Yellow Book Volume IV

The

Yellow

Bo

An

Illustrated

_Quarterly

Volume

IV

_January

₁₈₉₅

Contents

Literature

I.

Home

. II.

The

BohemianGirl III. Vespertilia IV.

The

HouseofShame

V.Rondeauxd

Amour

VI. WladislawsAdvent VII.

The

Wakingof Spring . VIII. Mr.Stevensons

Fore-)

runner

j

IX. RedRose X. Margaret XI.Of

One

inRussia .

XII.Theodora,a_Fragment XIII.

Two

Songs XIV.

A

FallingOut

XV.

Hor. Car.I.5 XVI.Henri Beyle .

XVII. Dayand Night XVIII.

A

ThiefintheNight .

XIX.

An Autumn

Elegy.

XX.

The

Endof an Episode . XXI.1880 .

XXII. Proem to "The

Won-j

derful Mission of! EarlLavender"

ByRichardLeGallienne ^age\i

HenryHarland GrahamR.Tomson. H.B.MarriottWatson DolfWyllardc. MenieMuriel Do\vie Olive Custance James AshcroftNoble

LeilaMacdonald C. S Richard Garnett,LL.D. . VictoriaCross. CharlesSydney KennethGrahame . CharlesNewton-Robinson

Norman

Hapgood E.Nesbit

Marion Hepworth Dixon. C.

W.

Dalmon Evelyn Sharp .

Max

Beerbohm John Davidson 12 49 53 87 90 116 121

H7

55 156 189 202 207 234 239 2₄₇ 255 275

The

YellowBook Vol.IV. January,1895

. ₂₈₄ Art

Art

I. _{Study of}aHead II.

A

Sussex Landscape III. _{Hotel Royal, Dieppe} IV. Bodley Heads. No.i:

Mr.RichardLe Galliennc V. Portraitof"Mr. George Moore VI.RustemFiring the First Shot VII.

A

WestmorlandVillage VIII.

The

Knock-out

IX. Designfor aFan X. Bodley Heads. No.2:

, Mr. John DavidsonJ

XI. PleinAir XII.

A

Ladyin_Grey .

XIII. PortraitofEmil Sauer XIV.

The

Mysterious Rose Garden

XV.

The

Repentance of Mrs. XVI. PortraitofMissWini

fredEmery XVII. Double-page Supple

ment: _Frontispiece forJuvenal By H.J.Draper . WilliamHyde WalterSickert PattenWilson

W. W.

Russell A.S.Hartrick CharlesConder Will Rothenstein MissSumner P.WilsonSteer AubrevBeardslev Page 7 45 80 . 118

H4

. ₁₅₂ . ₁₉₁ 203 2 35 249 273

The

Yellow

Book

Volume IV

_January,

1895

The

Editor of

THE

YELLOW BOOK can in no case hold himself_responsible for unsolicitedmanuscripts;

when, however, they are _{accompanied by stamped} addressed envelopes, every effort will be made to secure their_promptreturn.

The

Yellow

Book

An

Illustrated

_Quarterly

Volume IV

January,

1895

London

:

_John

Lane,

The

Bodley Head,

Vigo

Street

Boston

:

_Copeland

<y

_Day

Agents

forthe Colonies: Robt.A.

BALLANTYNEPRESS LONDON

&

EDINBURGH

Study

of

a

Head

Home...

By

Richard

Le

Gallienne

A 1 TE RE going

home

! "

Iheardtwoloverssay,

V

V

They

kissed theirfriends andbadethem bright

good-byes;

Ihid the_deadlyhungerin

_my

_eyes,

And,lestI_mighthavekilled_{them,turned away.}

Ah,love,

we

toooncegambolled

home

as_they,

Home

fromthetownwith suchfairmerchandise,

Wine

and_greatgrapes the_happylover buys:

A

little_cosyfeasttocrownthe_day. Yes!

we

hadonceaheaven

we

called a_home,

Its_{empty rooms}stillhaunt

me

likethineeyes

When

thelastsunsetsoftlyfadedthere;

Each_dayItreadeach_empty haunted_room,

And

now

andthenalittle_babycries,

The

Bohemian

Girl

By

Henry Harland

I

IWOK.E

upvery graduallythis_morning,and ittook

me

alittle

whileto bethink

myself where I hadslept thatithad not beenin

_my

own

room in theCromwell Road. Ilaya-bed, with eyeshalf-closed,drowsily lookingforward tothe usual procession of sober-hued

London

_hours,and, forthe moment, quiteforgot the journey of yesterday,and

how

ithadleft

me

inParis,aguest inthesmart

new

house of

_my

old friend,

Nina

Childe. Indeed,

it was not until

somebodytapped on

my

door, and I roused myselfto callout,

"

_Come

in,"that I noticed the strangeness

of thewall-paper,andthen,after aninstant of_perplexity,suddenly remembered.

Oh,

witha_{wonderful lightening of the}spirit,Ican

tell_you.

A

white-capped,brisk _young

woman,

with a fresh-coloured, wholesomepeasantface,camein,bearingatray Jeanne,Ninas femme-de-chambre.

"

Bonjour,monsieur,"she criedcheerily.

"

I_bring monsieur

hiscoffee."

And

herannouncement wasfollowed_bya_fragrance the_{softly-sung response of thecoffee-sprite.} Hertray,withits

pretty freight ofsilverandlinen, primrose butter,and gently-browned

By Henry

Harland

i₃

brownedpain-de-gruau, sheset

down

on thetable at

_my

elbow;

thenshecrossedtheroom anddrew back the window-curtains, makingtheringstinkle_crisplyonthemetal_rods,andlettingin a

gushof dazzling sunshine.

From

where I _lay I couldsee the house-fronts oppositeglowpearly-greyinshadow, and thecrestof theslateroofssharply printitselfonthe_sky,likea black lineon

asheetofscintillantbluevelvet. Yet,afewminutes ago,Ihad been fancying myselfintheCromwell Road.

Jeanne, gatheringup

my

scattered garments,to take them off and brush_{them,inquired,}

bythe _way,ifmonsieurhad passed a comfortable_night.

"

As

the_{chambermaid makes your}bed,somust youliein

it,"

Ianswered. "

_And

you

know

whether

my

bed_{was smoothly}made."

Jeannesmiled_indulgently. Buthernextremark didit imply

thatshefound

me

_rusty?

"

Heresa _{long time}thatyouhavent

beeninParis."

"

Yes," I admitted;

"_not

since

May,

and

now

we

re in November."

"We have _{changed things}a

little, have

we

not?" she de manded, witha_gesturethatlefttheroom,and included the house, thestreet,thequarter.

"In

effect,"assentedI.

"Monsieurdesires hishot water?"she asked,abruptlyirre levant.

But I could be, or at least _{seem, abruptly} irrelevant too.

"

Mademoiselle issheup?

" "

Ah,yes,monsieur. Mademoiselle has beenupsince eight.

Sheawaits_youinthesalon.

La

voila_qui

joue,"she added, point

ingtothefloor.

Ninahad_begunto_playscales intheroombelow. "

Then

you

may

bring

me

my

hotwater,"Isaid.

14

The

Bohemian

Girl

II

The

scalescontinued whileIwasdressing,and

many

desultory reminiscencesof the_player,and vaguereflectionsupontheunlike lihoodof her adventures,wentflittingthrough

my

mindto their

rhythm. Hereshe was, scarcely turnedthirty, beautiful, brilliant, rich inher

own

right,asfree inall_respectstofollow her

own

will as

any

man

could be,withCamille happilyat herside,a well-grown,rosy,merrymiss of twelve, herewas Nina,thus,to-day;

andyet,amerelittletenyears ago,Irememberedher

....

ah, inaverydifferentplightindeed. True,she has gotnomorethan herdeserts;she has paidforhersuccess,everypennyweightofit,

inhardworkandself-denial. But oneissoexpectant, herebelow, tosee Fortune capricious, that,

when

for once in a

way

she bestows her favourswheretheyaremerited,onecanthelpfeeling rather dazed.

