ever sighing for new worlds to conquer; Betty, who already dotes upon
St. Sebastian stuck full of arrows and St. Lucia carrying her eyes on a
platter; Madge, who would go to the rack if only you led the way,--and
poor rebellious, inartistic I."

"But, my boy--" began Mrs. Douglas.

"Oh! I will do it all if only the girls will climb the Campanile and
Galileo's Tower with me and it does not interfere with our drives and
walks. If this is to become an æsthetic crowd, I don't wish to be left
out," laughed Malcom.

A morning was decided upon for the first lesson.

"We will begin at the beginning," said Mr. Sumner; "one vital mistake
often made is in not starting far enough back. In order to realize in
the slightest degree the true work of these old masters, one must know
in what condition the art was before their time; or rather, that there
was no art. So we will first go to the Accademia delle Belle Arti, or
Academy, as we will call it, and from there to the church, Santa Maria
Novella. And one thing more,--you are welcome to go to my library and
learn all you can from the books there. I am sure I do not need to tell
those who have studied so much as you already have that the knowledge
you shall gain from coming into contact with any new thing must be in a
great degree measured by that which you take to it."

"How good you are to give us so much of your time, Mr. Sumner," said
Barbara, with sparkling eyes. "How can we ever repay you?"

"By learning to love this subject somewhat as I love it," replied Mr.