The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-03-03
ruE DAILY DISPATCH
N first French Teacher.

o.,.e,. Paris plein dor ct de misers .-bEsassER
..a ,.acher. madame said 10 the Eng.
~. .ssskine Frenchwoman with whom hao
;as, concluded an arrangement for room ana
breakfasf. .nh;.ct.
can be Of further serv'ces
MANY thanks. no. .,.,., 10.
r,s..s,.@r.,s and wandered about Paris, ex
- aunaed and charmed with novelty
u.u n;,,s,lv and continually conscious OF the
Du s...;,, NJ norapee. On that day, tor the
i.' ,;r,s in nv lii. 1 envied, not magnihcence,
nor eenius. but the volatility oil Two ragged
urchins. h..xa 90, ....
door, and upon my Come in' followed man
of seventy.
.ns !, my language. | can devote to YOU
,,yo bon,s in the morning. Do you think
three francs TOO much3'
4By no means; shall we begin7'
we did, and in the eagerness of acquisition,
at first, / scarcely looked at my teacher; but
il is impossii lie 10 consoH long with a fellow
being, without some curiosity; and soon re.
marked his thin long white hair, his threadbare
dress OF faded brown, and his expression, not
of safety, disappointment, or bitterness, but OF
utter WEAKNESS; that OF a slave staggering I'M
der burden of which he dare no, Complain
/ frequently pressed to finish my task, in or
der 10 converse with him; but, though he al.
ways answered intelligently, he never passed
the limits of mere answer. Several times
was late at our appointment but even to my
excuses he merely bowed. A month had thus
passed. One morning he did not come, nor
the second; on the third he entered. His u.s.
ual look of fatigue was deepened into that OF
utter exhaustion. noticed that black era
vat had taken the place of the usual check.
Contrary TO his habit, he spoke in French,
and rapidly, regretting his unavoidable ao-
sence
Let US make up for lost time said /, gayiy.
He was sorry be could 90 longer be Of service
to me. This was strange; but his age and
poverty forbade me TO ask reason, and re.
paired to my landIady for the explanation.
He had been professor in a college, easy
in his circumstances, ard happy in family;
had be IN deprived of his place, had lost his
fortune, and had seen his family drop one by
-oaf, dwindied to Il single grandson. That boy
he educated and supported by the precarious
chance of English lessons, and two days ago,
his grandson died.
Did you observe a black cravat? C. etait
son mieur: he probably has only the sum you
paid him to bury his boy
A thousand times since | have reproached
myself for not relieving, by some lite inge-
nUiiy that worst of human woes, the destitu-
ton oil pride, bur, in the thong htessness of
youth, the story of the poor gentleman was
soon stamped out OF my mind by some other
impression. Two weeks after was strolliBg
in the Tuieries on u! sunny noon. The gar
dens al that hour are merely tenanted by nur-
SEES, children, and stragglers. Upon one OF the
benches fchaifs are a soul | saw an old man
with an open book. He had not turned leaf
for FIVE minutes. | drew near from some feel
ing of curiosty, and recognized my teacher
addressed him in English; he neither replied
nor looked up; his mind was too far away TO
'berecaled by sound uncounected with his
Tecollections. then ventured upon Bon
jour, monsieur he rose, bowed, and sank
again into his seat. l wanted TO speak but
could not; my heart sickened and my throat
swelled al the sight of grief, impatient of SYM
patty, and, like Rachel, refusing to be COM
forted. The hopes of existence were not mere
ly dead in the old man, but buried, and stone
rolled over the mouth of the sepuichre. In
presence of such grief who could babble
coincidence? Not |.
Day after day, during week, returned
i. at the same hour to the Tuileries, with the
vague hope of doing something's knew not
what-for the old man; but L never saw him
again.
l mentioned the subject to my hostess.
Fortune has at last been kind said she.
~How2' said eagerly.
He died three days ago.