Lippincott'S Magazine Of Popular Literature And Science, Volume 26 December, 1880. by Various None (have you read this book txt) 📖
- Author: Various None
Book online «Lippincott'S Magazine Of Popular Literature And Science, Volume 26 December, 1880. by Various None (have you read this book txt) 📖». Author Various None
"Vive La Republique!" Cried The Man.
"Vive La Republique!" Quickly Echoed Hermione.
"C'Est Bien! C'Est Bien!" Cried Another, Raising His Lantern To Her
Blanched And Beautiful Face.
"You Will Let Us All Pass, Monsieur?" She Said Persuasively: "You Will
Even Be Our Escort A Little Way. We Will Pay Handsomely For Your
Protection."
Before He Could Answer Her Two Or Three Fellows, More Drunk Than The
Rest, Burst Out With A Proposition: "She Says They Are Not Aristos, But
Republicans. Let Her Prove It. She Cannot, If She Be A True Republican,
Refuse To Kiss Her Fellow-Patriots."
I Started And Was About To Knock The Rascal Down With The Bag Of
Diamonds.
But Hermione Laid A Restraining Hand Upon My Arm. "Gentlemen," She Said
In Clear Tones And Perfect French, "It Is Quite True That We Are
Americans And Republicans. We Wish You Well, And If It Be For The Good
Of France To Be Free Under A Republican Form Of Government, No One Can
Wish Her Prosperity More Than Ourselves. But In Our Free Country,
Messieurs, A Woman Is Held Free To Give Her Kiss To Whom She Will, And
According To Our Custom She Gives It Only To Her Betrothed Or To Her
Husband." Here Stooping She Picked Up A Little Boy Who Had Worked
Himself Into The Forefront Of The Crowd, And Before I Knew What She Was
About To Do She Had Lifted Him Upon The Cart Beside Her. She Looked A
Moment Steadily At The Men Around Her, Holding The Boy'S Hand In both
Her Own, Then Turning Toward Him And Pressing Her Lips Upon His Face,
She Said, "Messieurs, I Kiss Your Representative: I Cannot Embrace A
Multitude;" And Placed A Piece Of Money In The Gamin'S Hand.
For A Moment There Was Some Doubt What View The Crowd Might Take Of
This, But Her Beauty, Her Fearlessness, And, Above All, The Awe Inspired
By Her Womanliness, Prevailed. They Shouted "Vive La Republique!"
Volume 26 Title 1 (Lippincott'S Magazine Of Popular Literature And Science) Pg 66"With All My Heart," Replied Hermione. "Now Shout For Me, Gentlemen:
Vive La Republique Des Etats Unis!"
They Were Completely Won. A French Crowd Is Never Dangerous Or
Unmanageable Till It Has Tasted Blood, And Besides It Has--Or At Least
In Those Days It Used To Have--_Sentiments_, To Which It Was Possible
With A Little Tact To Appeal Successfully.
The Opposition To Our Progress Came To An End. Mrs. Leare And Old Mammy
Were Helped Back Into The Cart, And A Man Offered Them Some Wine. They
Brought Some Also To Hermione. I Pressed Her To Drink It, Which She Did
To Their Good Health, And Giving Back The Glass Placed In It A Napoleon.
"Do Me The Favor, Messieurs," She Said, "To Drink Your Next Toast To Our
American Republic."
Cheers Rose For Her. There Was No Longer Any Talk Of Detaining Us: The
Old Horse Was Urged Forward. Hermione Took My Arm. We Marched On,
Escorted By The Rabble. At The End Of The Village-Street They All Gave
Us An Unsteady Cheer And Turned Back To Their Wine-Tables. Hermione
Proceeded In Silence A Little Farther. Then I Felt Her Slipping From My
Arm, And Was Just In Time To Catch Her.
Without Compunction I Requested Mammy Chris To Get Out Of The Cart And
Put Her Young Lady In Her Place, Pillowing Her Head As Carefully As I
Could On My Own Coat, And Proceeding In My Shirtsleeves.
We Were Then Not Half A Mile From The Banlieu, Which We Passed Without
Adventure, Much To My Surprise, Its Inhabitants Having Taken Advantage
Of The Confusion To Pour Into Paris And Infest Its Richer Quarters.
The Ladies Were Obliged To Get Out At The Barrier And To Send Back The
Cart To Its Proprietor. Again I Had The Happiness Of Supporting Hermione
While I Carried Little Claribel, And Mrs. Leare And Mammy Walked On
Ahead.
"I Feel Humiliated," I Said, "That The Whole Burden Of Those Dreadful
Moments Should Have Fallen Upon You."
"And To Avoid That Feeling You Were Ready To Knock Down A Drunken Blouse
In English Style?" She Said, Smiling. "No, Mr. Farquhar, Nothing But The
Power That A Woman Finds In Her Own Womanhood Could Have Brought Us
Through Safely. Those Men Had All Had Mothers, And Each Man Had Some
Sort Of Womanly Ideal. I Could Not Have Managed A Crowd Of _Poissardes_,
But, Thank Heaven, There Is Yet A Chord That A Woman May Strike In The
Hearts Of Men."
The Dawn Of Thursday, February 24, 1848, Was Breaking At The Eastward
When I Arrived With Mrs. Leare, Hermione, The Nurse And Child At Their
Own Apartment. I Went Up Stairs With Them. All Was Cold And Cheerless In
The Rooms. There Were No Servants. Mrs. Leare Sat Down; The Old Nurse
Bemoaned Her Rheumatism And Her Aching Bones; Hermione, With The
Assistance Of The Concierge'S Wife, Lighted A Fire, Made Some Tea And
Waited On Her Mother.