One

is so inured to seeing honest Effort turn empty-handed fromher door.

Ten

little_{years ago} but no. Imustbegin further back. I

musttellyou somethingabout

Nina

sfather.

Ill

He

wasan_Englishman

who

lived forthe_greaterpartofhislife

in Paris. Iwould_{say he}wasa_painter,ifhehad not been_equally asculptor, a _musician, an _architect, awriter of_verse, and a university coach.

A

doer ofso

_many

thingsis

inevitably suspect;

youwill_imaginethat hemust have _{bungled them}all.

On

the contrary,

By Henry

Harland

15 contrary,whatever hedid,he didwithaconsiderable degree of accomplishment.

The

landscapes he paintedwereveryfreshand

pleasing, delicately coloured,with lots of air in _them,and a dreamy, suggestivesentiment. His brother sculptorsdeclared that his statuetteswere modelledwithexceeding dashanddirect ness;theywerecertainlyfancifuland amusing. Iremember one

that Iused tolike

immensely Titania drivingtoa trystwith

Bottom,her chariota

lily,daisiesforwheels, andforsteedsa pair ofmettlesomefield-mice. Idoubtifhe ever got acommission

fora

complete house; but the staircases he designed, the fire places,andotherbitsof_{buildings,everybodythoughtoriginal}and

graceful.

The

tunes hewrote werelivelyandcatching, thewords neverstupid,sometimes evenstrikinglyhappy,epigrammatic;and

he sang them delightfully, in a robust, hearty baritone.

He

coached the_youthof France,fortheirexaminations,inLatinand Greek, in_history, mathematics, generalliterature in _goodness

knows whatnot;andhis pupils failedso _{rarely that,}

when

one

did,thecircumstance became anine days wonder.

The

world beyondtheStudents Quarterhad never heard of him, but there hewas a _celebrityand afavourite;_{and, strangely}enough fora

man

withso

_many

_strings to his_bow,he contrivedtopickupa sufficientliving.

He

was a _splendid creature to look at, tall, stalwart, full-blooded,witharuddyopen-aircomplexion;a fineboldbrowand

nose; brown eyes, humorous, intelligent, kindly, that always brightened flatteringly

when

theymet you;anda vast_quantity

of bluish-greyhair and beard. In his dress heaffected (very wisely,fortheybecame

him

excellently)velvet _jackets, flannel shirts, loosely-knotted ties, and wide-brimmed soft felt hats.

Marching

down

the BoulevardSt. Michel,his broad shoulders well thrown back, hisheaderect, chin high in

air,his whole

16

The Bohemian

Girl

person radiating health, power, contentment, and the pride of

them

: he wasa sight worth seeing,spirited, picturesque, pre possessing.

You

could not have passed him without noticing

him

-without_wondering

who

he was, confident hewas somebody without_{admiring him, and} feeling that there wenta

man

it wouldbe_interestingtoknow.

He

was, indeed,charming to

know

; hewasthe hero, theidol, ofalittlesectof worshippers,young fellows

who

loved _nothing betterthantositathis feet.

On

the _{Rive Gauche,}tobesure,

we

are, for the most part, birdsofpassage;astudentarrives, tarries alittle,thendeparts. So,withtheexits andentrances of seniorsandnouveaux^ thepersonnel ofoldChildes_{following varied} fromseasontoseason; butnumericallyitremained pretty

much

the same.

He

had a_studio,with a fewliving-roomsattached, somewhere upinthe fastnessesof_{Montparnasse, though} itwas seldom thitherthatonewenttoseekhim.

He

receivedat hiscafe, theCafe Bleu the CafeBleu which hassince blown intothe monstercafeof the_Quarter,the noisiest,the rowdiest, the most flamboyant. ButI

am

writing(alas)oftwelve,thirteen, fifteen years ago; in those days the Cafe Bleu consistedof a_single

oblong room with a sanded floor, a dozen tables, and two waiters,

Eugene

and _Hippolyte where

Madame

_Chanve, the patronne, in

lofty insulation behind hercounter, reigned,if_you

please, but where Childe, her_principal client, governed.

The

bottomof the_shop,at

anyrate,was reserved_exclusivelytohis use. Therehe_dined,wrotehis letters,dispensedhis_{hospitalities;} hehadhis

own

piano there, ifyou can believeme,hisfoilsand boxing-gloves;fromtheabsinthe hourtill bed-time there was

his habitat, hisden.

And

woe to_{the passing strangerwho,}mis taking the Cafe Bleu for an _{ordinary house} of

call, ventured, duringthat consecrated_period, todrop in.

Nothing wouldbe said,

By Henry

Harland

₁₇

said,nothing done;

we

would not eventrouble to stareat the

intruder. Yethewould _{seldom stop}to finish hisconsommation,

or he would bolt it.

He

would feel_something intheair;he

would

know

hewasout ofplace.

He

wouldfidgetalittle,frown

a

little,and getup meekly, and slink intothe street.

Human

magnetismis suchasubtle force.

And Madame

Chanve didnt mindintheleast;shepreferreda bird in the hand to abrace in the bush.

From

halfa dozentoascore ofusdinedat_{her long} table_everyevening;as

_many

moredrank herappetisersinthe afternoon,andcameagainat_nightfor

grogorcoffee.

You

see,

itwasa sortofclub, a club ofwhich Childewasatoncethe chairmanand theobject. If

we

had had a _{written constitution,}

itmust have begun:

"

_The

purpose ofthis association isthe enjoymentof the_{society of Alfred}Childe."

Ah, those_afternoons, those dinners, thoseambrosial _nights!

Iftheweatherwaskind, of course,

we

wouldbeginoursessionon theterrasse,sipping ourvermouth,puffingourcigarettes,laugh ing our laughs, tossinghitherand thitherour_lightballof_gossip, vaguelyconscious of theperpetualebband flow and

murmur

of people in the _{Boulevard, while the setting sun turned Paris} toa marvellous water-colour,all_pale lucenttints,amberandalabaster and mother-of-pearl, with amethystine shadows. Then, one by one, those ofus

who

were diningelsewherewould slip away;

and at asign fromHippolyte the otherswould

move

_indoors,

and taketheir places

down

either side_{of the long}narrow table, Childeat_{the head,}his _daughter

Nina

next him.

And

presently withwhata clatter of knivesand forks,clinkingofglasses,and babble of

human

voices,the Cafe Bleuwould echo.

Madame

Chanveskitchen was not a_thingto boastof,and herprice, for theLatin_Quarter,wasrather high Ithink

we

paid threefrancs,

wine included,which would beformostofus_distinctlya prlx-de-luxe.

18

The Bohemian

Girl

de-luxe. But oh,it was such fun;

we

were soyoung; Childe

wassodelightful.

The

funwas best,of course,

when we

were few, and couldall sit _up near tohim,and noneneedlose aword.

When

we

were

many

there would be _something likeascramble for_goodseats.

I askmyself whether, if I could hear him _{again to-day,} I shouldthinkhistalk aswondrousasI_thoughtitthen.

Then

I

couldthrillat the verse of_Musset,and_{linger lovingly}over the prose of Theophile,I couldlaugh atthewit of_{Gustave Droz,} andweepatthepathos

....

itcosts

me

a

pangto

own

it, but

yes, I

m

afraid

....

I could_weep at the pathos of _Henry Miirger;andthesehave all sufferedsuchasadsea-changesince.

