The resemblance struck everybody alike, even those who were but slightly conversant with pictures, the moment they saw her.

Taken in detail, her features might be easily found fault with.

Her eyes might be pronounced too large, her mouth too small, her nose not Grecian enough for some people's tastes.

But the general effect of these features, the shape of her head and face, and especially her habitual expression, reminded all beholders at once, and irresistibly, of that image of softness, purity, and feminine gentleness, which has been engraven on all civilized memories by the "Madonnas" of Raphael.
It was in consequence of this extraordinary resemblance, that her own English name of Mary had been, from the first, altered and Italianized by Mr.and Mrs.Blyth, and by all intimate friends, into "Madonna." One or two extremely strict and extremely foolish people objected to any such familiar application of this name, as being open, in certain directions, to an imputation of irreverence.

Mr.Blyth was not generally very quick at an answer; but, on this occasion, he had three answers ready before the objections were quite out of his friends' mouths.
In the first place, he said that he and his friends used the name only in an artist-sense, and only with reference to Raphael's pictures.
In the next place, he produced an Italian dictionary, and showed that "Madonna" had a second meaning in the language, signifying simply and literally, "My lady." And, in conclusion, he proved historically, that "Madonna" had been used in the old times as a prefix to the names of Italian women; quoting, for example, "Madonna Pia," whom he happened to remember just at that moment, from having once painted a picture from one of the scenes of her terrible story.