The Italian came daily to the treasury as usual, to paint, talk or play
chess with Moor; she rejoiced at Ulrich's progress, and gave him many a
useful suggestion.

When the young artist once complained that he had no good models, she
gaily offered to sit to him. This was a new and unexpected piece of good
fortune. Day and night he thought only of Sophonisba. The sittings
began.

The Italian wore a red dress, trimmed with gold embroidery, and a high
white lace ruff, that almost touched her cheeks. Her wavy brown hair
clung closely to the beautiful oval head, its heavy braids covering the
back of the neck; tiny curls fluttered around her ears and harmonized
admirably with the lovely, mischievous expression of the mouth, that won
all hearts. To paint the intelligent brown eyes was no easy matter, and
she requested Ulrich to be careful about her small, rather prominent
chin, which was anything but beautiful, and not make her unusually high,
broad forehead too conspicuous; she had only put on the pearl diadem to
relieve it.

The young artist set about this task with fiery impetuosity, and the
first sketch surpassed all expectations.

Don Fabrizio thought the picture "startlingly" like the original. Moor
was not dissatisfied, but feared that in the execution his pupil's work
would lose the bold freshness, which lent it a certain charm in his eyes,
and was therefore glad when the bell rang, and soon after the king
appeared, to whom he intended to show Ulrich's work.

Philip had not been in the studio for a long time, but the artist had