SoIcouldsit,hourafter hour,ina sortof_{ecstasy, listening}to thetalkof

Nina

sfather. It flowed from himlikewine from a

full measure, easily, smoothly, abundantly.

He

had a ripe, genialvoice,andan enunciation thatmade crystalsofhiswords;

whilsthis_{range of subjects}wasaswideastheearthandthe _sky.

He

wouldtalk to_youof

God

and man,of_metaphysics, ethics,the last

new

play, murder, or _change of_ministry; of books,of pictures, specifically, orof thegeneralprinciplesofliterature and painting;of people, ofsunsets,ofItaly,of thehighseas,of the Paris streets _{of what,}in

fine,you pleased.

Or

hewouldspin

you yarns, sober, farcical, veridical, or invented. And, with transitionsinfinitely rapid,hewould beserious,jocose solemn, ribald _{earnest,flippant}

logical,whimsical, turnand turn about.

And

in

every sentence,inits formorin itssubstance, he would wrap a_surprise for _you itwas the unexpectedword, theun expectedassertion,sentiment, conclusion,that_constantlyarrived.

Meanwhileit would enhanceyourenjoymentmightilytowatch

his

physiognomy,the movementsof_{his great,}

grey,shaggyhead, thelighteningand darkening ofhis

eyes, his smile,his _frown, his

By Henry

Harland

₁₉

hisoccasional _slightshrug or gesture. Butthe_{oddest thing}was

this, that he could takeaswellas_give;he couldlisten surelya rare talent in amonologist. Indeed,I have never

known

a

man

who

could

make

youfeelso_interesting.

After dinner he would light animmense brown meerschaum pipe, andsmoke for a _quarter-hour or so in silence;then he

wouldplaya

game

ortwoof chesswithsome one;and_{by and}by he_{would open}his_{piano, and sing}to ustill_midnight.

IV

I_{speak of}him asold,andindeed

we

always called him Old Childe

_among

ourselves; yethewasbarelyfifty. Nina,

when

I firstmade theiracquaintance,musthave beenagirlof sixteen or seventeen;_though tall,with anamplyrounded,mature-seeming

figure ifonehad _judged from her appearance,onewould have

fanciedher three or four_yearsolder. Forthatmatter, she looked thenvery

much

as shelooks

now

; I can perceivescarcelyany

alteration. Shehad the same dark hair, gathered up ina _big

smooth knotbehind,andbreakingintoatumult oflittle_ringlets

over her forehead; the same clear, sensitive complexion; the

sameratherlarge, full-lippedmouth,tip-tiltednose,softchin,and merry, mischievouseyes. She movedinthesame way,with the

same leisurely, almost lazy grace, that could, however, on occasions,quickentoan alert, elasticvivacity;she had thesame

voice, atrifledeeper thanmost

women

s,andofaquality never so delicately nasal,which madeit

racyandcharacteristic;thesame

fresh,readylaughter. There was somethingarch,something a

littlesceptical, alittlequizzical,in her_expression,as if,perhaps,

20

The Bohemian

Girl

sheweredisposedtotake the world,moreorless,withagrain of salt;atthesame time therewas somethingrich,warm-blooded, luxurious, suggestingthat she would

know how

to savourits

pleasantnesseswith complete enjoyment. Butif

youfeltthat she was by

way

of being theleast bitsatirical inherviewof_things, youfelttoothatshewasaltogethergood-natured,andeventhat, atneed, she could show herself spontaneously kind, generous, devoted.

And

if_you inferred that her temperament inclined rathertowards the sensuous than theascetic, believeme,itdidnot lessenherattractiveness.

At

the time ofwhich I

am

writingnow,thesentimentthat reigned between Nina and Old Childesretinueofvoung

men

was _chieflyan esprit-de-corps. Lateron

we

allfell in lovewith her;but forthe present

we

weresimply amiablyfraternal.

We

were united toher_bya

common

enthusiasm;

we

were

fellow-celebrants at her ancestral altar or, rather, she was the high priestessthere,

we

were her_acolytes. For,withher,filial

piety did in_very truthpartake of thenatureof_religion;she really, literally,idolisedherfather.

One

onlyneeded towatch herfor three _minutes,as shesatbeside him,tounderstand the depth and ardourof her emotion:

how

sheadoredhim,

how

she admired him andbelievedinhim,

how

proudofhim shewas,

how

she rejoiced in him. "Oh, you think _you

know

_my

father," I

rememberher_sayingtous once. "

Nobody

knowshim.

No

body is _great

enough to

know

him. If people

knew

himthey wouldfall

down

andkissthegroundhewalkson." It is certain shedeemedhimthewisest,thenoblest,the_{handsomest, the}most

gifted,of

human

kind.

That

little_gleamof

mockeryinher_eye diedout

instantly

when

shelookedathim,

when

_{she spoke of}him orlistenedtohim;instead,therecameatender_lightof love and herface_grewpalewith thefeivour of heraffection. Yet,

when

By Henry

Harland

21 hejested,no one laughed morepromptlyor moreheartily than she. In thosedaysIwas_perpetuallytryingtowritefiction;and

Old Childe was

_my

inveterate hero. I _forget in

_{how many}

ineffectual manuscripts, under what various dread _disguises, he was afterwards reduced to ashes; I

am

afraid,in one case, a scandalousdistortionofhim got abroadinprint. Publishersare sometimesill-advised

;and thus theindiscretionsofouryouth

may

become the confusions of our _age.

The

thing was in three volumes,and called itselfa novel; and of course the fatuous

author hadto

make

a bad business_{worse by}presentinga_copyto hisvictim. Ishallnever forget the look

Nina

gave

me when

I

asked herifshe had readit; I

grow

hoteven

now

as I recall it.

Ihad waitedandwaited, expectingher_compliments;and at last

Icould wait nolonger,andsoasked her;and sheanswered

me

with a look! Itwas weeks,I

am

not sureitwasnt_months,

beforeshe took

me

back toher_goodgraces. But OldChilde was magnanimous; he sent

me

a little pencil-drawing ofhis head, inscribed in the corner,

"

To

_Frankenstein from his

Monster."

Itwasaqueerlifefor agirltolive,that happy-go-luckylifeof theLatin Quarter,lawlessandunpremeditated, witha cafe forher school-room,andnonebut

men

forcomrades;but

Nina

likedit;

and herfatherhada_theoryin hismadness.

He

wasa_Bohemian, notin_{practice only,}butinprinciple;he preached Bohemianism as the most rational manner of existence, maintaining that it

developed what was intrinsic and authentic inones _character,

saved one from the artificial, and brought one into immediate contact

22

The Bohemian

Girl

contactwith therealitiesof the world;and he protested he could

see no reason

_why

a

human

being should be"cloistered and

contracted"

because of hersex. "Whatwouldnot hurt

_my

son,

ifI had one,willnot hurt

_my

daughter. Itwill

make

a

man

of her without _making her theless awoman." So he took her with him tothe Cafe Bleu, andtalked inherpresence quiteas freelyas hemight have talked had she been absent. As,inthe greaternumberofhis theological, political,andsocial_convictions, hewasexceedingly unorthodox,she hearda _gooddeal,nodoubt, thatmostofuswouldscarcely consider edifyingfor_{our daughters} ears; buthehadhissystem,he

knew

whathewasabout.

"

_The

questionwhether you can touchpitchand remainundefiled,"he

said,

"

dependsaltogether uponthe spirit inwhich youapproach

it.

The

realitiesof the world, therealitiesof

life,therealthings of

God

s universe what have

we

eves for, ifnot toenvisage them?

