Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1853-03-07
Che Dailp Oireiniau.
Wy First French Teacher.

lJect; can l be OF further scrylceF
4 Many thanks, no
sent iot my baggage from the Hotel dcs
EhangerS, and wandered about Paris, ex-
tremely amused and charmed with novelty
but bitterly and continually conscious of the
inieriorit, of ignorance. On the day. for the
only time in my life, envled mot magnfccnce.
nor genius, but the volubity Of two ragged
urchins
At nine, next morning, heard tap at the
door, and upon my Come IN followed man
OF seventy.
Madame G. informs me that you need les
sons in my language | can devote 10 you
two hours in The morning. Do you think
three francs too much?
BY no means; shall we beginP
We did and IN the eagerness ofacquisltion
at first | scarcely looked At my teacher but
| it is impossible to consort long with a fellow
beng, without some curiosity; and / soon re-
marked his thin long white har,h his lhreadbare
dress of faded brown, and his expression, moi
of safety. disappointmcnt,or bitterness, but OF
bitterness wearine5s; What of a slave stag
gering under burden of which he dare not
complain. | frequently pressed 10 finish my
task i" order TO con, erae with him; but though
he aways answered IN teIigently, he never
passed the limits OF mere answer. Several
times | Mas late at our appointment but even
10 myexcuses he merely bowed. A month
had thus passed. O,e morning he did not
come; nor the sec md Jon the Il ird he entered
His usual look of fatigue was deepened into
that of utter exhaustion. | noticed that
black cravat had taken the place Of the usual
check
Contraryto his habit, he spoke in French,
and rapidly, regretliug his unavoidable ab
srnce.
Let MS make up for lost time, said gay
ly. He was sarry hr could no longer hr OF
service to me. This was srrangr; but his age
and poverty forbade me to ask a reason and
repaired to my landlady for The explanu-
ton.
He had b en- professor in college, cas-,
IA his circumstances. and happy IN family;
had been deprived of his place. had lost his
fortune, AID had seen his tamilv drop one by
ore, dwndcd to susl" grandson. That boy
he educated anl supported by the prec arous
chance OF English lessons, AID two days ago,
his grandson died.
Did you observe a black cravarl Cieta
1t sen mieur: liz probably has only the SUN
you paid ham TO bury his toy
A tho, sand times sll ce | have rcproacled
my elf tor not relieving, 10y some littleingenu
Iy that worst of human woes, the destltuton
OF pride, but in The thougIt!essness Of youth,
the story OF tie poor gentleman was soon
stained out of my nil d BY some ether impres
on. Two weeks after | was srrollng in the
Tu1eries on sunny noon. The gardens at
that hour are merely t"nanrcd by nurses, chill,
dren and straggefs. L pom one of the bench
(chars are Stu) saw an old man with
an open book. He had not ,urned leat for
five minutes. drew near from some feeling
of curiosity, and recognized nv teacher. |
addressed him in English; he neither replied
nor looked up his mind was too far away TO
be recalled 10y a sound unconnected with his
recolec,ions. hen ventured on 'Bonjour,
monsieur he rose, bowed, and sank again in
TO his seat | wante ed to speak hut could not;
my heart sckened and my throat s"clled al
the sight Of grief, impatient ofmy sympathy,
ard. like Rachel, refusing to be comlorted.--
Tie hopes Of existence We're notmerely dead
in the old man,but buried, and stone rolled
over the mouth of the sepulchre In presence
af such grief " ho could banhle coincidence?
Not l.
Day after day, during week, returned
at the same hour to the Tuileres, with the
vague hope ofdoing somehing-l knew not
what-for the old man; but never saw hun a.
gain
mentioned the subject to my hostess.
Fortune has at last been kind said she.
'Howl said | eagerly.
He died three days ago.