The gentleman who had brought the wonderful news, feeling angry, proposed a wager of one hundred louis.

I laughed all the more because his offer could not be accepted unless I exposed myself to being made a dupe.
"But the portraits are all admirable likenesses." "I do not believe it, or if they are then there must be cheating somewhere." But the gentleman, being bent upon convincing Silvia and me--for she had taken my part proposed to make us dine with the artist; and we accepted.
The next day we called upon the painter, where we saw a quantity of portraits, all of which the artist claimed to be speaking likenesses; as we did not know the persons whom they represented we could not deny his claim.
"Sir," said Silvia to the artist, "could you paint the likeness of my daughter without seeing her ?" "Yes, madam, if you are certain of giving me an exact description of the expression of her features." We exchanged a glance, and no more was said about it.

The painter told us that supper was his favourite meal, and that he would be delighted if we would often give him the pleasure of our company.

Like all quacks, he possessed an immense quantity of letters and testimonials from Bordeaux, Toulouse, Lyons, Rouen, etc., which paid the highest compliments to the perfection of his portraits, or gave descriptions for new pictures ordered from him.

His portraits, by the way, had to be paid for in advance.
Two or three days afterwards I met his pretty niece, who obligingly upbraided me for not having yet availed myself of her uncle's invitation to supper; the niece was a dainty morsel worthy of a king, and, her reproaches being very flattering to my vanity I promised I would come the next day.