us with much simple pathos, not without an occasional stroke
of humour, the story of his childhood, during which his first impulse to Art seems to have come,—suggested by the "painter Renny," as he calls him, a local decorator. This occupies a hundred and more pages. A vivid description of some months passed at a seminary follows. This life was less satisfactory, and the oppor- tunities of indulging the growing passion for Art but few. M. Breton confesses to having stolen some paints which a fellow- student possessed, and acknowledges the lad's generosity in saying nothing about it. A smaller offence, but one that led to worse consequences, was drawing a dog in a cassock, with a book between its paws, and labelling it, "The Abb4 Coco Reading his Breviary." The brutal punishment inflicted for this joke resulted in the young artist being transferred to the College of Douai. Before long, we are introduced to the gracious Florentine, afterwards to be the author's wife, and then to M. Debique, in whose studio he began his regular studies. A course at Antwerp, under Wappen, then (1846) a painter of high reputation, followed. In 1847, Jules Breton took up his residence at Paris. Here he studied under Drolling, who bestowed on a little study of still-life which he showed him at his first introduction, the high praise of saying : "It is divinely painted." This favour, however, was not continued. The master took a prejudice against the pupil, and perpetually relegated his drawings to the last place. On one occasion the young artist made two of some subject which had been set. One was put last, as usual ; to the other, in which he had disguised his style, the first place was accorded. lie took a vivid interest in the Revolution of 1848. But we cannot follow this interesting story. What the writer tells us, whether it is of himself, of his friends, or of Art, is always worth reading.
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