the mediocrity of his means. The walls of the garret were covered with



bits of paper on which were crayon sketches; he possessed only four

clean canvases. Colors were at that time costly, and the poor



gentleman gazed at a palette that was well-nigh bare. In the midst of

this poverty he felt within himself an indescribablewealth of heart



and the superabundant force of consuming genius. Brought to Paris by a

gentleman of his acquaintance, and perhaps by the monition of his own



talent, he had suddenly found a mistress,--one of those generous and

noble souls who are ready to suffer by the side of a great man;



espousing his poverty, studying to comprehend his caprices, strong to

bear deprivation and bestow love, as others are daring in the display



of luxury and in parading the insensibility of their hearts. The smile

which flickered on her lips brightened as with gold the darkness of



the garret and rivalled the effulgence of the skies; for the sun did

not always shine in the heavens, but she was always here,--calm and



collected in her passion, living in his happiness, his griefs;

sustaining the genius which overflowed in love ere it found in art its



destined expression.

"Listen, Gillette; come!"



The obedient, happy girl spranglightly on the painter's knee. She was

all grace and beauty, pretty as the spring-time, decked with the



wealth of feminine charm, and lighting all with the fire of a noble

soul.



"O God!" he exclaimed, "I can never tell her!"

"A secret!" she cried; "then I must know it."



Poussin was lost in thought.

"Tell me."



"Gillette, poor, beloved heart!"

"Ah! do you want something of me?"



"Yes."

"If you want me to pose as I did the other day," she said, with a



little pouting air, "I will not do it. Your eyes say nothing to me,

then. You look at me, but you do not think of me."



"Would you like me to copy another woman?"

"Perhaps," she answered, "if she were very ugly."



"Well," continued Poussin, in a grave tone, "if to make me a great

painter it were necessary to pose to some one else--"



"You are testing me," she interrupted; "you know well that I would not

do it."



Poussin bent his head upon his breast like a man succumbing to joy or

grief too great for his spirit to bear.



"Listen," she said, pulling him by the sleeve of his worn doublet, "I

told you, Nick, that I would give my life for you; but I never said--



never!--that I, a living woman, would renounce my love."

"Renounce it?" cried Poussin.



"If I showed myself thus to another you would love me no longer; and I

myself, I should feel unworthy of your love. To obey your caprices,



ah, that is simple and natural! in spite of myself, I am proud and

happy in doing thy dear will; but to another, fy!"



"Forgive me, my own Gillette," said the painter, throwing himself at

her feet. "I would rather be loved than famous. To me thou art more



precious than fortune and honors. Yes, away with these brushes! burn

those sketches! I have been mistaken. My vocation is to love thee,--



thee alone! I am not a painter, I am thy lover. Perish art and all its

secrets!"



She looked at him admiringly, happy and captivated by his passion. She

reigned; she felt instinctively that the arts were forgotten for her



sake, and flung at her feet like grains of incense.

"Yet he is only an old man," resumed Poussin. "In you he would see



only a woman. You are the perfect woman whom he seeks."

"Love should grant all things!" she exclaimed, ready to sacrifice



love's scruples to reward the lover who thus seemed to sacrifice his

art to her. "And yet," she added, "it would be my ruin. Ah, to suffer



for thy good! Yes, it is glorious! But thou wilt forget me. How came

this cruel thought into thy mind?"

• unlike [,ʌn´laik] a.不同的 prep.不象… (初中英语单词)


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


• sharply [´ʃɑ:pli] ad.锋利地；剧烈地 (初中英语单词)


• outline [´autlain] n.外形 vt.画出…轮廓 (初中英语单词)


• divine [di´vain] a.神圣的 v.预言 (初中英语单词)


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


• ignorance [´ignərəns] n.无知，愚昧 (初中英语单词)


• statue [´stætʃu:] n.塑像，雕像 (初中英语单词)


• curiosity [,kjuəri´ɔsiti] n.好奇；奇事；珍品 (初中英语单词)


• wealth [welθ] n.财富，财产 (初中英语单词)


• imperial [im´piəriəl] a.帝国的；庄严的 (初中英语单词)


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


• beheld [bi´held] behold的过去式(分词) (初中英语单词)


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


• dragon [´drægən] n.龙 (初中英语单词)


• despair [di´speə] vi.&n.绝望 (初中英语单词)


• garment [´gɑ:mənt] n.衣服，外衣 (初中英语单词)


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


• emperor [´empərə] n.皇帝 (初中英语单词)


• absolute [´æbsəlu:t] a.绝对的 n.绝对 (初中英语单词)


• research [ri´sə:tʃ] n.&vi.调查；探究；研究 (初中英语单词)


• observation [,ɔbzə´veiʃən] n.观测；注意；意义 (初中英语单词)


• hidden [´hid(ə)n] hide 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)


• enthusiasm [in´θju:ziæzəm] n.热心；狂热；爱好 (初中英语单词)


• farewell [feə´wel] int.再见 n.&a.告别 (初中英语单词)


• invitation [,invi´teiʃən] n.邀请；请帖；吸引 (初中英语单词)


• modest [´mɔdist] a.谦虚的；朴素的 (初中英语单词)


• presently [´prezəntli] ad.不久；目前 (初中英语单词)


• anxious [´æŋkʃəs] a.担忧的；渴望的 (初中英语单词)


• gesture [´dʒestʃə] n.手势 v.打手势 (初中英语单词)


• earnest [´ə:nist] a.认真的 n.认真；诚恳 (初中英语单词)


• costly [´kɔstli] a.昂贵的；费用大的 (初中英语单词)


