’Yes; but not half as atrocious as the reality.  You must know that when he first came over here he had an order to make a small Virgin Mary for a Catholic church in Boston; but the order being countermanded after he had commenced modeling in clay, he was determined not to lose his time, and so, having somewhere read of, in a yellow-covered novel, or seen in some fashion-plate magazine, a doleful-looking female called The Orphan, he instantly determined, cruel executioner that he is, to also make an orphan.  And he did.  There is a dash of bogus sentiment in it that passes for coin current with many of our traveling Americans; and the thing has “sold.”  He told me not long since he had orders for twelve copies of different sized Orphans, and you will see them all through his asylum.  Do you remember those lines in Richard the Third,—­

  ’"Why do you look on us, and shake your head,
  And call us orphans—­wretched?"’

They found Chapin in his shop, alias studio, busily looking over a number of plaster casts of legs and arms.  He arose quickly as they entered and threw a cloth over the casts.

‘Hah! gudmornin’, Mister Caper.  Glad to see you in my studiyo.  Hallo, Rocjan! you there?  Why haven’t you ben up to see my wife and daughters?  She feels hurt, I tell you, ’cause you don’t come near us.  Do you know that Burkings of Bosting was round here to my studiyo yeserday:  sold him an Orphan.  By the way, Mister Caper, air you any relation to Caper of the great East Ingy house of Caper?’

’He is an uncle of mine, and is now in Florence; he will be in Rome next week.’

A tender glow of interest beamed in Chapin’s eyes:  in imagination he saw another Orphan sold to the rich Caper, who might ‘influence trade.’  His tone of voice after this was subdued.  As Caper happened to brush against some plaster coming in the studio, Chapin hastened to brush it from his coat, and he did it as if it were the down on the wing of a beautiful golden butterfly.

‘I was goin’ to church this mornin’ long with Missus Chapin; but I guess I’ll stay away for once in me life.  I want to show you The Orphan.’

’I beg that you will not let me interfere with any engagement you may have,’ said Caper; ‘I can call as well at any other time.’

’Oh, no; I won’t lissen to that; I don’t want to git to meeting before sermon, so come right stret in here now.  There! there’s The Orphan.  You see I’ve made her accordin’ to the profoundest rules of art.  You may take a string or a yard measure and go all over her, you won’t find her out of the way a fraction.  The figure is six times the length of the foot; this was the way Phidias worked, and I agree with him.  Them were splendid old fellows, them Greeks.  There was art for you; high art!’

‘That in the Acropolis was of the highest order,’ said Rocjean.