arnoldo and the duke de nemours contend which shall purchase a portrait of auristella.
from this time periander and auristella beheld each other with different eyes, at least with other eyes did periander look upon his auristella, for now as it appeared to him, she had fulfilled the vow which brought her to rome, and might freely and openly accept him as her husband.
but she meanwhile was seeking on all sides some light from above to discern what they were to do after they were married, for it was folly and madness to think of returning to their own country, because she had been destined to become the wife of periander's elder brother, and he, finding his hopes thus frustrated, would probably seek to avenge his disappointments on his brother and auristella. these thoughts and apprehensions made her sometimes low-spirited, and at other times pensive.
the french ladies visited the churches, and performed the prayers of the stations with much pomp and majesty, for croriano was a relation of the french ambassador, and nothing was wanting that was necessary to do them honour. they always took auristella and constance with them, and never left the house without being followed by half rome. it chanced one day as they were passing through a street, the name of which is bancos, they saw against a wall in one of the houses, a picture. it was the full-length portrait of a woman, with a crown on her head, which was divided in half, and at her feet a world, on which she stood. they had scarcely looked at it when they knew it was the likeness of auristella, painted so to the life that it was not possible to doubt for an instant who it was. auristella wonderingly asked whose the picture was, and if it was to be sold? the owner of it (who, as they afterwards knew, was a celebrated painter) said that the picture was for sale, but he did not know whom it represented. he only knew that a friend of his had made a copy of it in france, and that it was said to be a foreign lady, who was on her way to rome in the dress of a pilgrim.
"and what," said auristella, "does it mean by painting her with a crown on her head, and a globe beneath her feet? and moreover, why is the crown divided in two?"
"these things, lady," replied the owner, "are fancies or caprices of the artist; possibly it means that the lady merits the crown of superior beauty, and that she has the whole world at her feet. but it is my opinion that you, lady, are the original, and that you well deserve a whole crown, and not a painted world, but a real one."
"what do you ask for this picture?" inquired constance; to which the owner answered, "two pilgrims are here, one of whom has offered me a thousand crowns of gold, and the other says that he will not lose it for any money. the sale is not yet concluded, but it seems to me they must be jesting, for the exorbitant sum they offer makes me feel in doubt."
"yet it is not so," said constance, "for these pilgrims, if they are what i believe them to be, could easily give you even twice what they have promised, and pay you to your satisfaction."
the french ladies, ruperta, croriano, and periander, all stood wondering greatly to see the very image of auristella painted on this picture. people came in to look at it, and by degrees a murmur arose, every one declaring that "the picture which is here to be sold is the same as this pilgrim in the carriage." they wanted not only to look at the likeness, but at the original, and so began to surround the carriage in such a manner that the horses could neither move backwards nor forwards. "therefore," said periander, "auristella, my sister, conceal thy face with some kind of veil, for so much brightness is dazzling, and will not let us see our road." auristella did as he desired, and they moved on; yet still a great many persons followed, hoping that the veil might be withdrawn, and they might obtain a sight of what they wished to see. they had not long been gone when arnoldo, in his pilgrim's dress, came to the owner of the picture and said, "i am he who offered a thousand crowns for this portrait if you will part with it; bring it, and come with me now, i will count the money out to you directly in gold." then came the other pilgrim, who was the duke de nemours, saying, "do not consider about a price, but come with me, and name any sum you please, it shall be yours at once."
"my lords," replied the painter, for so he was, "agree between yourselves as to who is to carry it off, and we will not disagree about the price, since i think that you are more likely to pay me in words than in fact."
a great number of persons stood by listening to this conversation, expecting to see what would be the result, for to see thousands of ducats offered for a picture, especially by two apparently poor pilgrims, seemed a very amusing matter.
"then," said the owner of the picture, "let him who wishes to have it give me some pledge in hand, and i will deliver it up to him."
hearing this, arnoldo put his hand into his breast, and drew forth a chain of gold, with a jewel set in diamonds suspended from it, and said, "take this chain, which, with the jewel, is worth two thousand crowns, and deliver up the picture to me."
"this is worth ten thousand," said the duke, giving a diamond chain to the painter. "bring it to my house."
"holy saints!" cried one of the bystanders, "what can this picture be? and what can these men and jewels mean? this looks like a case of enchantment, and i would advise thee, friend painter, to look well at the chain, and try the reality of the diamonds before you part with your property, for both chain and jewels may be false, as one may suspect by the exaggerated account of their value."
the princes grew angry upon this, but not being desirous of letting the whole street know their thoughts, they consented that the master of the picture should ascertain the real value of the jewels. the crowd in the street now changed their note, some admiring the picture, others asking who the pilgrims could be, others looking at the jewels, and all watching eagerly to see who would get the picture, because it seemed as if the two pilgrims would have it at any price.
its owner would willingly have sold it for much less than they offered, if they would have let him sell it freely to either.
whilst this was going on, the governor of rome came by, and heard the noise the people were making; he inquired the cause, and saw the picture and the jewels. they, appearing to him to be the property of no ordinary pilgrims, he hoped to discover some secret, and ordered the jewels and picture to be taken to his house, and to take the pilgrims thither also. the painter was left in consternation, seeing all his expectations thus threatened with defeat, and his property in the power of justice, whence it seldom returns again with undiminished lustre.
the painter flew to seek out periander, and relate to him all the story of the purchase, and of his fears that the governor would keep the picture, which he had bought, he said, in france, from a painter who had sketched it in portugal from the original, a thing which seemed to periander very likely, during the time auristella had been at lisbon. he then offered to give him a hundred crowns for it, and run the risk of recovering it. the painter was satisfied, and although the descent from a thousand to a hundred crowns was so great, yet he considered he had made a good bargain.
whilst they were talking, the jew zabulon arrived, and told periander that he wished to take him that evening to see one of the most beautiful women in rome, indeed, in all italy, hippolyta the ferrarese. periander said he would go willingly, and this not on account of her beauty of person, nor of her quality, for the courtesy of periander was the same whether with the high or the low, for in this had nature cast both him and auristella in one mould. he concealed from her that he was going to visit hippolyta, and the jew carried him thither more by deceit than any wish of his to go, but sometimes curiosity helps to deceive, and blinds even the most cautious and prudent.
