"If I'm not mistaken, the first thing Karl wants is to see some of
the sights of Copenhagen," said Hr. Svensen, as they were leaving the
breakfast table. "Suppose we all go together and give him a bird's-eye
view of Copenhagen and the Harbor from the top of the Round Tower!
How's that, Karl?"
"Great! Can't we start right away?" said the little American, for Karl
was a typical little Chicago boy, eager-minded and anxious to take in
everything at once.
"And the Thorvaldsen Museum, Uncle Thor? Can't we go back there again
to-day?" urged Valdemar, for the wondrous beauty of Thorvaldsen's
masterpieces still filled all his thoughts. On the way home from the
Museum, the previous day, he had listened to fascinating stories told
him by his godfather, stories about the "Lion of Lucerne," and about
the little peasant boy who loved art, and worked hard, and finally
became one of the world's greatest sculptors. Valdemar couldn't forget
Thorvaldsen's lovely "Guardian Angel," or his wonderful figure of
"Christ," with its bowed head and arms outstretched in benediction, or
the heavenly beauty of his "Angel of the Baptism kneeling at Christ's
feet." Never, thought Valdemar, had he seen anything half so beautiful
in all his life! Then, there were mighty gods and heroes, and graceful
nymphs. "And only think," continued Valdemar, "when Thorvaldsen was
just a little boy eleven years old,--three years less than I am--he
so loved his drawing and modelling that his father, who was a poor
Icelandic ship-builder and carver of figureheads, placed him in school
at the Academy of Arts, where he won prize after prize, not stopping
until he had gained even the great gold medal, together with the
travelling scholarship which took him to Italy to study. There he
worked hard day by day, from early dawn till dark without stopping. No
wonder the great Museum is completely filled with masterpieces from his
hand!"
"Valdemar, my boy, you, too, shall enter as a student at the Academy
next fall, if your work during the summer continues to show the talent
and improvement that will justify my sending you. But that means you
must work hard. I leave next week for my summer studio up at Skagen,
but, until I go, you shall have a lesson each day, if you like, and
more lessons up there all summer long, if you will come, for there
is no little boy in all the world I would rather help than you, my
Valdemar."
"Oh, Uncle Thor!" cried Valdemar, throwing his arms around his
godfather's neck, wild with joy. "I will begin to-morrow. And do you
really mean that I am to study at the Academy?"
"Yes, my little artist," answered Hr. Svensen. "And now let us start
at once and see some of Copenhagen's sights."
"And will Fru Oberstinde not accompany us?" politely inquired Mr.
Hoffman, of his sister-in-law.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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