The gospel of freedom

THE GOSPEL OF FREEDOM
BY ROBERT HERRICK AUTHOR OF “THE MAN WHO WINS,” “LITERARY LOVE-LETTERS AND OTHER STORIES”
New York THE MACMILLAN COMPANY LONDON: MACMILLAN & CO., Ltd. 1898
All rights reserved
Copyright, 1898 By THE MACMILLAN COMPANY. Norwood Press J. S. Cushing & Co.—Berwick & Smith Norwood Mass. U.S.A.
To The Memory of P. S. A.
“ Somewhere, surely, afar,
In the sounding labour-house vast
Of being, it practised that strength,
Zealous, beneficent, firm! ”
THE GOSPEL OF FREEDOM
Simeon Erard tiptoed deftly across the room, tugging at his thin, sandy heard. Fumbling among the curtains which draped one corner of the best light, he pulled the cord, after carefully eyeing his visitors to see that all were placed properly. The light silk folds fell apart, revealing a small canvas,—a cool deep slit of grey water let into a marble floor, which was cut in two by the languorous reach of a woman’s back done in hard green. The large masses of auburn hair of the bent head floated on the creamy slab. The artist coughed.