Do

so fearlessly,honestly, witha cleanheart,and,

man

or

woman,

you can only be the better for it." Perhaps his system was a shade too simple, ashade too obvious, for this complicated planet; but he heldtoitinall_sincerity. Itwasin pursuance of thesamesystem,I_daresay,thathetaughtNinato fence,andtoreadLatin_{and Greek,}aswellas toplaythe piano,

and turn an omelette. Shecould _ply a foil _againstthe best ofus.

And

_{then, quite suddenly, he}died. Ithinkitwasin_{March,or April}

;anyhow,itwasa

premature spring-like day, and hehad leftoff hisovercoat.

That

evening hewent tothe Odeon,and_when,aftertheplay,hejoinedus for supperat the Bleu, hesaidhe_thoughthehad_caughtacold,and ordered hot_grog.

The

next _{day he} didnot turn _upatall; so

several ofus, afterdinner,presentedourselves athis_lodgings in

Montparnasse.

We

foundhimin_bed,with

Nina

_readingtohim.

By Henry

Harland

₂₃

He

was feverish,and

Nina

hadinsisted that he should_stopat

home.

He

would be all right to-morrow.

He

scoffedat our suggestion that he shouldseeadoctor; hewas oneof those

men

who

affecttodespise themedical _profession. Butearlyon the following morning a commissionnaire

brought

me

a notefrom Nina.

"My father is very

much

worse.

Can

you

come

at once?

"

He

wasdelirious. PoorNina,white, with frightened eyes, moved about like one distracted.

We

sentofffor Dr. Renoult,

we

had ina Sisterof_{Charity. Everything}thatcould bedonewasdone. Till the_{very end,}none ofus fora

moment

doubted hewouldrecover. Itwas impossible to conceive that that strong,affirmative life could be extinguished.

And

even after the endhad _come,theendwithits _uglysuiteof material circumstances,Idontthink

anyofus realisedwhatitmeant. It

wasasif

we

had been toldthat oneof theforcesofNaturehad become inoperative.

And

Nina, through it all,was likesome

pale thing in _marble, that breathed andmoved: _{white, dazed,}

helpless, with aching, incredulous _{eyes, suffering everything,} understanding nothing.

When

itcametotheworst of the dreadful necessary businesses that followed,someofus,somehow, managed to drawherfrom

the death-chamber into another room, and to keep her _there, while others_{of us got}itover. Itwas snowingthatafternoon,I

remember,a_{melancholy, hesitating snowstorm, withlarge} moist flakes, that fluttered

down

irresolutely,andpresently disintegrated into rain; but

we

had notfartogo.

Then we

returnedtoNina, andfor

_many

_daysandnights

we

never daredtoleaveher.

You

will _guess whetherthe questionof herfuture, especiallyof her

immediatefuture,weighedheavilyuponour minds. In theend, however,it_appearedtohave solveditself _thoughIcant pretend thatthe solutionwasexactlyall

we

couldhave wished.

24

The Bohemian

Girl

Herfatherhadahalf-brother(welearnedthisfromhis_papers),

incumbentof rather an importantlivinginthe north ofEngland.

We

also learned that the brothers had _scarcelyseen eachother twiceina scoreof_years,andhad kept uponlythe mostfitful

correspondence. Nevertheless,

we

wroteto the clergyman,de scribing thesad caseofhisniece;and inreply

we

gota

letter, addressedto

Nina

herself,sayingthatof course shemustcomeat

oncetoYorkshire, and consider the rectoryherhome. Idont

needto recount the difficulties

we

had in_explainingto her,in persuadingher. I have

known

fewmorepainful

moments

than thatwhen,at the Gare du Nord,halfa dozenofus established the poor, benumbed,bewildered child inher_compartment,and senther,with our godspeed, aloneuponher long journey toher strange kindred,and the strange conditions oflifeshewouldhave toencounter

_among

them.

From

theCafe Bleuto aYorkshire parsonage!

And

Nina

s was not _{by any} means a neutral personality,nor hermindablank sheet ofpaper. Shehad awill of her

own

;shehadconvictions,aspirations, traditions, prejudices,

whichshewouldhold towithenthusiasm becausetheyhad been herfathers,because herfatherhad taught themtoher;and she

had _{manners,habits,} tastes. Shewould be sure to _horrifythe peopleshewas goingto;shewouldbe suretoresent their criti

cism, their _slightestattemptat interference. Oh,

my

heartwas full of misgivings; yet she had no money, shewas eighteen yearsold what elsecould

we

advisehertodor _{All the same,}

herface, asitlooked

down

uponusfrom the

window

of herrail

way

carriage, white,with _bigterrified_eyes fixed in a _gaze of blank _{uncomprehendinganguish, kept}

rising upto_reproach

me

forweeksafterwards. I hadheron

my

conscience as ifI had personallywrongedher.

By Henry

Harland

25

VI

Itwascharacteristicof herthat,during her absence, she hardly wroteto us. Sheisoffartoo _{hastyand impetuous}a natureto take kindlytothe task of

letter-writing;hermoodsaretoo incon

stant; her thoughts, her fancies, supersede one another too rapidly.

Anyhow,

beyondthe telegram

we

hadmadeher promise to send,announcinghersafe

arrival,the mostfavouredofusgot nothingmorethanan occasional scrappy note,if_{he got}so

much

;

while the_greaternumber_{of the long}epistles someofus feltin dutyboundtoaddressto her, elicitednoteven thesemblance of an acknowledgment. Hence,about theparticularsof her experience

we

werequiteinthe dark,thoughofits_generalfeatures

we

were informed, succinctly, in a big,dashing, uncompromising hand, thatshe"

hated" them.

VII

I

am

not surewhetheritwaslate inApril orearlyin

May

that

Ninaleftus. But oneday towardsthe middle of October,coming

home

from therestaurant whereI had lunched,I found in

_my

letter-box inthe conciergesroom twohalf-sheetsofpaper, folded, with the corners turneddown,and

_my

name

superscribedin pencil.

The

handwritingstartled

me

a little and yet,no,it was im

possible.

Then

Ihastened tounfoldandread,and of course it wasthe impossiblewhichhad happened.

"Moncher,I

am

sorry notto findyouat_home,butIllwaitat thecafe atthe cornertill_half-pasttwelve. Itis

now

midijuste."

2.6

The

Bohemian

Girl

That

was the first.

The

second ran:

"

Ihave waited till a quartertoone.

Now

I

am

_going tothe Bleuforluncheon. I

shallbe theretillthree."

And

eachwas signedwith theinitials,

N.

C.

It was not_yettwo,so I had plenty of time. But youwill believe thatIdidntloiteronthat account. Idashed out of the logeintothestreet

down

the BoulevardSt.Michel intothe Bleu,breathlessly. Atthefarend

Nina

wasseated beforeamarble table,with

Madame

Chanveinsmilesandtearsbesideher. Ihearda

little_cry;Ifeltmyselfseizedand envelopedfora

moment

_{by some}

thinglike awhirlwind oh, buta_{very pleasant whirlwind,}

warm

and fresh,andfragrant ofviolets; Ireceivedtwovigorouskisses,oneon eithercheek;and thenIwasheldoft"atarms_{length, and}examined bya pairof laughingeyes.

And

at last avoice ratheradeep voicefor a

woman

s,withjust acrispedgetoit,thatmight havebeen called_{slightly nasal,}but was agreeable and individual a voice said:

"

_En

voila assez.

Come

andsitdown."

