_Daph._ He waits without. I am his herald to prepare you for The honor he confers. Be civil, sir, And he may buy that statue; if he does Your fortune’s made!
_Pyg._ (_to MIMOS_). You’d better send him in. [_Exit MIMOS._
_Chry._ Well--is the young man’s mind prepared?
_Daph._ It is; He seems quite calm. Give money for the stone, I’ve heard that it is far beyond all price, But run it down; abuse it ere you buy.
_Chry._ (_to PYG._) Where is the statue that I saw last year?
_Pyg._ Sir--it’s unfinished--it’s a clumsy thing. I am ashamed of it.
_Chry._ It isn’t good. There’s want of tone; it’s much too hard and thin; Then the half distances are very crude-- Oh--very crude indeed--then it lacks air, And wind and motion, massive light and shade; It’s very roughly scumbled; on my soul The scumbling’s damnable!
_Daph._ (_aside to him_). Bethink yourself! That’s said of painting--this is sculpture!
_Chry._ Eh? It’s the same thing, the principle’s the same; Now for its price. Let’s see--what will it weigh?
_Chry._ Suppose we say A thousand drachmas?
_Pyg._ No, no, no, my lord! The work is very crude and thin, and then Remember, sir, the scumbling--
_Chry._ Damnable! But never mind, although the thing is poor, ’Twill serve to hold a candle in my hall.
_Pyg._ Excuse me, sir; poor though that statue be, I value it beyond all price.
_Chry._ Pooh, pooh! I give a thousand drachmas for a stone Which in the rough would not fetch half that sum!
_Daph._ Why bless my soul, young man, are you aware We gave but fifteen hundred not long since For an Apollo twice as big as that?
_Pyg._ But pardon me, a sculptor does not test The beauty of a figure by its bulk.
_Daph._ Young man, you’d best take care, You are offending Chrysos! [_Exit._
_Pyg._ I can not stay to enter into that Sir, once for all, the statue’s not for sale. [_Exit._
_Chry._ Sir, once for all, I will not be denied; Confound it--if a patron of the arts Is thus to be dictated to _by_ art, What comes of that art patron’s patronage? He must be taught a lesson--where’s the stone? (_Goes to pedestal and opens curtains._) It’s gone! (_Enter GALATEA, he stares at her in astonishment._) Hallo! What’s this?
_Chry._ Oh, no--I fancied just at first--pooh, pooh! Ridiculous. (_Aside_). And yet it’s very like! (_Aloud_). I know your face, haven’t I seen you in-- In--in (_puzzling himself_).