Sketches and drawings were suspended on the walls; there was a handsome carpet from Tunis, and a comfortable lounge; a mirror in a carved frame, which would have gladdened the heart of a connoisseur, stood upon the mantelpiece.

An easel with a picture upon it, covered with a green baize curtain, stood in one corner.

The young painter was in the centre of his studio, brush and palette in hand.

He was a dark, handsome young man, well built and proportioned, with close-cut hair, and a curling beard flowing down over his chest.

His face was full of expression, and the energy and vigor imprinted upon it formed a marked contrast to the appearance of Mascarin's _protege_.