Taine's portrait, and drew the curtain.
The effect, for a moment, silenced even Mrs. Taine--but only for a moment.
A character that is the product of certain years of schooling in the
thought and spirit of the class in which Mrs. Taine belonged, is not
transformed by a single exhibition of painted truth. From the two
portraits, the woman turned to the larger canvas. Then she faced the
artist.
"You fool!" she said with bitter rage. "O you fool! Do you think that you
will ever be permitted to exhibit such trash as this?" she waved her hand
to include the three paintings. "Do you think that I am going to drag
you up the ladder of social position to fame and to wealth for such
reward as that?" she singled out her own portrait. "Bah! you are
impossible--impossible! I have been mad to think that I could make
anything out of you. As for your idiotic claim that you have painted the
truth--" She seized a large palette knife that lay with the artist's tools
upon the table, and springing to her portrait, hacked and mutilated the
canvas. The artist stood motionless making no effort to stop her. When the
picture was utterly defaced she threw it at his feet. "_That_, for your
truth, Mr.
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