He was an artist, and had the chief peculiarities of artists--namely, diffidence concerning what he had done, and impatience of the criticism of others, together with a strong desire to show his work as soon as it was presentable.
"It is a masterpiece!" exclaimed Gianbattista.

"What detail! I shall never be able to finish anything like that cherub's face!" "Do you think it is as good as the one I made last year, Tista ?" "Better," returned the young man confidently.

"It is the best you have ever made.

I am quite sure of it.

You should always work when you are in a bad humour; you are so successful!" "Bad humour! I am always in a bad humour," grumbled Marzio, rising and walking about the brick floor, while he puffed clouds of acrid smoke from his coarse pipe.