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Passages from the French and Italian Notebooks, Complete by Nathaniel Hawthorne
page 130 of 504 (25%)
thrust as she came forward to greet us. She withdrew one hand, however,
and presented it cordially to my wife (whom she already knew) and to
myself, without waiting for an introduction. She had on a shirt-front,
collar, and cravat like a man's, with a brooch of Etruscan gold, and on
her curly head was a picturesque little cap of black velvet, and her face
was as bright and merry, and as small of feature as a child's. It looked
in one aspect youthful, and yet there was something worn in it too.
There never was anything so jaunty as her movement and action; she was
very peculiar, but she seemed to be her actual self, and nothing affected
or made up; so that, for my part, I gave her full leave to wear what may
suit her best, and to behave as her inner woman prompts. I don't quite
see, however, what she is to do when she grows older, for the decorum of
age will not be consistent with a costume that looks pretty and excusable
enough in a young woman.

Miss ------ led us into a part of the extensive studio, or collection of
studios, where some of her own works were to be seen: Beatrice Cenci,
which did not very greatly impress me; and a monumental design, a female
figure,--wholly draped even to the stockings and shoes,--in a quiet
sleep. I liked this last. There was also a Puck, doubtless full of fun;
but I had hardly time to glance at it. Miss ------ evidently has good
gifts in her profession, and doubtless she derives great advantage from
her close association with a consummate artist like Gibson; nor yet does
his influence seem to interfere with the originality of her own
conceptions. In one way, at least, she can hardly fail to profit,--that
is, by the opportunity of showing her works to the throngs of people who
go to see Gibson's own; and these are just such people as an artist would
most desire to meet, and might never see in a lifetime, if left to
himself. I shook hands with this frank and pleasant little person, and
took leave, not without purpose of seeing her again.
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