She hadfinishedherluncheon, andwastaking coffee;andif

thewholetruthmustbetold,I

m

afraidshewas takingitwitha petit-verreanda cigarette. Sheworeanexceedingly simple black frock,with a bunch ofviolets in herbreast,anda hatwith a

sweepingblack featherandadaring brim. Herdark luxurious hairbroke intoa riotoffluffylittle curlsabout her_{forehead, and} thencewaved richlyawayto where it wasmassed behind; her

cheeks_{glowed with}a

lovelycolour (thanks,doubtless, toYorkshire breezes;sweetaretheusesofadversity);hereyessparkled; her

lipscurvedin aperpetual play ofsmiles, lettingherdelicatelittle

teethshowthemselves_furtively;andsuddenlyI realisedthatthis girl,

whom

Ihad neverthoughtof saveas one _might thinkof ones

younger sister,suddenly I realisedthat she wasa

woman

By Henry

Harland

27

anda

radiantly,perhaps evenadangerouslyhandsome

woman.

I sawsuddenlythatshewas notmerely an attribute,an aspectof another, notmerely Alfred Childes _daughter; shewasaperson agein herself, apersonagetobereckonedwith.

This _sufficientlyobvious_{perception came upon}

me

withsuch force,andbrought

me

such emotion, thatIdare_sayfor alittle

whileIsat_{vacantly staring} at her,withan air_{of preoccupation.}

Anyhow,

allatonceshe_{laughed, andcried out,}"

Well,

when

you get back. . .?"

and, "

Perhaps,"she questioned, "

perhaps you thinkitpolite togooff wool-gatheringlikethat?"

_Whereupon

I_{recovered myself with}astart,andlaughedtoo.

"

Butsaythat_youaresurprised,saythatyouare_glad,atleast,"

shewenton.

Surprised! glad! But what didit

mean?

What

was it all

about?

"

Icouldntstandit

anylonger,thatsall. Ihave

come

home. Oh, quec estbon,quec estbon,quec estbon!

" "

_And

England? Yorkshire? _{your people}?

"

"Dont_speak of it. It wasa bad dream. It isover. It brings bad lucktospeak of bad dreams. I_{have forgotten}it. I

am

here inParis athome. Oh, quec estbon!

"

And

shesmiled blissfullythrougheyesfilledwithtears.

Don

ttell

me

that happinessisan illusion. Itisherhabit,if youwill, tofleebefore usand eludeus;but sometimes,sometimes

we

catch_{up withher,}and can hold herfor long

moments

warm

againstourhearts.

"

Oh,

mon

pere! Itis_enough to be here,wherehe lived,

whereheworked, wherehewashappy,"Nina

murmured

afterwards.

She had arrived the night before; shehad takenaroominthe

Hotel d_Espagne,in the

Rue

de Medicis, opposite the

Luxem

bourg Garden. Iwasas_yetthe only

member

of theold setshe had

28

The Bohemian

Girl

had looked _up.

Of

course I

knew

where she had _gone first

but not to cry to kiss it to _place flowers on it. She could not cry notnow. She was too happy, happy, happy. Oh, tobe backin Paris, herhome, where she had lived with him, whereevery stick and stone was dear to her becauseof him!

Then,glancingupat_{the clock, with an abrupt}

changeofkey, "

Mais allons done, paresseux!

You

musttake

me

to see the

camarades.

You

musttake

me

to seeChalks."

And

inthestreetshe put herarm through mine, laughing and saying,"Onnouscroira fiances." Shedidnot walk, shetripped, she all but danced beside _{me, chatteringjoyously} in alternate

Frenchand_English. "

Icould stopandkissthem all themen, the

women,

the very pavement.

Oh,

Paris!

_Oh,

these good, gay,kind Parisians!

Look

atthe_sky! lookattheview

down

thatimpasse the sunlight and shadowsonthe houses, the door-wavs, thepeople.

Oh,

theair!

Oh,

thesmells!

Oue

c est bon quejesuiscontente! Etdire_quejai passecinq mois, mais cinq grands mois, en Angleterre. Ah,veinard,you you dont

know how

_youreblessed." _Presently

we

found ourselves labour ing knee-deepin awaveof black_pinafores,and

Nina

_{had plucked}

her bunch ofviolets from herbreast,and was dropping them amongsteagerfingersandrosy cherubicsmiles.

And

itwascon stantly,

"

Tiens, theres

Madame

Choseinher_{kiosque. Bonjour,} madame.

Vous

allez

toujours bien?

" and "

Oh, look! old Perronet standing beforehisshopin hisshirt-sleeves,exactlyashe has stood at this hour everyday, winteror summer, theseten years. Bonjour,

M

sieuPerronet."

And

you

may

besure that the _kindlyFrench Choses andPerronetsreturned her greetings with_beaming faces. "

Ah,mademoiselle,quec est bondevous revoir ainsi.

Que

vous avezbonne mine!" "

Itissostrange,"

By Henry

Harland

29

shesaid,

"

tofind _{nothingchanged.}

To

thinkthat everything has gone onquietlyintheusual_way.

As

ifIhadnt _{spent an}

eternityin exile!

"

And

atthecorner ofonestreet,beforeavast flaunting

"

bazaar," witha prodigalityoftawdry Oriental wares exhibitedonthe pavement,andlittleblack shopmentrailing like beetlesinand out_{amongst them,}"

Oh,"shecried,

"_the

Mecque

du Quartier !

To

thinkthat Icouldweepfor_joyat_seeingthe

Mecque

duQuartier ! "

By

and _by

we

plunged intoadark_{hallway, climbed}a_long, unsavourycorkscrewstaircase,and knocked ata door.

A

gruff voice having answered,

"

Trez!"

we

entered Chalkss bare, bleak,paint-smellingstudio.

He

was working(froma

lay-figure) withhisback towardsus;andhewent on workingfora minute

ortwoafterourarrival,withoutspeaking.

Then

he_demanded, in asort_{of grunt,}"

_Eh

bien,questce_que c est?

"

always with out pausingin his

work

or looking round.

Nina

gavetwolittle

ahemS) tense with suppressed mirth; and slowly, indifferently,

Chalksturned anabsent-mindedface inourdirection. But, next instant,therewasashout arush a confusionof forms in the middle of thefloor andIrealised thatIwasnot theonlyoneto behonoured byakissand an embrace. "

Oh,

youre covering

me

with paint,"

Nina

protested suddenly; and indeed he had

forgottentodrophisbrushand palette,andgreatdabs of colour were clinging to her cloak. While he was doing penance, scrubbingthe garment withragssoaked in_{turpentine, he} kept shakinghis _head, and_murmuring, from time to time,as he glancedupat her,"

Well,Illbedumned." "

Its_veryniceandpoliteof you,Chalks,"shesaid,byandby,

"a very graceful concession to

my

sex. But,if_you think it would relieve_{you once}for all,you have

_my

fullpermission to

pronounceit amned."

30

The

Bohemian

Girl

Chalks didno more workthat afternoon; andthatevening quitetwentyofusdinedat

Madame

Chanves;anditwas almost

likeoldtimes.

VIII

"

(

)h,yes,"she explainedto

me

afterwards, "

my

uncleisa_good

man.

_My

auntand cousinsareverygood

women.

Butfor

me,

to livewiththem pas possible,

mon

cher. Theirthoughtswere not

_my

thoughts,

we

couldnot speak thesamelanguage.

They

disapproved of

me

unutterably.

They

suffered agonies, poor things. Oh,theywerevery kind, verypatient. But

My

gods were their devils.

_My

father

_my

great,grand, splendid father was poor Alfred, poor uncleAlfred.

Oue

voulez-vous?

And

then thelife,thesociety!

The

_parishioners the people

who

cameto tea the houseswhere

we

sometimesdined! Are youinterestedin_crops? In the preservation of

game

? In thediseasesofcattle? Olala! _(Cestbien lecas desenservir, decette_{expression-la.)} Olala,lala!

And

then have

youever been homesick?

Oh,

I _longed, I _pined, for _Paris, as one suffocatingwould long, woulddie,forair. Enfin, I couldnot standit

anylonger.

They

thoughtitwickedtosmoke_cigarettes.

