Page:The New Monthly Magazine - Volume 011.djvu/501

 pottery; but nothing grieved him so much as the loss of one vessel of inconceivable rarity, and my friend, who was heartily tired of his endless lamentations, wrote to me to get something antique like it for her directly, which might banish from his mind the recollection of his loss. I knew not where to find such a curiosity; and so, that nothing might be wanting on my part, I went to our potter, or as he chose to call himself, to the master modeller, and ordered, according to a design I gave him, a cup to look as like an antique as was possible. The man was highly flattered by the commission, and must needs put his name and title at length on the vase, which of course rendered it useless for my purpose; he was therefore obliged to begin it over again, and I failed not to enjoin him from putting his name, as the vase was intended to pass for the work of a master who had been dead more than a thousand years. Nevertheless, as I now find, he must have promised himself immortality from his labours, as he could not refrain from inserting his initials at least, under the handle, to hand them down to posterity.”—“The devil!” cried the professor, with rather a clouded brow.

“So it is,” continued the lady. “Look here as I read it, your inscription proves ‘Adam Stephen Graal did it.

The counsellor burst out into a laugh, but the professor would not give up his graal yet. “You jest, Madam! Ay, ay, this is all an invention of your own. Very good, upon my word.”

“It is perfectly true, nevertheless,” replied she, “you may convince yourself by my friend Graal’s first essay, which I fortunately have preserved, and where the inscription is legible at full length. I shall be happy to present you with it as a new curiosity for your museum.”

A general laugh from every one present put an end to the conversation; and they all unanimously agreed neither to be superstitious themselves, nor to blame credulity too hastily in others.





