" While Angelo is occupied in retouching it, he is
interrupted by the arrival of Tortesa with a guard, and is accused
of having stolen the corpse from the sanctuary- the lady, meanwhile,
having stepped behind the curtain. The usurer insists upon seeing
the painting, with a view of ascertaining whether any new touches
had been put upon it, which would argue an examination, post mortem,
of those charms of neck and bosom which the living Isabella would
not have unveiled. Resistance in vain- the curtain is torn down;
but, to the surprise of Angelo, the lady herself is discovered,
"with her hands crossed on her breast, and her eyes fixed on the
ground, standing motionless in the frame which had contained the
picture." The tableau we are to believe, deceives Tortesa, who steps
back to contemplate what he supposes to be the portrait of his
betrothed. In the meantime, the guards, having searched the house,
find the veil which had been thrown over the imagined corpse in the
sanctuary, and upon this evidence the artist is carried before the
Duke. Here he is accused, not only of sacrilege, but of the murder
of Isabella, and is about to be condemned to death, when his
mistress comes forward in person; thus resigning herself to the usurer
to save the life of her lover. But the noble nature of Tortesa now
breaks forth; and, smitten with admiration of the lady's conduct, as
well as convinced that her love for himself was feigned, he resigns
her to Angelo- although now feeling and acknowledging for the first
time that a fervent love has, in his own bosom, assumed the place of
the misanthropic ambition which, hitherto, had alone actuated him in
seeking her hand.
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