"No, I ask it for the knowledge of a lifetime!"
Then the "Nocturne in Blue and Silver," a moonlight view of Battersea Bridge, was submitted to the jury. Baron Huddleston, the presiding justice, asked Mr. Whistler to explain it.
"Which part of the picture is the bridge?" he queried. "Do you say this is a correct representation?"
"I did not intend it to be a correct portrait of the bridge."
"Are the figures on the top intended for people?"
"They are just what you like."
"Is that a barge beneath?"
"Yes," replied the witness, sarcastically. "I am much encouraged at your perceiving that! My whole scheme was only to bring out a certain harmony of color."
"What is that gold-colored mark on the side, like a cascade?"
"That is a firework."