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It was very late before the Wires went to bed. Mama Wire came to tuck Bitsy under the covers, and all of the others came to say goodnight. And just before Bitsy fell asleep Aunt Sophie tiptoed into the room and kissed him!

In the weeks that followed Bitsy came to love the artist very much. There was nothing he liked better than to sit and watch the artist at work. Very often the artist would put down his paints and brushes and start to work again on Bitsy's little frame.

"You will never win the Grand Prize working on me," cried Bitsy one day. "You must spend more time on the painting."

"If I do not win I must give up my work," said the Artist. "I am very poor."

"I think you are the best artist in the world," cried Bitsy.

Bitsy had never wanted anything so much as he wanted to see the Artist win the Grand Prize. But he could not help but worry. He could tell that the artist was not satisfied with his own painting. However, there was nothing he could do about it but resolve to be the best picture holder of all.

The night before the contest Bitsy and the artist carried the finished painting to the First National Museum. It was the largest museum building Bitsy had ever seen. They had to climb high marble steps to reach the doorway.

Inside, the museum was crowded with painting and statues of all kinds and sizes. Each one of them was beautiful in its own way. Bitsy's heart sank...It seemed, to him, that every artist in the world was trying for the Grand Prize.

"You must hold the picture all night," said the artist. "In the morning the Judges will come to pick the winner."

The artist lifted Bitsy up to the top of one of the smooth, marble pedestals against the wall. From there Bitsy could reach the steel hook from which he was to hang.

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