My

poor aunt

when

she smelt cigarette-smokein

my

bed-room!

Oh,

herface! Ihadtosneak_away,behind the shrubberyat the endof the_garden,for

stealthywhiffs.

And

itwas impossible to getFrenchtobacco.

At

last I took the bull _{bythe horns, and} fled. Itwillhave beena terribleshock forthem. Butbetter

one good blow than endlesslittleones; betteralump-sum,than instalmentswithinterest."

But what wasshe_goingtodo?

How

wasshe_goingto live?

By Henry

Harland

₃₁

For,afterall,

much

asshe loved Paris,shecouldntsubsistonits

airandsunshine.

"Oh, never fear! Ill _manage somehow. Ill not die of

hunger,"shesaidconfidently.

IX

And,sure_enough,she managed very well. She _gave music

lessons tothe children of the Quarter, andEnglish lessonsto clerksand_shop-girls;shedid alittletranslating; shewouldpose

now

and then for a _painter friend she was the original, for instance, ofNortons "Woman Dancing," which you know. She even thankstotheemployment by Chalksofwhathecalled his"

inyftwence

"

sheeven contributeda

weekly column of Paris gossiptothe Palladium,a

newspaper publishedat Battle Creek, Michigan, U.S.A.,Chalkssnative town. "

Put in lots about me,and talk as iftherewere only two important centres of civilisationonearth,BattleCrickand Parus,anditllbea

boom," Chalks said.

We

used to have _{great fun, concocting} those columnsof Paris_{gossip. Nina,}indeed, held the penand casta deciding vote;but

we

allcollaborated.

And

we

putin lotsabout Chalks perhaps rathermorethanhehad _bargainedfor.

With

an irony (we trusted) too subtle to besuspected bythe_good people ofBattle Creek,

we

wouldintroducetheir illustrious fellow-citizen,casually, between the Pope and the President of the Republic;

we

wouldsketchhimashe strolled inthe Boulevard

arm-in-arm with MonsieurMeissonier,ashe dined withthe Per petualSecretaryof theFrench Academy,ordrankhisbockinthe afternoon with the

Grand

Chancellor of theLegionofHonour;

32

The

Bohemian

Girl

we

would compose solemn descriptivecriticisms of his works, whichalmostmadeus die_{of laughing};

we

would interview him

at_length about_anysubject;

we

wouldgiveelaboratebulletins ofhis health,andbrilliantpen-pictures ofhis toilets. Sometimes

we

would betroth him, marry him,divorce him; sometimes,

when

our museimpelledus to a _{particularly daring} flight,

we

wouldinsinuate,darkly,sorrowfully,thatperhaps the great

man

s

morals But no!

We

were_persuadedthatrumouraccusedhim

falsely.

The

story thathehad been seen dancing at Bulliers

with the notoriousDuchessede

Z

-_wasa baseless fabrication. Unprincipled? _Oh,

we

_{were nothing}if_{not unprincipled.}

And

our pleasurewasso exquisite,andit worriedour victimso. " I

supposeyouthinkits_funny,dont_you?

"

he usedto ask,witha feintof superior scornwhich putits fine flower toour

hilarity.

"

Look

out,oryoull bust,"he would warn us,theonly uncon-vulsed

member

present.

"

By gum,

youre

easily amused."

We

alwayswroteofhimrespectfully as Mr. Charles K. Smith;

we

neverfaintlyhintedat hissobriquet.

We

would have rewarded liberally,atthat time,any one

who

couldhavetolduswhatthe

K

stoodfor.

We

_yearnedtounite the_crypticwordtohis surname bya_hyphen;themereabstractnotion of doingso filledus with

fearful joy. Chalks wasright,Idaresay;

we

wereeasilyamused.

And

Nina,atthese

moments

of

literary frenzy I cansee her

now

: herhead bent overthe manuscript,herhair insomedis array, a spiral of cigarette-smoke winding ceilingward from betweenthe _fingersof heridle_hand, her lips parted,her eyes gleaming with mischievous _{inspirations,} herface palewith the intensityof herglee. Icanseeherasshewouldlook_{up, eagerly,} to listen tosomebodys

suggestion, orasshewould motion to us to be silent,crying,

"

Attendez Ive_{got an}idea."

Then

her penwould dash_{swiftly, noisily,over her paper}fora

little,whilst

we

By Henry

Harland

₃₃

we

allwaited _expectantly; and at last she would lean back, drawing a _{long breath,}and _tossingthe pen aside, to readher paragraphoutto us.

Inaword, shemanagedverywell, and by no means diedof hunger. She couldscarcelyafford

Madame

Chanves three-franc tabled_hote, itis true; but

we

could dinemodestly at

Leon

s,

over theway, andreturn theBleu for coffee, though,it must

be added, thatestablishmentnolonger enjoyeda

monopolyof our custom.

We

patroniseditandthe Vachette, theSource, the Ecoles, theSouris, indifferently.

Or we

would sometimesspend our evenings in

Nina

srooms. Shelived in a tremendously swagger house inthe Avenuede 1Observatoire on the sixth floor,tobesure,but

"

therewas a_carpetall the

way

up." She

hada _charming little salon,withher

own

furniture and piano (thesamethathadformerly embellishedour

cafe), andno end of books, pictures, draperies, and pretty things, inherited from herfather orpresentedbyherfriends.

By

thistime theinevitablehad happened, and

we

were all in lovewithher _{hopelessly,resignedly}so,and withoutinternecine rancour,forshetreated us,indiscriminately,with a_serene, im

partial, tolerantderision;but

we

were savagely,luridly,jealous and suspicious ofallnew-comers andofalloutsiders. If

we

could notwinher,no oneelseshould;and

we

formedourselves round

her ina _ringof fire.

Oh,

the maddening mock-sentimental, mock-sympatheticfaceshewouldpull,

when

oneofus ventured to_sightoher ofhis_passion!

The

_way

she wouldlift her_eye brows,andgazeat_you witha_travestyofpity,shaking her head pensively, and murmuring,

"

Mon

pauvreami!

_Only

fancy!

And

then

how

the imp, lurkinginthe cornersof her_eyes,with only the barest pretence of trying to conceal himself, would suddenly leap forthin apealof laughter! She had

lately read

34

The

Bohemian

Girl

Mr.

Howellss"Undiscovered Country," and had adoptedthe

Shakers paraphraseforlove: "

Feelingfoolish."

"

Feeling pretty foolish_to-day,airye,gentlemen?

"

sheinquired, mimicking the dialect of Chalks. "Well, Iguessyou just aint_{feeling any} morefoolishthan

youlook! "

If shewould but have taken us seriously!

And

the worst ofit wasthat

we

knew

she was anything but temperamentally cold. Chalks formulated the potentialities

we

divined in_her,

when

he remarked,regretfully, wistfully,as he oftendid, "She could lovelike Hell." Once,

in arecklessmoment,heevenwentsofar as totellherthis point-blank. "

Oh,

naughty Chalks! "

she_{remonstrated, shaking her} ringerat him. "

Do

you thinkthatsa_pretty word? But I

dare sayIcould."

"

All the same,Lord helpthe

man

you marry," Chalkscon

tinued gloomily.

k

Oh,

I shallnever marry,"

Nina

cried. "Because, first, I dontapprove ofmatrimonyasaninstitution.

And

then asyou say Lordhelp

my

husband. Ishould be such anuncomfortable wife. So capricious,andflighty,andtantalising,andunsettling,

anddisobedient,andexacting, and everything.

Oh,

butahorrid wife!

_No,

Ishall_{never marry. Marriage}is_{quite too}out-of-date.

Ishant

marry;but,ifIevermeeta

man

andlove him ah! " Sheplacedtwofingersuponherlips,and kissedthem, and waved thekiss totheskies.

