we glance hastily at these things,--at this bright sky, and those blue distant mountains, and at the ruins, etruscan, roman, christian, venerablewith a threefold antiquity, and at the company of world-famous statues in the saloon,--in the hope of putting the reader into that state of feeling which is experienced oftenest at rome.it is a vague sense of ponderous remembrances; a perception of such weight and density in a bygone life, of which this spot was the centre, that the present moment is pressed down or crowded out, and our individual affairs and interests are but half as real here as elsewhere.viewed through this medium, our narrative--into which are woven some airy and unsubstantial threads, intermixed with others, twisted out of the commonest stuff of human existence--may seem not widely different from the texture of all our lives.
side by side with the massiveness of the roman past, all matters that we handle or dream of nowadays look evanescent and visionary alike.
it might be that the four persons whom we are seeking to introduce were conscious of this dreamy character of the present, as compared with the square blocks of granite wherewith the romans built their lives.perhaps it even contributed to the fanciful merriment which was just now their mood.when we find ourselves fading into shadows and unrealities, it seems hardly worth while to be sad, but rather to laugh as gayly as we may, and ask little reason wherefore.
of these four friends of ours, three were artists, or connected with art; and,atthismoment,theyhadbeensimultaneouslystruckbya resemblance between one of the antique statues, a well-known masterpiece of grecian sculpture, and a young italian, the fourth member of their party."you must needs confess, kenyon," said a dark-eyed young woman, whom her friends called miriam, "that you never chiselled out of marble, nor wrought in clay, a more vivid likeness than this, cunning a bust-maker as you think yourself.the portraiture is perfect in character, sentiment, and feature.if it were a picture, the resemblance might be half illusive and imaginary; but here, in this pentelic marble, it is a substantial fact, and may be tested by absolute touch and measurement.our friend donatellois the very faun of praxiteles. is it not true, hilda?""not quite--almost--yes, i really think so," replied hilda, a slender, brown-haired, new england girl, whose perceptions of form and expression were wonderfully clear and delicate."if there is anydifference between the two faces, the reason may be, i suppose, that the faun dwelt in woods and fields, and consorted with his like; whereas donatello has known cities a little, and such people as ourselves.but the resemblance is very close, and very strange.""not so strange," whispered miriam mischievously; "for no faun in arcadia was ever a greater simpleton than donatello.he has hardly a man's share of wit, small as that may be.it is a pity there are no longer any of this congenial race of rustic creatures for our friend to consort with!""hush, naughty one!" returned hilda."you are very ungrateful, for you well know he has wit enough to worship you, at all events.""then the greater fool he!" said miriam so bitterly that hilda's quiet eyes were somewhat startled.