Lippincott'S Magazine Of Popular Literature And Science, Volume 26 December, 1880. by Various None (smart ebook reader .txt) 📕

"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!"

"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

Events--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.

"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