This _fragment of conversation _passed in the

_Luxembourg

Garden;and the threeor fourofus _by

whom

shewasaccom

panied glared threateningly at our mental

image of that not-impossible upstart

whom

she _might some day meet and love.

We

weresure,ofcourse,thathewouldbeabeast;

we

hatedhim

not _merely becausehe wouldhave cut us out with _her, but because he would be so _distinctly our

inferior, so hopelessly unworthy

By Henry

Harland

₃₅

unworthyofher,so_helplessly incapableof_appreciating her. I

think

we

conceived ofhimas tall,with droopingfairmoustaches, and _contemptibly meticulous in his dress.

He

would probably not beof theQuarter;hewouldsneeratus.

"He ll notunderstand her, hell not_respect her.

Take

her peculiarviews.

We

know

whereshe_getsthem. Buthe hell

despiseher for_them, at the_very time hes

profiting by em,"

someonesaid.

Herpeculiar views of theinstitutionof

matrimony,the speaker meant. _{She had got}them from herfather. "

_The

relations of thesexes should beas free as friendship,"hehad taught.

" If a

man

anda

woman

loveeachother,it is

nobodysbusinessbut their own. Neither the

Law

nor _Societycan, with

any show ofjustice,interfere.

That

they do interfere, is a survival of feudalism, asurvivalof the system underwhich the _individual, the_subject,had noliberty,norights. Ifa

man

and a

woman

loveeach_other,theyshouldbeasfreetodetermineforthemselves the character,extent, anddurationoftheir _intercourse,astwo

friendsshouldbe. _{If they}wishtolive_{together under}thesame

roof,letthem. _{If they}wishto retain theirseparatedomiciles,let

them. _{If they wish}tocleavetoeachothertilldeathseversthem if_theywish to part on the

morrow

of their union let

them,byheaven. But thecouple

who

gobeforea priest ora magistrate, and bind themselves in ceremonial marriage, are servingtoperpetuate tyranny,areinsultingthe_dignityof

human

nature." Such wasthe gospelwhich

Nina

had absorbed (dont,

forgoodness sake,imaginethatIapprove ofitbecauseIcite

it),

andwhichshe professedinentire_goodfaith.

We

felt that the coming

man

would misapprehend both itand her _though he would not hesitate to

make

a convenience of it.

_Ugh,

the cynic!

36

The Bohemian

Girl

We

formedourselvesround herina _ring of fire, hoping to frighten the beast _away. But

we

were miserably, fiercely anxious, suspicious, jealous.

We

werejealous of everything in the shape ofa

man

thatcameinto_anysortof contactwithher: of the

men

who

passed herinthestreetorrode withherin the

omnibus;of the little _employes de commerceto

whom

she gave Englishlessons;ofeverybody. I_fancy

we

werealwaysmoreor

lessuneasyinourminds

when

shewasout ofoursight.

Who

could

tell what mightbe_happening?

With

those lips ofhers,those eyes ofhers oh,

we knew how

shecouldlove: Chalks hadsaid it.

Who

couldtellwhat might already have happened?

Who

couldtellthatthecoming

man

had not_already

come

? Shewas

entirelycapable of concealinghim from us. _Sometimes, inthe evening, shewould seemabsent,preoccupied.

How

could

we

be surethatshewasntthinking ofhim? Savouringanewthe hours she had passedwith

him

thatvery day?

Or

_dreamingof those she had promisedhimforto-morrow? Ifshe tookleaveofus

mighthe not be waitingtojoinher roundthe corner? Ifshe spent aneveningaway fromus

And

she _{she only laughed};laughedatour_jealousy,ourfears, our _precautions,as shelaughed at our _hankering flame.

Not

a _laugh that reassured us, though;an inscrutable, enigmatic laugh, thatmighthave covered a multitude of sins. She had takento_callingus_collectively Loulou "

Ah,le _pauv Loulou

so

now

he has the pretensiontobe

jealous."

Then

shewouldbe

interruptedby a

paroxysmoflaughter;afterwhich,"

Oh,

quil

est

drole," she would gasp.

"

Pourvu _quil ne devienne _pas genant!

"

It was all _verywell to laugh;butsomeofus,our personal equation quiteapart,could nothelpfeelingthatthe jokewasofa precariousquality,that thesituation heldtragic possibilities.

A

By Henry

Harland

₃₇

young and attractive girl, by no means constitutionally insus ceptible,andimbuedwith heterodoxideas of_marriage alonein the LatinQuarter.

Ihave hearditmaintainedthatthe

man

has_yettobe born,who,

in hisheartofhearts,ifhecomes tothink the matterover,

won

t

find himselfat_something ofa loss toconceive

_why

_anygiven

woman

should experience the passion oflove for_anyother

man

;

that a

woman

s_choice,toall

men

savethe chosen,is,byitsvery nature, asincomprehensible as the_{postulatesof Hegel.} But,in

Ninascase,even

when

Iregarditfrom this distanceof time,I still

feel, as

we

all felt then,thatthe _{mystery was}morethan ordinarilyobscure.

We

had fancied ourselvespreparedfor_any thing;the only thing

we

werentpreparedforwasthe thing that

befell.

We

_{had expected}"_him"

tobe_offensive,andhewasnt.

He

_{was, quite simply,insignificant.}

He

was a_{South American,} a Brazilian, a

member

of the School ofMines: a_{poor, undersized,} pale, spiritless,apologetic creature,withratheraTeutonic-looking name, Ernest _Mayer. His father,or uncle, was Minister of Agriculture, or

Commerce,

or something,in hisnative land;and

he himselfwasattachedinsome nominalcapacitytothe Brazilian Legation,inthe

Rue

deTeheran, whence, onState occasions,he enjoyedthe privilege of envelopinghismeagrelittlepersonin a verygorgeous diplomaticuniform.

He

wasbeardless,with vague features, timidlight-blue eyes,anda bluish anaemicskin. In

manner he was nervous, tremulous, deprecatory perpetually bowing,wriggling, stepping back to let _you pass, waving his hands, palms outward,as iftoprotest againstgivingyoutrouble.

38

The Bohemian

Girl

And

in _speech

upon

my

word,I dont thinkIever heardhim compromise himself_{by any more} dangerous assertion than that theweatherwasfine,orhewished you good-day. Forthemost part he listened mutely, with a _flickering, perfunctory smile.

From

timetotime, with anair of_casting fearbehind him and dashing into the imminent deadlybreach, hewould hazard an "

Ah,oui," or a

"

Pas mal." Fortherest,heplayedthe piano prettilyenough, wrotecolourless, correct French verse,and was reputed tobe an industriousifnota brilliantstudent what

we

calledunscricux.

Itwashard to believe that beautiful,sumptuous

Nina

Childe, with her_wit,her_{humour,her imagination, loved}thisneutrallittle

fellow;yetshemade nosecretof doing so.

We

tried toframe atheorythatwouldaccountforit. "

Itsthematernalinstinct,"

suggested one. "

Itsherchivalry,"saidanother;

"

shesthesort of

woman

who

couldneverbe_{very violently}interested_bya

man

ofher

own

size. Shewould needone she could look _up to,or

elseone she could _protectand pat on the head." "

_God

_be thanked,themeanestofHis creatures boaststwosoul-sides,oneto facethe_{world with,}onetoshow a

woman when

he_{loves her,} quoteda third. "

Perhaps

Coco

"

we

hadnicknamed him Coco

"hasluminous qualities that

we

dont dreamof,towhichhe givestherein

when

theyreadeux"

Anyhow,

if

we

weremortified thatshe should have preferred suchaonetous,

we

wererelieved tothink that shehadnt fallen into the clutchesofablackguard,as

we

had fearedshe would.

That Coco

wasa_blackguard

we

never guessed.