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


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


• acquaintance [ə´kweintəns] n.相识；熟人，相识的人 (初中英语单词)


• generous [´dʒenərəs] a.慷慨的；丰盛的 (初中英语单词)


• bestow [bi´stəu] vt.(把…)赠给；使用 (初中英语单词)


• luxury [´lʌkʃəri] n.奢侈(品)；享受 (初中英语单词)


• passion [´pæʃən] n.激情；激怒；恋爱 (初中英语单词)


• sprang [spræŋ] spring 的过去式 (初中英语单词)


• lightly [´laitli] ad.轻微地，稍微 (初中英语单词)


• beloved [bi´lʌvd] a.为….所爱的 n.爱人 (初中英语单词)


• sleeve [sli:v] n.袖子；袖套 (初中英语单词)


• perish [´periʃ] v.灭亡；消灭；(使)死去 (初中英语单词)


• reward [ri´wɔ:d] n.&v.报答；报酬；奖赏 (初中英语单词)


• blunder [´blʌndə] n.&v.(犯)大错；疏忽 (高中英语单词)


• illustrious [i´lʌstriəs] a.杰出的，显赫的 (高中英语单词)


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


• define [di´fain] vt.解释；说明；限定 (高中英语单词)


• fantastic [fæn´tæstik] a.奇异的；荒谬的 (高中英语单词)


• species [´spi:ʃi:z] n.(生物的)种，类 (高中英语单词)


• contempt [kən´tempt] n.轻蔑；受辱；不顾 (高中英语单词)


• virgin [´və:dʒin] a.处女(般)的 n.处女 (高中英语单词)


• artistic [ɑ:´tistik] a.艺术的；有美感的 (高中英语单词)


• fruitful [´fru:tfəl] a.成功的；丰富的 (高中英语单词)


• enthusiastic [inθju:zi´æstik] a.热情的，热心的 (高中英语单词)


• celestial [si´lestiəl] a.天空的，天的 (高中英语单词)


• sphere [sfiə] n.圆体；天体；范围 (高中英语单词)


• perpetual [pə´petʃuəl] a.永恒的；终身的 (高中英语单词)


• infinite [´infinit] a.无限的，无穷的 (高中英语单词)


• skeleton [´skelitən] n.骨骼；骷髅 (高中英语单词)


• persist [pə´sist] vi.坚持；固执；持续 (高中英语单词)


• misfortune [mis´fɔ:tʃən] n.不幸；灾祸 (高中英语单词)


• imitate [´imiteit] vt.模仿；伪造 (高中英语单词)


• contrive [kən´traiv] v.发明；设计；图谋 (高中英语单词)


• lodging [´lɔdʒiŋ] n.寄宿，住宿 (高中英语单词)


• comprehend [,kɔmpri´hend] vt.了解；领会；包含 (高中英语单词)


• mistaken [mis´teikən] mistake的过去分词 (高中英语单词)


• luminous [´lu:minəs] a.发光的；明晰的 (英语四级单词)


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


• detach [di´tætʃ] vt.拆开，使分离；派遣 (英语四级单词)


• diffuse [di´fju:s] v.散布，传播；扩散 (英语四级单词)


• precision [pri´siʒən] n.精密(度) a.精确的 (英语四级单词)


• fascination [,fæsi´neiʃən] n.魅力；强烈爱好 (英语四级单词)


• essence [´esəns] n.本质；要素；精华 (英语四级单词)


• farthest [´fɑ:ðist] ad.&a.最远(的) (英语四级单词)


• saviour [´seiviə] n.救星；救助者 (英语四级单词)


• sublime [sə´blaim] a.崇高的，伟大的 (英语四级单词)


• conjecture [kən´dʒektʃə] n.&v.猜测(想)；设想 (英语四级单词)


• stairway [´steəwei] n.楼梯 (英语四级单词)


• rapidity [rə´piditi] n.迅速；险峻；陡 (英语四级单词)


• garret [´gærit] n.阁楼，顶楼 (英语四级单词)


• daring [´deəriŋ] a.&n.勇敢(的) (英语四级单词)


• obedient [ə´bi:djənt] a.服从的，恭顺的 (英语四级单词)


• feminine [´feminin] a.女性的 (英语四级单词)


• lighting [´laitiŋ] n.照明，发光 (英语四级单词)


• renounce [ri´nauns] v.拒绝 n.放弃权力 (英语四级单词)


• unworthy [ʌn´wə:ði] a.不值得的；不足道的 (英语四级单词)


• instinctively [in´stiŋktivli] ad.本能地 (英语四级单词)


• mechanically [mi´kænikəli] ad.机械地；无意识地 (英语六级单词)


• phenomena [fi´nɔminə] phenomenon的复数 (英语六级单词)


• respectful [ri´spektfəl] a.恭敬的；尊敬人的 (英语六级单词)


• perceptible [pə´septəbl] a.看得出的；可理解的 (英语六级单词)


• speaking [´spi:kiŋ] n.说话 a.发言的 (英语六级单词)


• damask [´dæməsk] n.锦缎 a.缎子的 (英语六级单词)


• drunkard [´drʌŋkəd] n.醉汉；酒鬼 (英语六级单词)


• deception [di´sepʃən] n.欺骗，诈骗；骗术 (英语六级单词)


• incomplete [,inkəm´pli:t] a.不完全的，未完成的 (英语六级单词)


• indescribable [,indis´kraibəbəl] a.难以形容的 (英语六级单词)


• doublet [´dʌblit] n.一对中之一 (英语六级单词)


• vocation [vəu´keiʃən] n.职业；使命；天职 (英语六级单词)