ambition to her master. If I mistake not,
she hopes to dazzle him."

But the Doctor was mistaken. Maria's
whole being was, from that time forward,
devoted to art and art alone. It is true that
she did not fail to perform her household
duties; but she did so mechanically, and, if
Master Pulci had been anything of a gourmand
or a fidget, he would have found daily
grounds of complaint. However, matters
went on very well; and neither he nor any
one else ever suspected that the girl had
turned her bedroom into a studio, and that
she was robbing herself of sleep in order to
make up for the hours necessarily lost in the
day-time. Savorini alone noticed that her
cheeks grew pale, and that her eyes gleamed
with unnatural brilliancy. " Her soul is
wearing out her body, Doctor," said he to
Corona. The doctor assented sorrowfully,
without daring to betray the secret.

Maria afterwards said that her life seemed
to have begun only from the time when she
perceived the presence of the " divine spark"
in her. All the former years faded from her
remembrance. Her imagination became filled
with beautiful forms. Her ears were ever
open to catch words of instruction from her
master or his visitors. Her eyes greedily
devoured the models that surrounded her.
She took Pulci's books, one by one, to her
room, and learned all that they could teach
her. Whenever she went forth, it was to
some church, or to the Vatican, to admire the
achievements of the schools.

At length she felt herself sufficiently prepared
to attempt original productions, and
she began to model a statue of Minerva. A
practised hand would probably have produced
a result as good as hers in a much shorter
time; but she was ignorant of routine, and
many accidents retarded her work. However,
as time proceeded, the figure grew under
her hands; and, day by day, the consciousness
of her own genius increased within her. Her
determination was to send the figure to the
annual competition for the prize—secretly—
in order that she might hear the impartial
opinion of the judges. The difficulties in her
way were immense. But she overcame them
all; and, when one day Master Pulci was
absent, some porters, sent by Dr. Corona,
came and took away her model. Thus it was
removed to the exhibition hall without
accident.

Maria entered with the crowd on the
appointed day, and contrived to place herself
near to her statue. Her ambition did not
extend to winning the prize. All she dared
to hope was to escape ridicule. But her
astonishment was indescribable on perceiving
by degrees all the connoisseurs collect round
her Minerva, and begin to speak enthusiastically
in its praise. The judges stood before
it in their turn. There was an unanimous
cry of admiration. Her heart swelled mightily
within her, and it was with difficulty she
could repress her pride and exultation. These
came to their height when the prize was
unanimously given to her statue; and a crier
began to exclaim, " Let the sculptor of
the Minerva declare himself! " It then
struck her in her confusion that a woman
had no right to compete, and she hastened
away unperceived.

Her object, however, was gained. She was
now sure that she had not deceived herself
by a false idea of her own merit; and she
saw in the future a long series of triumphs.
Doctor Corona, who had watched her, followed
and complimented her. Even he had
not dared to admire her work until public
opinion had crowned it. He went with her
to the studio of Pulci; and there she threw
herself on her knees before her master, and
confessed the truth. He at first thought she
was mad; and it was not until Dr. Corona
confirmed her statement, that he could believe
that his servant-girl Maria had won the
first prize of sculpture by the unanimous vote
of the first artists of Rome!

The news soon spread through the city;
and Savorini came hastily to compliment the
young artist. She allowed him to embrace
her, and listened gratefully when he said,
"She must be at once raised from her menial
capacity. It is impossible to deprive the arts
of this wonder." He did not now repeat his
declaration of affection; but he seemed to
claim a right to watch over her future fortunes.
Pulci at once agreed to look out for
another servant; but Maria refused to quit
his house. " I will superintend everything
still," she said.

The three supped together pleasantly that
evening; and Savorini began the well-known
etching which represents Maria sitting at the
feet of her Minerva, pausing in her work to
admire it. Next day, all the elite of Roman
art came flocking to hail their new comrade.
For some months, indeed, the fashionable
society of the city talked of nothing else but
this pleasant story; and it became a popular
opinion that Maria would equal or surpass
the greatest masters. There was some exaggeration
in this. The causes which would
have made them refuse to acknowledge her
talent, before her public triumph, induced
them to magnify it now. It seemed so extraordinary
that a servant-girl from the Campagna
di Roma could do anything, that people
began to suppose nothing was too great for
her to perform. Even old Nosotti, Maria's
father, undertook a journey to Rome for the
purpose of seeing his daughter, and looked
in at St. Peter's by the way. She received him
with delight; but shook her head when he
suggested that she might now marry farmer
Raimondo. Savorini, who was by, ventured
a hope on his own account, and he whispered
something in her ear. She smiled faintly;
and, giving him her hand, said: " If you ask
me again in six months I will say, yes! " He
did not understand.