One day, there came to the National Gallery in London a man rather shabbily dressed, carrying a picture under his arm, who asked to see Sir William Boxall,① the director. After repeated rebuffs, he was granted a moment's interview. The man said he had a picture which he wished to give to the gallery, and began to unbuckle the straps to show the painting within. Sir William, however, told him to either leave it or take it away altogether, saying that he was too busy to look at it. He was just about to turn away when the covering was removed and there revealed one of Terborch's ② masterpieces which Sir William had failed to gain some time previously, though he had offered £6,000 for it.
"My name is Wallace," said the man quietly, "Sir William Wallace."
有一天，一個衣著頗見殘舊的人，腋下挾着一幅畫，走到倫敦國立美術館，要見館長威廉．博克索爾爵士，幾經峻拒，才獲許和館長稍會片刻，說有一幅畫，想送給美術館。他正要解下封帶，展示封蓋下的畫圖，博克索爾爵士卻說沒空觀看，着他把畫放下，否則帶回家算了。博克索爾爵士正要轉過身去，封蓋已經打開，露出泰爾博赫的一幅傑作。博克索爾爵士曾出價六千英鎊購買這幅畫，卻買不到。
送畫者平靜的說：「我叫華利士：威廉．華利士爵士。」
①威廉．博克索爾生於一八零零年，卒於一八七九年。
②泰爾博赫是十七世紀荷蘭著名畫家。