We

made the bestof him, because*

we

had tochoose between doina:C1that and seeing lessofNina;in time,I

am

afraid suchisthe influence of habit

we

rather got to like him, as one _gets to like

any innocuous,customarything.

And

if

we

didnotlikethesituation for

By Henry

Harland

₃₉

fornoneofus,whatever

may

have beenour _practice,shared Ninas

hereditary theories anent the sexual conventions

we

recognisedthat

we

couldntalterit,and

we

shruggedour shoulders

resignedly,trustingit

mightbenoworse.

And

then,oneday, sheannounced,"_{Ernest and}

Iare_goingto bemarried."

And when we

cried out_{why,she explained}that despiteher

own

conviction that marriagewasabarbarousinstitu tion shefelt,inthe presentstate_{of public opinion, people}

owed

legitimacyto theirchildren. So _{Ernest,who,according}toboth Frenchand Brazilian law, could not, at his

age,marrywithout his_parents consent,was going

home

to procure it.

He

would sailnextweek; hewouldbeback before three months. Ernest

sailedfrom Lisbon;and thepost,adayortwoafterhewassafe atsea,brought

Nina

a letterfromhim. Itwasa wild, hysterical, remorsefulletter,inwhichhecalled himselfeverysortofname.

He

said hisparentswouldneverdream of_{letting him marry}her.

They

wereCatholics,theywerevery devout,they hadprejudices, they had old-fashioned notions. Besides, he had beenas

goodas iffiancedto a_ladyoftheirelection eversince hewas born.

He

wasgoing

home

tomarryhissecond cousin.

XI

Shortlyafterthebirthof CamilleIhad to

gotoLondon,and

itwasnearly a _yearbefore I came back to Paris.

Nina

was looking better than

when

I had

left,butstillinnowiselikeher old self _pale and worn and worried, with asmilethatwasthe ghostof her formerone. Shehad been waitingfor

my

return, shesaid, tohavealongtalkwith me. "

Ihavemadealittleplan. Iwant

40

The Bohemian

Girl

I_{want you}toadviseme.

Of

course_{you must}advise

me

to stick toit."

And when we

had reached herlodgings,and werealoneinthe salon,

"

Itis aboutCamille, it is about her bringing-up,"she

explained.

"

_The

_Latin

Quarter? Itis all_{very well}for you, for

me

; but fora growingchild?

Oh,

my

casewasdifferent;

Ihad

_my

father. ButCamille? Restaurants,cafes,studios, the

Boul Miche,and this little _garret do_theyformawholesome environment?

Oh,

no, no I

am

not a _renegade. I

am

a Bohemian

; Ishallalwaysbe;itis bredin thebone. But

_my

daughter oughtshenottohave the_opportunity,atleast,of being different,of being like other girls?

You

see,Ihad

my

father;

she will have _onlyme.

And

I distrust myself; I have no *

system. ShallInotdobetter,then,to

adopt the system ofthe world?

To

_{give her the conventional education, the conventional}

advantages ?

A

_home, what they call

home

influences.

Then,

when

she has _{grown up,} she can choose forherself. Besides, there is the question offrancs and centimes. Ihave beenable toearna_livingfor_myself,itistrue. Buteventhatis moredifficult

now

; Ican givelesstimetowork; I

am

in debt.

And

we

aretwo;and our expensesmustnaturally increase from year toyear.

And

I should like to be able toputsomething

aside. Hand-to-mouthisa_{bad principle}

when

youhavea_growing

child."

Afteralittlepause shewent on:"So

_my

problemis,first,

how

toearnour_{livelihood,and, secondly,}

how

to

make

somethinglike a

home

for Camille,something better than this tobacco-smoky, absinthe-scented_atmosphere of the Latin _Quarter.

And

Ican see only one

way

of_{accomplishing}the two things.

You

will smile butIhave considereditfromevery point of view. Ihave examined myself,

my

own

capabilities. Ihave_weighedallthe chances.

By Henry

Harland

41

chances. Iwishtotakea

flat,inanother quarterof the _town, near the EtoileorthePare_{Monceau, and open}a_pension. There

is

_my

plan."

Ihada

much

simplerand pleasanter plan of

my

own,but of that,asIknew,shewould_{hear nothing.} Ididnot smile_{at hers,} however; though I confess it was noteasyto_{imagine madcap}

Ninaintheroleofa_{landlady,regulating the accounts} and pre siding atthe table ofa _{boarding-house.} I cantpretend thatI believedtherewasthe _slightestlikelihood of her

filling itwith

success. ButIsaid_nothingtodiscourage her; and thefactthat

sheisrichto-day proves

how

littleIdivinedthe resources of her character. Fortheboarding-house she keptwas_{an exceedingly} good boarding-house;she showedherselfthe most practical of mistresses; and she prospered amazingly. Jeanselme,whose father had _recently died, leavinghim afortune, lenther what

money

sheneededtobegin with; shetook and furnishedaflatin

the Avenuede

PAlma

; and I Ifeel quitelike an historical personage

when

IrememberthatIwasherfirstboarder. Others soon followed me, though,for shehad friendsamongstall the peoplesof the earth Englishand Americans,Russians,Italians, Austrians, even Roumanians and _Servians,aswell as French;

and each didwhat he couldto help.

At

theendofa_yearshe overflowed intothe flat above; then into thatbelow;then she

acquired theleaseof theentirehouse. Sheworked_{tremendously,} shewasatit_earlyandlate,hereyeswere everywhere; shesetan

excellent table; she employed admirable servants; and ifher

prices were abit stifF, shegaveyouyour

money

s_worth, and therewere no "surprises." It wascomfortableand quiet;the

street was bright, theneighbourhood convenient.

You

could dine in the

common

salle-a-manger if_you liked, or in

your

private sitting-room.

And

you never _{saw yourlandlady except} for

42

The

Bohemian

Girl

for _purposes ofbusiness. She lived_apart,intheentresol,alone with Camille and her body-servant Jeanne. There was the "

home

"

she hadsetouttomake.

Meanwhileanother sortof successwassteadilythrustingitself

uponher she_certainlyneverwentout of her

_way

toseekit

;she

was

much

too

busytodothat. Suchof her oldfriends asremained

in Paris came frequently to see her,and

new

friends gathered roundher. She was beautiful, she was intelligent, responsive, entertaining. In hersalon,onaFriday evening,you would meet

halfthelionsthat were at _largein the town authors,painters, actors, actresses,deputies, even an occasional Cabinetminister.

Red

ribbons and red rosettes shone from every corner of the room. Shehadbecome oneof theoligarchsoflahaute Boheme, she hadbecome oneof thecelebritiesofParis. Itwouldbe tiresome tocountthe novels,poems,songs,thatwerededicatedto her,the portraits ofher, painted or sculptured, that appeared at the Mirlitons or the Palais de 1Industrie. Numberless werethe partis

who

asked herto_{marry them}(I

know

one,at

least,

who

hasreturnedto_{the charge again}andagain),but sheonly laughed, and vowed shewould never marry. I dont

say that she has neverhad her fancies, her experiences; but she hasconsistently scoffed atmarriage.

At

anyrate,she hasneveraffectedtheleast repentance for what some peoplewould call her"

fault." Her

ideasof_rightand

wrong

have_{undergonevery}little modification. She wasdeceivedinher estimate of the character of ErnestMayer, if_you please;but shewould indignantly denythat therewas anythingsinful,anything tobeashamedof,inherrelationswith him.

And

if,byreasonofthem,sheatonetime suffereda_good dealof_{pain, I}

am

sureshe accounts Camille an_{exceedinggreat} compensation. That Camilleis her child she would scorn to

make

a secret. She has scornedtoassumethe_conciliatorytitle