The Hidden Masterpiece

"On a cold morning in December, towards the close of the year 1612, a
young man, whose clothing betrayed his poverty, was standing before the door of
a house in the Rue des Grands-Augustine, in Paris. After walking to and fro for
some time with the hesitation of a lover who fears to approach his mistress,
however complying she may be, he ended by crossing the threshold and asking if
Maitre Francois Porbus were within. At the affirmative answer of an old woman
who was sweeping out one of the lower rooms the young man slowly mounted the
stairway, stopping from time to time and hesitating, like a newly fledged
courier doubtful as to what sort of reception the king might grant
him."

- Excerpted from "The Hidden Masterpiece"