The Sun.
London, England, 1863-07-29 00:00:00

THE HEIGHT OF ABSURDITY.

It—that is the Height of Absurdity—has surely been
reached at last by the now French sensation novel, entitled
"Le Nez d'un Notaire." This utter extravagance is the
actual production of M. Edmond About, the vaunted
apostle, if we may venture to call him so, of the sneering
infidelity of the age. His last nonsensical masterpiece is not
only published by tho Messrs. Michel Levy Freres, of Paris:
but has absolutely attained already the glory (such as it is)
of a third edition. And as illustrative of the reach of folly
from which such writers as M. Edmond About do not shrink,
we transcribe from the Reader of Saturday an ingenious
synopsis of the work :
M. Alfred L Ambert, the hero of the silly book, is a public
notary in the Fatibourg St. Germain—a perfect gentleman,
by birth, education, and manners—tall and well-made—has
fine large eyes, an Olympian forehead, beard and hair of the
most amiable blond, and a Roman nose—that is, nose
number one. M. Alfred L'Ambert, this Adonis-notary,
gets into a quarrel one evening at the stage door of the
opera, where the short-sighted notary by mistake deals a
violent blow on the nose to the Turkish secretary of embassy.
Thereupon Ayvas Bey takes a solemn oath that he will
seek retaliation, and then and there provokes his adversary
to a duel. The affair of honour takes place not many
hours after, in the early dawn of the morning, near the
village of Parthenay, on the road to Sceaux. Before
entering the field of combat, M. Alfred L'Ambert
perceives an ill - looking tom - cat grinning at him
from a tree, and threatens to kill it, but with the only effect
of driving the animal further into the wood, just above his
head at the place of duel. The "affair of honour" is set-
tled in a few seconds. Swords having been chosen, Ayvas
Bey, leading the attack, makes short work of the business
by cutting off his rival's nose. Poor M. L'Ambert falls
into the arms of the doctor, who consoles him with the as-
surance that the precious ornament of his face may easily
be sewn on again. The belligerents then look for the nose,
but to their horror find that it has disappeared. The tom-
cat has run away with it. So they all, duellists and se-
conds. comprising a marquis, a stockbroker, and three
Turks, run after the tom-cat, which is perceived capering
away, carrying off the most ornamental part of M. L'Am-
beit's face. The pursuers follow close for more than three
miles, through field, torest, and meadow, M. L'Ambert, all
bleeding, animating his companions by Ovoid and example.
"Those who have never seen a notary running after his
nose can form no idea of the zeal of his pursuit," remarks
M. About. But, in spite of all the ardour of the chase, the
tom-cat escapes finally—and the consequence is that the
handsome notary has to return to Paris without his nose.
When he has reached his residence a surgeon is sent for

—which surgeon is the celebrated Dr. Bernier. The first
question asked by M. L'Ambert is—" Can you restore the
missing part of my face ?" "Oh, yes," replies the
man of science;" that is no very difficult matter;
and there are even three ways of doing it, among
which you may choose. There is the French method,
the Indian method, and the Italian. The first consists in
cutting enough flesh for na,,king a new nose out of your
cheek, the second is borrowing it from your forehead, and
the third from your arm." The notary is horror-struck at
each of these propositions, and ready to drive the doctor out
of the room at once. But the enthusiastic M. Bernier insists
with plaintive eloquence :--" Do let me cut you a nose out

of your arm." After long discussion, a compromise is arrived

at. A poor wretch of a water-carrier, called Romagne, a
fellow six feet high, with plenty of flesh, but not a penny in
his pocket, is called up from the street, and after some
gentle persuasion consents—damages, 2,0001.—t0 have a
piece of flesh large enough for a nose cut out of his left
arm, but not quite detached, and to be tied afterwards tor the
period of a month to the handsome notary, in such a man-
ner that the fibres and blood• vessels may grow from the one
body over to the other. The plan, carried out carefully,
succeeds to perfection. At the end of less than five weeks
the two Siamese twins are separated, and M. Alf. L'Ambert
is enabled to go forth again into the world of Paris more
good-looping than ever. Instead of a Roman, he has now
a Grecian nose, which is greatly admired by the ladies as
being both novel and of the most elgant shape. During a
whole season, the lucky notary is the leading lion at the
club and the green-room, and it is only when the win-
ter sets in that fresh clouds appear on the horizon. The
beautiful nose on a sudden takes a reddish tinge, and soon
begins to look scarlet. Dr. Bernier, who is called in,
tries palliatives, but in vain. After long and deep cogita-
tion, the distinguished surgeon at last discovers the cause
of the evil. It is the occult influence of Romagne over the
nose made out of his own flesh. Romagne is sought for;
and it is found that he has taken to drinking—the 2,000
francs which he earned by the scientific operation having
proved too great a temptation for him to remain at the water
cart. Fortunately, the money is spent now; and Romagne,
promising to be sober for the future, is sent away with a
blessing and a 6fr. piece. M. Alfred L'Ambert's nose for
the next twelve months is all right. Once more, however,
distress is looming in the future. The Greek nose one fine
morning is found to be limp. Romagne is looked after
immediately, and is discovered to be in a dying state for
want of food. Of course, he is transported on the instant
to the mansion of M. L'Ambert, is nursed tenderly, and,
like a healthy wretch, recovers in a few days. S , too, the
nose gets well again; and its leaseholder, warned by re-
peated accidents, resolve, finally to settle in life and keep
an eye upon Romagne. These plans are soon ripe for exe-
cution. Mdlle. Irma Steimbourg, the daughter of a wealthy
merchant, consents to give her hand to M. L'Ambert, and
the marriage is fixed to take place on the 3d March, at one
o'clock precisely.
On March 3, at 8 o'clock in the morning, M. Alfred
L'Ambert awakes from his slumbers, smiling at the first
rays of a beautiful day. To clear up his ideas, he takes his
batist handkerchief from under his pillow, and brings it to
his nose Good heavens I there is no nose—the handker-
chief meets nothing but empty space.
With one bound the notary is out of bed and before his
mirror. Horror of horrors I the day of Pathenay has
come again. To run back to his bed, search the eheets and
blankets, drive into the mattress, and explore the neigh-
bouring furniture, is the work of a minute. But there is
no nose.

