With upraised finger Master Gabriel pointed toward the naked little boys
who, exquisitely fair, stood behind Venus and held her mirror for her.

"That is an angel, as your grace sees, for he has wings upon his
shoulders," he said, timidly.

But Count Adam von Schwarzenberg hastily took the master's finger and
directed it to another part of the picture.

"It is a woman," he cried, laughing, "for she has flung a covering around
her hips, and you can never make me believe that Venus upon Olympus wore
velvet edged with ermine. But let us quit this strife! A beautiful woman
is always a goddess, and he who would not acknowledge that would be a real
heathen and barbarian. I will therefore comply with your wish, and entitle
this wondrous woman a Venus. And I keep her, your Venus. Name the price,
master, and you shall immediately receive your pay."

"I paid two thousand ducats for the painting in Cremona, where I had the
good luck to discover it, on my return from Rome," replied Master Gabriel
Nietzel, with anxious countenance and timid manner, as if he dreaded an
explosion of wrath on the part of the count, who was everywhere recognized
and decried as avaricious and greedy of gain. "Add to that two hundred
ducats to cover my bare outlay for the packing and freight. The rest,
which concerns my trouble and need, and the perils I endured when we, that
is to say, Venus and I, were seized by bands of soldiers and ransomed--all
this can not be calculated, and in humility I leave it to your grace to
compensate me as you may see fit."

"Two thousand ducats for the picture, two hundred for expenses incurred! A
tolerably high price, indeed, for a little piece of painted canvas!" cried