30 
NOVOGOROD. 
CHAP. 
II. 
' y ' 
Virgin with 
Three 
Hands. 
Virgin and Child , found, one day, that instead 
of two hands which he had given to the Virgin, 
a third had been added during his absence 
from his work. Supposing some person to 
be playing a trick with him, he rubbed out 
the third hand, and, having finished the picture, 
carefully locked the door of his apartment. 
To his great surprise, he found the next day 
the extraordinary addition of a third hand in 
his picture, as before. He now began to be 
alarmed; but still concluding it possible that 
some person had gained access to his room, 
he once more rubbed out the superfluous hand, 
and not only locked the door, but also bar- 
ricadoed the windows. The next day, ap- 
proaching his laboratory, he found the door 
and windows fast, as he had left them; but, 
to his utter dismay and astonishment, as he 
went in, there appeared the same remarkable 
alteration in his picture, the Virgin appearing 
with three hands regularly disposed about the 
Child. In extreme trepidation, he began to 
cross himself, and proceeded once more to alter 
the picture ; when the Virgin herself appeared 
in person, and bade him forbear, as it was her 
pleasure to be so represented. 
Many of these absurd representations are 
said to be the work of angels. In the Greek 