Nothing I nothing I nothing
The belt in an instant brings all the servants of the house
together, and M. L'Ambert swears that he will turn the
whole lot off like dogs unless they find his nose. They
search as it frantic, but the nose cannot be found.

Meanwhile, M. Steimbourg, senior, has put on his gala
dress, his blue habit with gold buttons ; and Madame
Steimbourg is busy surveying the toilet of the beautiful
Irma, who is in the hands of two ladies'-maids and three
dressmakers. The white bride, covered all over with rice-
powder, like a gudgeon got ready for the trying pan, stamps
her pretty little foot for impatience, chiding all the people
around with admirable impartiality.
Having waited for half-an-hour beyond the time ap-
pointed for the ceremony, the bride at last hears the dread-
ful news. She has a heroic movement :

" What I do you think," she exclaims, " that I should
be so low and vulgar as to marry a man merely for the sake
of his face ? Had it been for that, I might have chosen my
cousin Roderick, who is much better looking though not so
rioh as M. L'Ambert. I have accepted the hand of M.
L'Ambert because he is a real gentleman, in very good
position—because his character, his hotel, his horses, his
mind, his tailor, in fact everything about him, pleases and
gratifies my feelings. Besides, I act now in full dress,
quite ready to be married, and my reputation might suffer
it the nuptials were to be put off. Do, mamma, let us go to
M. L'Ambert; I will take him such as he is, for better, for
worse."

But, arrived face to face with the bridegroom, the noble
enthusiasm of the beautiful Irma vanishes at the instant.
She is seen fainting away ; and only regains consciousness
to break out into a flood of tears, exclaiming, amidst her
sobs, " Oh, Roderick, Roderick, how unjust I have been to
you I"
The romance of the notary's nose ends by M. Alfred
L'Ambert selling his extensive practice, retiring to a
charming villa in the environs of Paris, and having a silver
nose made for his daily use. One morning, in taking a walk,
he runs against Romagna, whom Dr. Bernier has declared
to be dead. " Wretch, where is my nose T" exclaims the
excited notary. " Ah, sir, it was not my fault," rejoins the
trembling water-carrier; " I got into a factory, and my left
arm, being caught in the teeth of an iron wheel, was torn
clean off. It happened early on the morning of the third
of March."

Such in brief, is the quagmire of twaddling feebleness
in which this sneering, cynical M. Edmond About has de.
liberately taken a " hwader" in this astounding French
sensation novel, that is as a satyr to Hyperion when com-
pared with " Aurora Floyd," or " Lady Audley's Secret I"

BRICK MAKING BY MACHINERY.—For many
years considerable difficulty has been experienced
in producing a machine capable of making accurately formed
bricks from all varieties of clay; this has, however, been
successfully ove, come by the invention of Messrs. Page
and Co., of Laurence Pountnoy-hill, of an entirely new de-
scription of self-lubricating brick die, which, by admitting
moisture round the clay as it passes through the die or
mould, ensures a beautiful smooth and even face to the
bricks, with clean, true, and sharp angles, such as would
be impossible to produce by hand moulding, and from the
immense pressure brought to bear upon the clay in the
machine, the material can be used of much greater density,
The bricks are, therefore, in every way far superior to those
made by the hand process, require less time to dry, and are
not so liable to crack in burning.
M. DE CHATEAUBRIAND'S TOILET.—He untied
his handkerchief, and began taking off his green
morocco slippers. Victor Hugo rose to take leave, but the
great man would not let him go, but went on undressing
regardless of his presence ; he removed his grey swan skin
pantaloons, his shirt, and his flannel waistcoat, and at last
got into his tub, allowing the servant to wash and rub him.
Once dried and dressed up again, he cleaned his teeth,
which were very beautiful, and for the use of which he kept
a whole case of dentist's instruments. Greatly revived by
his dabble in the water, he began to chat in a most animated
manner, all the time working hard at his jaws.—Life of
Victor liugo.

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HER MAJESTY.

OSBOANE, July 28.

The Queen, Princess Helena, and Princess
Beatrice, attended by the Dowager Countess of
Mount•Edgcumbe and Lord Alfred Paget, drove
out yesterday.

Visit of the Prince and Princess of Wales to

Halifax.

As at present arranged, ihflir Royal Highnesses
the Prince and Princess of WalLs will leave London
for Halifax on Monday morning by the ordinary 10
o'clock train, to which a state carriage will be at-
tached. This trai❑ always travels at express speed,
and no stoppage will be made until it reaches Peter-
borough, a distance of 76 miles from London, at
11.35. After a delay of five minutes the train will
proceed to Grantham, 29 miles distant, which will
be reached at 12.35. Three quarters of an hour
more is allowed for the distance between this station
and Retford, about 33 miles. On leaving Retford
at 1.13, the train will proceed to Wakefield, and
then on to Halifax, distant 202 miles, arriving at
3 49. There, as previously stated, their royal high-
nesses will be received by the mayor and corpora-
tion, and will be the guests of his worship during
the night.