For Several Days Afterward She Was Very Ill. She Knew Nothing Of Passing
Volume 26 Title 1 (Lippincott'S Magazine Of Popular Literature And Science) Pg 67Events--Of The King'S Flight, Of The Triumphal And Victorious
Processions That Passed Up The Champs Elysees, Of The Sudden
Impossibility Of Procuring Supplies Of Change, And Of The Consequent
Difficulty Of Paying Household Bills With _Billets De Mille Francs_
Without Gold Or Silver.
Each Day I Went Several Times To Make Inquiries, And Twice I Saw Mrs.
Leare In bed, But Hermione Was Invisible.
My Father, An Honorable British Officer Of The Old School, Perceived How
Things Were With Me. "My Son," He Said One Clay, "There Are Two Courses
Open To You. You Have Nothing But Your Profession. Your Education And
The Premium On Your Admittance To The Office Of The Great Man For Whom
You Work Have Been My Provision For You: The Little Property I Have To
Leave Must Support Your Sisters. You Cannot Under Such Circumstances
Address Miss Leare. You Must Either Go Back At Once To Your Work In
England And Forget This Episode, Or You May Go Out To America And See
Her Father. You Can Tell Him You Have Nothing On Which To Support His
Daughter, And Ask If He Will Give You Leave To Address The Young Lady.
No Son Of Mine, Situated Like Yourself, Shall Offer Himself In any Other
Way To An Heiress Whose Father Is Three Thousand Miles Away, And Who Is
Supposed To Have Two Millions Of Francs For Her Dowry."
I Saw He Was Right, But, Forlorn As The Hope Was Of Any Appeal To Mr.
Leare, I Would Not Relinquish It. I Resolved To Go Out To America And
See Him, And Wrote To England To Secure Letters Of Introduction To The
Chief Engineers In The United States And Canada. Meantime, My Father
Proposed That We Should Go Together And Call Upon Mrs. And Miss Leare.
Hermione Received Us In The Boudoir, Looking Like A Bruised Lily: Her
Mother Came In afterward.
"We Are Going Right Straight Home," She Said, "The Moment We Can Get
Money To Get Away. I Have Written To Mr. Leare That He Must Find Some
Means To Send Me Some."
"I Am Glad To Hear You Say This, Madame," Said My Father. "My Son Has
Just Made Up His Mind To Go Out To America And Seek Employment On One Of
Your Railways."
Hermione Looked Up With A Question In Her Eyes: So Did Her Mother.
"Why, Mr. Farquhar, That Will Suit Us Exactly," Cried Mrs.
Leare.--"Hermione, Won'T It Be Lovely If Mr. Farquhar Takes Care Of Us
On The Voyage?--You Will Engage Your Passage--Won'T You?--In The Same
Steamer As We Do?--No One Was Ever So Good A Squire Of Dames As Your
Son, Captain Farquhar. Hermione And I Shall Never Forget Our Obligations
To Him."
"No, Madame," Said My Father; And He Got Up And Walked To The Fireplace,
Where In His Embarrassment He Laid His Hand Upon The Ornamented Box
Which Held The Cigarettes Of The Fast Lady.
She Rose Up Too And Went Hastily Toward Him, Anxious He Should Not
Surprise Her Little Frailty.
Volume 26 Title 1 (Lippincott'S Magazine Of Popular Literature And Science) Pg 68
"The Truth Is, Madame," Whispered My Father, Who Never Could Restrain
His Tongue From Any Kindly Indiscretion, "The Poor Fellow Is Suffering
Too Much From The Attractions Of Miss Leare. He Has Nothing But His
Profession, And I Tell Him He Must Not Dare To Address Her In Her
Father'S Absence."
"My Dear Captain, What Does That Matter? And I Believe Hermione Would
Have Him Too," Said Her Mother.
"Disparity Of Means--" Began My Father.
"Oh, No Matter," Interrupted Mrs. Leare: "Her Father Always Told Her
Just To Please Herself. Mr. Farquhar Is An Englishman And Of Good
Family. He Has His Profession To Keep Him Out Of Mischief, And Hermie
Will More Than Pay Her Own Expenses. Indeed, I Dare Not Go Home Without
A Gentleman To Look After Us On The Passage: My Nerves Have Been Too
Shattered, And I Never Again Shall Trust A Courier. Do Let Your Son Go
Back With Us," She Implored Persuasively; And Added, As She Saw That He
Still Hesitated, "Besides, What Rich Man In america Knows How Long He
May Be Rich? 'Spend Your Money And Enjoy Yourself' Has Always Been My
Motto."
Thus Urged, What Could My Father Do But Suppose That Mrs. Leare Knew Mr.
Leare'S Views Better Than He Did? He No Longer Held Out On The Point Of
Honor.
In Twenty-Four Hours Hermione And I Were Engaged To Be Married.
During The Voyage To New York I Learned To Understand Her Father'S
Character, And When He Met Us On The Wharf I Was No Longer Afraid Of
Him.
Hermione'S Choice In Marriage Seemed To Be Wholly Left To Herself. Mr.
Leare Told Me, When I Had That Formidable Talk With Him Dreaded By All
Aspirants To The Hand Of A Man'S Daughter, That Hermione Had Too Much
Good Sense, Self-Respect And Womanliness To Give Herself Away To A Man
Unworthy Of Her. "That She Can Love You, Sir," He Said, "Is Sufficient
Recommendation."
That It Might Be Sufficient In My Case I Hoped With All My Soul, But
Felt, As Hermione Had Expressed It Early In Our Acquaintance, That
Society In america Must Be Founded Upon Very Different Opinions Than Our
Own In Regard To The Relations Of Men And Women.
E.W. Latimer.
The Authors Of "Froufrou."
No Doubt It Will Surprise Some Theatre-Goers Who Are Not Special
Students Of The
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