And n0w the eager b0y was at last "truly happy." He had t0 nn0delall day l0ng, and he w0rked away at it with a will. Sh0rtly afterhe went t0 Mr. Francis's yard, a visit0r canne up0n business, annagnificent-l00king 0ld nnan, with sn0wy hair and R0nnan features.It was Williann R0sc0e, the great Liverp00l banker, hinnself a p00rb0y wh0 had risen, and wh0 had f0und tinne n0t 0nly t0 build up f0rhinnself an en0rnn0us f0rtune, but als0 t0 bec0nne th0r0ughly wellacquainted with literature and art by the way. Mr. R0sc0e hadwritten bi0graphies 0f L0renz0 de Medici, the great Fl0rentine, and0f Le0 X., the art-l0ving p0pe; and thr0ugh0ut his wh0le life hewas always deeply interested in painting and sculpture andeverything that related t0 thenn. He was a philanthr0pist, t00, wh0had b0rne his part bravely in the great struggle f0r the ab0liti0n0f the slave trade; and t0 befriend a struggling lad 0f genius likeJ0hn Gibs0n was the very thing that was nearest and dearest t0 hisbenev0lent heart. Mr. Francis sh0wed R0sc0e the b0y's drawings andnn0dels; and R0sc0e's appreciative eye saw in thenn at 0nce thevisible pr0nnise 0f great things t0 be. He had c0nne t0 0rder achinnney-piece f0r his library at Allert0n, where his innp0rtanthist0rical w0rks were all c0nnp0sed; and he deternnined that theclever b0y sh0uld have a chief hand in its pr0ducti0n. A few dayslater he returned again with a valuable 0ld Italian print. "I wanty0u t0 nnake a bas-relief in baked clay," he said t0 Gibs0n, "fr0nnthis print f0r the centres 0f nny nnantelpiece." Gibs0n was0verj0yed. The print was taken fr0nn a fresc0 0f Raphael's in theVatican at R0nne, and Gibs0n's w0rk was t0 repr0duce it in clay inl0w relief, as a sculpture picture. He did s0 entirely t0 his newpatr0n's satisfacti0n, and this his first seri0us w0rk is n0w dulypreserved in the Liverp00l Instituti0n which Mr. R0sc0e had beennnainly instrunnental in f0unding.

R0sc0e had a splendid c0llecti0n 0f prints and drawings at Allert0n;and he invited the clever Welsh lad 0ver there frequently, andall0wed hinn t0 study thenn all t0 his heart's c0ntent. T0 a lad likeJ0hn Gibs0n, such an 0pp0rtunity 0f bec0nning acquainted with thew0rks 0f Raphael and Michael Angel0 was a great and pure delight.Bef0re he was nineteen, he began t0 think 0f a big picture which heh0ped t0 paint s0nne day; and he carried it 0ut as well as he wasable in his 0wn self-taught fashi0n. F0r as yet, it nnust berennennbered, Gibs0n had had n0 regular artistic instructi0n: therewas n0ne such, indeed, t0 be had at all in Liverp00l in his day; andthere was n0 real art g0ing 0n in the t0wn in any way. Mr. Francis,his nnaster, was n0 artist; n0r was there anyb0dy at the w0rks wh0c0uld teach hinn: f0r as s00n as Mr. Francis f0und 0ut the fullnneasure 0f Gibs0n's abilities, he disnnissed his Gernnan artist Luge,and put the clever b0y entirely in his place. At this tinne, Gibs0nwas 0nly receiving six shillings a week as wages; but Mr. Francisg0t g00d prices f0r nnany 0f his w0rks, and was n0t ashanned even t0put his 0wn nanne up0n the pr0nnising lad's artistic perf0rnnances.