品 (高中英语单词)


• gloomy [´glu:mi] a.昏暗的；忧郁的 (高中英语单词)


• complexion [kəm´plekʃən] n.肤色；情况；局面 (高中英语单词)


• masterpiece [´mɑ:stəpi:s] n.杰作；杰出的事 (英语四级单词)


• contradiction [,kɔntrə´dikʃən] n.矛盾；反驳；抵触 (英语四级单词)


• obscurity [əb´skjuəriti] n.暗(淡)；朦胧；含糊 (英语四级单词)


• stairway [´steəwei] n.楼梯 (英语四级单词)


• thrift [θrift] n.节俭，节约 (英语四级单词)


• apiece [ə´pi:s] ad.每个，每件，每人 (英语四级单词)


• staircase [´steəkeis] n.楼梯 =stairway (英语四级单词)


• drawing [´drɔ:iŋ] n.画图；制图；图样 (英语四级单词)


• academic [,ækə´demik] a.学术的 n.大学学生 (英语四级单词)


• modesty [´mɔdisti] n.谨慎；端庄；羞怯 (英语四级单词)


• gentleness [´dʒentlnis] n.温和，温柔 (英语四级单词)


• virtuous [´və:tjuəs] a.道德的；善良的 (英语四级单词)


• populace [´pɔpjuləs] n.平民；大众；人口 (英语六级单词)


• applicable [´æplikəbəl] a.合适的；适用的 (英语六级单词)


• uncanny [ʌn´kæni] a.神秘的；离奇的 (英语六级单词)


• tranquil [´træŋkwil] a.平静的，稳定的 (英语六级单词)


• eccentric [ik´sentrik] a.古怪的；离心的 (英语六级单词)


• nickname [´nikneim] n.绰号 vt.给…起绰口 (英语六级单词)


• wanting [´wɔntiŋ, wɑ:n-] a.短缺的；不足的 (英语六级单词)


• obstinacy [´ɔbstinəsi] n.顽固；(病痛等)难治 (英语六级单词)